Re: Old tyres
Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 8:48 am
http://www.performanceplustire.com/prod ... prodAnchor
is another source for XAS in the US.
Go back and read Gary Anderson's post on old tires. Then think twice. If not convinced, think again.
Tires start as sticky as they are going to be when new. They degrade and harden by an infinitesimal amount every day. The user cannot tell the day-to-day degradation. But some time in the future, if they are faced with the requirement for maximum adhesion (whether braking to avoid an accident, cornering, or what ever), that original level of performance is not going to be there, and the results might be quite unpleasant.
Each person can perform their individual probability and risk assessment, and determine the amount of risk to take.
The point is, once the tire gets past a certain age, even the tire companies recommend replacement. It is not from a need to sell more tires, but for a need to minimize their legal liability. Basically, they are saying OK, the tires are round and go down the road, but don't blame us for your accident.
Personally, I would drink one less Starbucks a day (pick your favorite indulgence here) and finance a new set of tires every few years.
And I can somewhat attest to this. Some years ago, I got a Jaguar MK II sedan with what turned out to be quite old tires. Fortunately, one of the tires developed a slow leak, I got the last 4 tires in inventory (Michelin makes one production run a year for some tires). While the tires looked somewhat OK on the car, once dismounted they looked really bad. I was lucky. I hadn't pushed the car or else it might have done like the Elite in Gary's example or worse.
David
1968 36/7988
is another source for XAS in the US.
Go back and read Gary Anderson's post on old tires. Then think twice. If not convinced, think again.
Tires start as sticky as they are going to be when new. They degrade and harden by an infinitesimal amount every day. The user cannot tell the day-to-day degradation. But some time in the future, if they are faced with the requirement for maximum adhesion (whether braking to avoid an accident, cornering, or what ever), that original level of performance is not going to be there, and the results might be quite unpleasant.
Each person can perform their individual probability and risk assessment, and determine the amount of risk to take.
The point is, once the tire gets past a certain age, even the tire companies recommend replacement. It is not from a need to sell more tires, but for a need to minimize their legal liability. Basically, they are saying OK, the tires are round and go down the road, but don't blame us for your accident.
Personally, I would drink one less Starbucks a day (pick your favorite indulgence here) and finance a new set of tires every few years.
And I can somewhat attest to this. Some years ago, I got a Jaguar MK II sedan with what turned out to be quite old tires. Fortunately, one of the tires developed a slow leak, I got the last 4 tires in inventory (Michelin makes one production run a year for some tires). While the tires looked somewhat OK on the car, once dismounted they looked really bad. I was lucky. I hadn't pushed the car or else it might have done like the Elite in Gary's example or worse.
David
1968 36/7988