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I have had three tyre blowouts in my life.
One was in c 1980 driving an 8 year old Triumph 2.5PI at 70mph on a dual carriageway. The rear nearside tyre blew.. wire through the tread. (It was fitted to the car when I bought it). Stopped safely in a rumble of wheel and smoke. Fitted new tyre 20 miles further on in Edinburgh. And replaced the other one on the same axle as it was of the same make and wear...
The second and third were on a caravan in the 1980s where we removed the wheels for winter and stored them upright in the garage. On year 6, both blew on a return from the Lakes at 60mph - within 20 miles of each other. We had a stabiliser fitted so no problems of caravan trying to wag the car over the road...
After that, I never take chances on tyres driven fast when they are over 6 years old..
(My memory of these events is clear - it was quite scary and I don't forget such things)
Edited by madf on 19/03/2015 at 09:59
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I have had three tyre blowouts in my life.
One was in c 1980 driving an 8 year old Triumph 2.5PI at 70mph on a dual carriageway. The rear nearside tyre blew.. wire through the tread. (It was fitted to the car when I bought it). Stopped safely in a rumble of wheel and smoke. Fitted new tyre 20 miles further on in Edinburgh. And replaced the other one on the same axle as it was of the same make and wear...
The second and third were on a caravan in the 1980s where we removed the wheels for winter and stored them upright in the garage. On year 6, both blew on a return from the Lakes at 60mph - within 20 miles of each other. We had a stabiliser fitted so no problems of caravan trying to wag the car over the road...
Hardly relevant I would argue.
1980? Crossply tyres maybe? And a bald tyre on a heavy performance car. 1980s caravan driven at 60 mph with (as I remember ) tyres that in that era werent really up to the job, and often blewout because of combination of over weight and stood for long times in muddy fields and/or exposed to direct sun.
Tyres/cars have moved on a long way since then. Continental have long used silica compound in their tyres which ages extremely well compared to a 1980's tyre. Most premium manufacturer have or are moving accross to silica compound tyres. Plus I dare say the design/construction/QC of modern tyres is light years ahead of a 1980 tyre. Look at the speed/load ratings of modern tyres for instance.
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I have had three tyre blowouts in my life.
One was in c 1980 driving an 8 year old Triumph 2.5PI at 70mph on a dual carriageway. The rear nearside tyre blew.. wire through the tread. (It was fitted to the car when I bought it). Stopped safely in a rumble of wheel and smoke. Fitted new tyre 20 miles further on in Edinburgh. And replaced the other one on the same axle as it was of the same make and wear...
The second and third were on a caravan in the 1980s where we removed the wheels for winter and stored them upright in the garage. On year 6, both blew on a return from the Lakes at 60mph - within 20 miles of each other. We had a stabiliser fitted so no problems of caravan trying to wag the car over the road...
Hardly relevant I would argue.
1980? Crossply tyres maybe? And a bald tyre on a heavy performance car. 1980s caravan driven at 60 mph with (as I remember ) tyres that in that era werent really up to the job, and often blewout because of combination of over weight and stood for long times in muddy fields and/or exposed to direct sun.
Tyres/cars have moved on a long way since then. Continental have long used silica compound in their tyres which ages extremely well compared to a 1980's tyre. Most premium manufacturer have or are moving accross to silica compound tyres. Plus I dare say the design/construction/QC of modern tyres is light years ahead of a 1980 tyre. Look at the speed/load ratings of modern tyres for instance.
Steel braced radials..
Crossply tyres died in teh early 1970s....
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It can easily be the spare in the boot that is unused but old ...
Exactly. I'll bet many, if not most, older cars with spare wheels have a tyre that is time-expired by the 'rules' we are discussing. My own spare is a space-saver which has not been out of the boot since it was put there 7 years ago. The other day I checked the pressure - 35psi instead of the suggested 50, so topped up.
It would be interesting to know how many blowouts - the kind our posters dread - occur to the many drivers who hardly check anything on their vehicles, such as pressure or tread depth. If the OP's ancient tyre is OK in those areas it should be at least as safe.
And many such drivers would find the price of an optional new tyre quite a deterrent among all the other costs of motoring.
Unlike Madf, I have not had a blowout in 50 years of driving, though I was about 50 yards behind one on the autobahn - Astra (I think) doing about 75-80. Car stopped in a straight line.
Edited by Andrew-T on 19/03/2015 at 10:21
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Closest to a blowout I can relate to was an old G reg Rover 214Si I had bought second hand, it had been a London car and had little wear. I decided the tyres were ok based on a visual inspection and being around 6 years old there was still some wear left on them. A few weeks later, going down the motorway, was suddenly aware of a building vibration. Came off the motorway, looked round, found nothing, carried on for another five miles and pulled over as the vibration was now quite bad. Looking around this time, o/s rear tyre had developed a side wall blister the size of a hen's egg. On replacement was advised the internal wires had gone and the blister was the internal pressure pushing the rubber out, near to a full failure. A close shave.
Other than that, again, six year tyre on a 2nd hand Astra, could hear a slight warbling at speed, one of the tyres had developed a slightly out of true warp to the tread edge (rear o/s again) and was making a noise.
When it comes to wheels, it's not worth taking the risk, with the grief I've had with 6 year old tyres, a 10 year old one regardless of where it's been stored is a ticking time bomb.
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I'd reuse it if it has no real signs of being mis-shapen or perishing etc. But then again my attitude is more 'it'll be alright' rather than 'but what if'.
Bear in mind that in most tyre outlets, tyres are stored on racks upright, often on two little pegs and some obscure sizes/makes could be there for a few years. I have also seen tyres stored at wholesalers in large stacks on their sides piled on top of each other.
Then consider that they are carried across the world in containers/trailers and they are stacked in such a way that they criss-cross and interlock into each other, basically crammed in to fit as many into the smallest space possible.
Then of course people are perfectly happy to buy tyres online and have them home delivered and can you imagine the abuse they get when being handled by the courier companies? After all they see it as a tyre and it won't break it by throwing it, smashing it, squashing it etc.
By comparison I can't imagine that your tyre that you have been storing has had a hard time and hence I'd re-use it. Mount it on a rim, have it balanced and you will soon know if it has become mis-shapen by the amount of balance weight that needs to be applied.
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In the loft I have 4 185 60 14 Yokohama A001HFR race tyres that were bought in 1989. They did one practice session at Cadwell park early in 1990 but were never used again, the identical tyre in 185 60 13 proved to be quicker, probably due to the slightly lower gearing.
They are only 26 years old, no sign of cracking. Surely someone on here wants them.
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They are only 26 years old, no sign of cracking. Surely someone on here wants them.
Alas, my TR7 uses 185 70 13, otherwise I would have been delighted to have had them in 2011 when I replaced its 23yr old Goodyears which still had enough tread and no cracking but had become rather hard.
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They are only 26 years old, no sign of cracking. Surely someone on here wants them.
Alas, my TR7 uses 185 70 13, otherwise I would have been delighted to have had them in 2011 when I replaced its 23yr old Goodyears which still had enough tread and no cracking but had become rather hard.
I trust you were joking, I was. The only thing they are fit for is to make plant pots. The rubber will be rock hard and the casings will also have deteriorated. Anyone who even contemp[lated using them on a public road would be mad. Anyone who considered using them on the track would hopefully fail scrutineering.
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<< The only thing they are fit for is to make plant pots. The rubber will be rock hard and the casings will also have deteriorated. Anyone who even contemplated using them on a public road would be mad. Anyone who considered using them on the track would hopefully fail scrutineering. >>
So, Skidpan, if those tyres have only one possible use, why have you not made them into plant pots instead of cluttering your loft? Are they just pleasant mementoes ?
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He's a secret hoarder! Bet he has a collection of old used spark plugs and air filters too. Lots of bits for cars he no longer owns.
His wife must be very tolerant. ;)
As a child I used to buy old radios at the local auction house, some from the 1920s and 30's in beautiful walnut or other wood cabinets. I learnt how to get them working and then I started collecting old TVs, I even had donated some original sets from the first days of broadcasting, all fixed and working. My parents got fed up with all the junk and when I went to uni, it was all taken to the local tip. Would have been worth a fair bit now.....
Edited by brum on 22/03/2015 at 18:54
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He's a secret hoarder! Bet he has a collection of old used spark plugs and air filters too. Lots of bits for cars he no longer owns.
Indeed I do but shortly I will have to sort through it before we can do some home improvements.
A few examples:
1994 Mondeo 2 litre Zetec full engine. Great condition, been saving it for a project but that becomes less likely with every year. That one is for keeping though.
Sierra XR4i V6 gearbox. Not used since being fully rebuilt, its in the downstairs loo. Another for keeping.
Cortina 2 litre gearbox. Not been used since 1984 but stored dry with some oil in it. Probably not a better original untouched one in existance. Definitely keeping it.
Sierra 2.8 XR 4x4 gearbox. Worked perfectly when the car was broken and although the box is virtually worthless the gears etc have value. Dry stored since the late 90's, its staying where it is.
Set of Escort Mk2 sport "tinilite" steel rims. One for E-Bay.
Probably 5 sets of alloys all in good condition to fit Ford Escort Mk2. Not going anywhere.
Boxes of other stuff.
Sod it, think I need another shed.
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They are only 26 years old, no sign of cracking. Surely someone on here wants them.
Alas, my TR7 uses 185 70 13, otherwise I would have been delighted to have had them in 2011 when I replaced its 23yr old Goodyears which still had enough tread and no cracking but had become rather hard.
I trust you were joking, I was.
Only partly joking. I recently had a bike with tyres probably 30yrs old. Far thinner and flimsier than car tyres yet able to take twice the pressure.
While agreeing with the reduced grip argument I don't buy the nonsense about the risk of blowouts with old tyres, assuming their sidewalls are undamaged. A tyre of any age is at risk if it has been run at the wrong pressure or has sustained sidewall damage.
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A visual inspection, perhaps after a touch (or more) of overinflation.
and run it on the back of a FWD, or as a spare.
No worries, whatsoever.
Now, the valvestem, on the other hand . . .
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Now, the valvestem, on the other hand . . .
Aha. Now that reminds me of another motor industry scam - the practice of some outfits unnecessarily replacing valves every time tyres are renewed 'safety, just in case.....'. In my nearly 50yrs of driving I have never experienced, or even directly heard of, a valve failure. I think that, like any other small almost non-wearing component, they will probably last beyond the life of the car.
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Aha. Now that reminds me of another motor industry scam - the practice of some outfits unnecessarily replacing valves every time tyres are renewed 'safety, just in case.....'. In my nearly 50yrs of driving I have never experienced, or even directly heard of, a valve failure. I think that, like any other small almost non-wearing component, they will probably last beyond the life of the car.
In my 40 years of driving I also have never heard of a valve failure, that was until these new TPMS valves started to be fitted and some of those have failed, buts thats another story.
But with regards to not changing valves when you fit a new tyre that is crazy. Most tyre shops include fitting, balancing and valve in the tyre price, do you ask them to leave the old valve in and knock off a couple of quid. For what they cost why not change them.
In my 40 years of driving I have only had one tyre blowout, that was about 38 years ago with a Goodyear remould which were quite popular at the time. It was on the front and I got plenty of warning from the steering as the tyre went soft and was able to pull off the A1 safely just before it finally disintegrated.
But a boss of mine had a rear tyre loose its air and he was totally unaware of it until the remains of the tyre came off the rim. The car was driving perfectly normally. As he slowed he very nearly lost control, the police and AA/RAC told him he was very lucky since rear wheel punctures are statistically more dangerous than fronts. Cost him a new tyre and alloy.
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John,
As per your feelings, this was my attitude, until the centre "blew" out of the tubless valve on the Galaxy, on a back tyre, unchanged for possibly 6 or more years, or indeed the Spare, pulled out after up to 10 years.
I kept the car until 13 years old btw.
Probably back when brass was used, no issues, for a lifetime, but some penny pinching accountant decided to use an inferior, more prone to corroding base metal instead.
I did "blow a fuse" when the tyre fitter cut the valves off 4 No 6 month old brand new alloy wheels to fit winter tyres.
Auto-pilot action i suppose.
cheers
M
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I did "blow a fuse" when the tyre fitter cut the valves off 4 No 6 month old brand new alloy wheels to fit winter tyres.
I think they just do automatically without thought. I had a similar yell at a tyre fitter who cut the valve stem off my front wheel when he changed the tyre under warranty because it developed a bulge after 130miles. Maybe because I'm a person who hates seeing things go to waste.
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Aha. Now that reminds me of another motor industry scam - the practice of some outfits unnecessarily replacing valves every time tyres are renewed 'safety, just in case.....'. In my nearly 50yrs of driving I have never experienced, or even directly heard of, a valve failure. I think that, like any other small almost non-wearing component, they will probably last beyond the life of the car.
Me neither, but there again every tyre change has incorporated a valve change, like most peoples experience, so the fact you have never heard of a failure is unsurprising.
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Now, the valvestem, on the other hand . . .
Aha. Now that reminds me of another motor industry scam - the practice of some outfits unnecessarily replacing valves every time tyres are renewed 'safety, just in case.....'. In my nearly 50yrs of driving I have never experienced, or even directly heard of, a valve failure. I think that, like any other small almost non-wearing component, they will probably last beyond the life of the car.
A quick Google search shows that is does happen
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Thanks for the comments from everyone, appreciateed. As a final word, I inspected the tyre/wheel more closely and decided it looked more tired (no pun intended) than I initially thought. Mainly microcracking in the wide circumferential grooves and some siping seemed to be mysteriously worn away ( the best I can describe it)
Its a Conti contact ep and not eco 3 as originally posted BTW.
In comparison the steel spare that is now fitted (rear) has the same type, same age, but after being in the boot for over 10 years and 6 months on the car, still looks like a brand new tyre in comparison with rubber looking like new.
The car is going a long way down to the south coast at the weekend to be sold, my d-i-l thought it would look better to have all 4 alloys on, but I advised her to leave the steely on for safety's sake and possibly get her father to have the tyres swapped between wheels and alloy refitted then. Or leave the decision to the new owner.
Edited by brum on 26/03/2015 at 20:40
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Personally I despair.
You are happy to allow a family member to drive a long distance on ancient tyres. OK, the spare looks better on the outside than the one that had been in storage but outside looks are not everything.
I further despair when you are prepared to condone selling a car in this potentially dangerous state.
When we got the Micra last October the tyres were dated 2006 but still had loads of tread left. However, all 4 had microcracks between the tread and to a lesser extent on the sidewalls. Before I let my wife out in it I spent £240 on a set of 4 new tyres, fitted balanced with valves. Cheap in comparison to the consequences.
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Well said, Skidpan. Strong words but I agree with every one. A blowout could happen at any time and personally I just wouldn't take the risk.
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Well said, Skidpan. Strong words but I agree with every one. A blowout could happen at any time and personally I just wouldn't take the risk.
Ageing of a premier make of tyre is mainly due to use and exposure to environmental elements, particularly UV exposure. The spare is indistinguishable from a new tyre, the compound is like new even after 6 months service with no micro cracking whatsoever. It has been, unused from new, stored in the boot well, sealed away from the elements. it even still had the correct pressure as inflated from the factory. I am an engineer with decades of experience and there's not much I haven't seen, so I trust my judgement. The car has recently had an MOT and apart from oil/filter changes which I do, all other servicing like brakes etc are all done by the Skoda dealer. Yes I am perfectly happy for my family to drive this car until its next service due date.
As for selling a "potentially dangerous" car, what bunkum. Apart from my, an MOT tester and dealers opinion, datecodes are clearly printed on tyres and no information will be withheld. Please note all advice from manufacturers, AA etc advise a visual inspection of the sidewalls for cracking. This is the weak area of a tyre.
I wish you would stop with the dramatic talk,Skidpan. Judging by past record, I doubt you will grace me with the last word, but personally I have nothing more to say about this.
Edited by brum on 27/03/2015 at 14:05
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I'm with you every inch of the way, brum. If people choose (probably needlessly) to spend £240 on new tyres in case something serious happens, they are free to. They could do it every two years just to make doubly sure. In the end we all behave according to our own assessment of the chance of a bad event. Brum and I (and Skidpan) make our own judgments on the state of our cars, and none of us is inexperienced.
We have had very similar discussions here about how often to change engine oil, with equally polarised viewpoints. And to raise a topical point, how does one try to prevent an unbalanced deputy pilot flying a plane into a mountainside? It's an extremely unlikely event, but one with horrific consequences - but several airlines have announced knee-jerk responses to please the public. It's never easy to calculate how to deal with the small chance of a huge disaster.
Edited by Andrew-T on 27/03/2015 at 15:10
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I wish you would stop with the dramatic talk,Skidpan. Judging by past record, I doubt you will grace me with the last word, but personally I have nothing more to say about this.
Brum, so as not to dissapoint you I will comment.
You started this thread asking for advice. Andrew-T correctly points out like other discussions the viewpoints are polarised but wheras not changing your oil will only eventually wreck your engine driving on tyres that have possible invisible age related defects (microcracking indicates all is not well) could lead to much more serious consequences.
But its your choice and its you that will have to live with any consequences should things go wrong.
If people choose (probably needlessly) to spend £240 on new tyres in case something serious happens, they are free to.
£240 for a set of tyres after 7 years and 24,000 miles is peanuts. In that same period the car will have used over £2500 of petrol, cost over £2000 to insure, had over £800 of VED paid and had about £1400 spent of servicing and MOT's. That's a total of £6700, a set of tyres is about 3.5% of that total, like I said peanuts compared to other costs over the same period.
Avant, thanks for agreeing with me, proves I am not the only sensible driver on here.
Andrew -T, its a bit sick comparing the shocking events of Wednesday in the Alps with a debate about tyre safety.
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Skidpan just couldn't resist getting the last word in.
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<< £240 for a set of tyres after 7 years and 24,000 miles is peanuts. >>
I don't see myself as an impoverished person, but I'm not affluent enough yet to consider £240 as peanuts. When I consider a wearing item needs replacing I do it - we just calculate 'risk' differently.
<< it's a bit sick comparing the shocking events of Wednesday in the Alps with a debate about tyre safety. >>
Nothing 'sick' about it, it's near the top of the news every day, which must make every news channel sick too. I was wondering whether it was possible to judge the likelihood of a repetition, how much time and money should be in trying to prevent it, and how much more inconvenience that might add to flying.
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