How long are you guys running your radials tires

[sixt9x33rs]

Guys,

I am starting to get nervous about two sets of BF Goodrich Radial TA's that I am running on two of my cars. Each set I bought in the mid 90's. They have been on and off my cars, stored indoors out of the sun. I am thinking I need to bite the bullet and replace both sets. What do you guys think?

Lawrence

[lakeholme]

Would you buy tires over 10 years old to put on your Camaro?
I'd say, No...
Depending on several variables beside age, they need to be replaced affter six to ten years.

[ko-lek-tor]

Depends a lot on how much and where you drive. I maintain a couple of car collections for older clients. Most of their cars have tires that are 30-40 years old, maybe older(bias ply I should ad). The cars are kept inside away from the sun and the tires show no signs of dry rot (cracks). The cars are driven locally on rural back roads only where the speeds probably don't exceed 30 or40 mph, only taken to local shows and exercised occasionally. I tell you this because heat is a tire's enemy. If you are taking your car on the highway (even for short distances), I would replace the tires. If you take it farther than 10 miles from the garage regularly, I would replace them. So, high speeds or prolonged distance will build up heat and cause tire failure in older tires. Radials, especially, are susceptible to failure.
Having said all that, I know of an antique car that was hit by another motorist and sustained damage. The antique car owner was not at fault and not cited, they were a victim by all rights, but sued, nonetheless, by the insurance company of the person who hit them. The (antique)owner said that the insurance company wanted to be only responsible for a percentage of damages  claiming the antique car contributed to the accident because it was not maintained properly citing the tires were old and other B.S. stuff that makes one hate lawyers and the "system" that try to demonize the innocent victim.

[sixt9x33rs]

I drive my cars a lot. To work, 10 miles from home, to meetings and on the interstate. I better change these tires out. I have always run BF Goodrich Radial TA's but would like to check out others. I was thinking about Good Year Eagle STs. I had them on my 78 Z28 in high school. Does anyone have any other suggestions? All ears.

Thanks

Lawrence

[sdkar]

I don't know if what I am doing is the proper thing to do, but I have a set of Firestone Indy 500 radial tires on my pace car since 2003.  My car has been driven about 6-7K miles since these were installed new, and they have been rotated and balance to make sure wear is perfectly even.  I have driven on several far away trips of a couple hundred miles away as well as local, and have no problems.  I wash and clean the tires after almost every outing or two, and the white lettering is still pretty white. 

I see no signs of cracking, and they still give a good ride.  These tread on these tires is not even close to looking worn and so, I will continue to drive on them until I see or feel a problem.  I still have the 10+ year old matching spare tire in the trunk, and see no reason this would need to be replaced as well.  If it helps, my car is garage kept, so the tires see no weather unless being driven.

[BULLITT65]

I am am with sdkar on this one. I have had my share of cars pass through my hands: just had a 65 mustang that I purchased (& sold) with radial tires from the early 70's, I drove it everywhere no issues. I just purchased a 65 fastback from my uncle he put goodyear eagle st on it over ten years ago (probably over 15) tires have plenty of tread I checked the air, and then drove it 800 miles, no issues. I have 60's motorcycles with the original tires still on them, and look like they were bought yesterday with the knobbies still there, again I have been on the freeway with them,  no issues. With tires, it is all about how they have been stored. Any checking or cracking, i have tossed the tires no problem, but I have learned through experience if you treat tires right they will last a long long time. It is of course owner beware, but why buy new tires every 5 years if they are in good condition? One other thing I am around other gear heads and friends and have never heard a "tire horror story" about a guy driving on older tires that looked fine and all of a sudden they blew out or came off the rim or whatever.

So take it with a grain of salt. Do what makes you comfortable 

[Mike S]

  If a tire starts to fail it is usually with the sidewalls first. A slight bulge is an indication it is a weak spot and will likely grow to a bubble.
Like Bullitt, I have seen many old tires still on cars and in one rare case, with a Captain America clone motorcycle built in the early 80's.


Mike
 

[69Z28-RS]

I am am with sdkar on this one. I have had my share of cars pass through my hands: just had a 65 mustang that I purchased (& sold) with radial tires from the early 70's, I drove it everywhere no issues. I just purchased a 65 fastback from my uncle he put goodyear eagle st on it over ten years ago (probably over 15) tires have plenty of tread I checked the air, and then drove it 800 miles, no issues. I have 60's motorcycles with the original tires still on them, and look like they were bought yesterday with the knobbies still there, again I have been on the freeway with them,  no issues. With tires, it is all about how they have been stored. Any checking or cracking, i have tossed the tires no problem, but I have learned through experience if you treat tires right they will last a long long time. It is of course owner beware, but why buy new tires every 5 years if they are in good condition? One other thing I am around other gear heads and friends and have never heard a "tire horror story" about a guy driving on older tires that looked fine and all of a sudden they blew out or came off the rim or whatever.

So take it with a grain of salt. Do what makes you comfortable 

There are really two major causes of tire failures (besides wear), and those are UV light which breaks down the rubber and heat.  I've found that tires really don't generate much heat if the pressure is kept to the high side, even at highway speeds, and I store my cars in my basement garage which has no windows and the temperature remains very stable.  I have Michelin Radial X tires for my '57 Chevy BelAir that I bought around 1980, and another set of Michelin Radial EPX? on my '69 Corvette that I purchased in 1988.  Each of those cars (and tires) have less than 5K miles on them, and are stored in my underground garages.  They show no sidewall issues or cracks, have deep tread and still have the 'titties' on them.  (Some people call those knobbies I suppose?)..

I really dislike having to agree with a fella who dislikes 'power Orange' cars, but in this case I have to.  I follow the same practices as Bullitt described above...    and I agree with his approach.

[cook_dw]

They show no sidewall issues or cracks, have deep tread and still have the 'titties' on them.  (Some people call those knobbies I suppose?)..

You just wanted to say titties..  

One thing to check is the inside of the tires.  Meaning the side that faces to the inside of the car.  I have seen tires look great from the outside but once you look on the inside they are dry-rotted.  Just a thought.

[Kelley W King]

Back in the 80,s a so call friend had several sets of new 15 inch tires cheap. they were still in the wrappings. I bought a set for my corvette and another friend bought a set for his daily driver. My friend had 2 blow out within a month. I changed out my vettes and put mine on one of my work trucks. They too blew out shortly. We found out the tires were several years old but still new. However my 2 Camaros both have 10 year plus tires on them. I don,t put a lot of miles on them but I do  burnouts almost every time I drive them. I have had no problems with them. Maybe they are better than the 70,s and 80,s are far as materials.

[69Z28-RS]

I forgot to mention earlier, the Remington XT-120 radials that have been on my '69 Z28 since around 1980.  The car has not been driven in that time, has been rolled in and our of the garage a few times to wash the dust off, but these tires still *look good*, and have never lost any significant amounts of air.

The ONLY tires I've ever had issues with were 1) the Firestone Wide Ovals which came on my wife's '70 Mach I (which wore out and looked ugly within 10,000 miles on the new car), and 2) in the early 1980's I bought 3 sets of a new 'Sears Radial 70, RWL tires all at one time;  they 'looked good', and were very price competitive, and I put them on all 3 cars that we regularly drove.   All three sets 'blew up' within a year or two... knots would pop out of the sidewalls, etc.. WORST tires ever, and Sears quit selling them very quickly.. ..  and I haven't bought tires from Sears since.

[JohnZ]

Normally, the worst thing that can happen to a tire is a tread separation, which is almost always a catastrophic failure, particularly at freeway speeds, which can result in all manner of really bad outcomes. Tread separation is a common failure mode on "S" speed-rated tires, which are on 99.99% of all cars on the road today (except new Corvettes, Vipers, Ferraris, etc.).

The problem is that "S"-rated (112mph) tires don't have a nylon cap belt in the carcass, on top of the radial or bias plies, which keeps the tire from disintegrating if the tread separates; that cap belt is only in tires that are speed-rated "H" (130mph) or above, and they're significantly more expensive true performance tires due to the premium materials used in their construction.

BFG Radial T/A's are NOT "performance" tires - they're ordinary garden-variety "S"-rated tires (no cap belts), better described as "performance-appearing" tires. Keep that in mind the next time someone tells you that their T/A's are "performance" tires - they're NOT.

Just one more thing to consider when deciding whether or not to replace your old tires - unless you have "H" or "V"-rated tires (which have cap belts), ten years is probably a good time to replace them.

[Vince]

I have been trying to find Goodyear Eagle ST's or GTII's (with raised white letters) to put on my Z but have been told Goodyear no longer makes them, or any raised white- lettered tire for cars.  Neither does Firestone.  Kelsey has reproduction Goodyear Steelgards (white-lettered) and I think Goodyear Eagle GT's with outlined white letters.  The Goodyear Steelgards very likely came on your '78 Z28 as original tires as they did on my '78 Z28.  The only tire I can find as a new radial tire with raised white letters is the Cooper Cobra Radial GT, other than of course the BFG Radial TA's.  Hope this helps.       

I drive my cars a lot. To work, 10 miles from home, to meetings and on the interstate. I better change these tires out. I have always run BF Goodrich Radial TA's but would like to check out others. I was thinking about Good Year Eagle STs. I had them on my 78 Z28 in high school. Does anyone have any other suggestions? All ears.

Thanks

Lawrence

[lakeholme]

There's always the $325 each Firestone SC200s that Coker sells....

[BULLITT65]

I have 99% new Goodyear eagle st on the mustang I just bought from my uncle, but because of the age gap the white letters out looks 80's to me so first thing I did was flip them so the white letters are in!  Funny what you think looks good and what doesn't based on how you remember things from different eras. If you had 14" wheels and were interested I would make you a good deal on them ( I am in So Cal). I want to run a nice pair of tiger paws with a white wall, but unless somebody makes me an offer it will take forever for my wife to run these tires down.