I have 20 cars...that's 80 tires...mostly old. Hope I don't get my head blown off.... I'm sure Doug Heck(l)er will have something to say about it.....
Funny, I was just talking to a customer that is in the middle of a long term resto that he is doing himself.. I told him that tires were the last thing you want to buy.. they have a shelf life. JW
A friend of mine lost his bother in the 80's from a tire exploding while he was mounting it at work. Don't know the details but they are nothing to fool around with and take chances.
I'm shaking my head...like a comedian who has written two hours of material and they told him he's got two minutes on stage.
This thread is making me think. My Buick has nice looking tires with good tread. No cracking or dryrot on the sidewalls. Car was garaged its whole life. Never bought tires since I bought it 10 years ago. Never had a tire problem. This thread made me look at the date code on them and it's only 3 digits. Which means they were manufactured before 2000. Probably 1993 or 1983. So at best they are likely 30 years old. I agree with the shelf life thing but the penny pincher in me is having a hard time.
If a tire has ever sat flat, I wouldn't trust it but most of mine are just sleeping full of air in the dark. I have some nice Michelins on my Reatta but didn't realize that the side that I can't get to had gone flat and they cracked/split. (going to be fun getting it out on flat tires so I can change them) In the middle of winter is when they seem to lose a little air every week. I try to keep on top of them but time flies....
