Cracks in Tire Sidewalls

[The_Handier_Man1]

From: 54PrairieSchooner  (Original Message)
Sent: 4/29/2005 7:33 PM

The PO of my 72 Brave M-300 replaced the tires sometime in the late 90s..then he promptly parked it and I think they have maybe around 3000 miles or less.  However, there is weather checking on the sidewalls.  A local tire store said that unless I could see exposed cords etc., they were probably OK for local driving, but extended summer trips were a no-no....I read the "Blowout!" post and it appears that my tires may need to be replaced before driving at all. Any advice?

John



From: cooneytunes
Sent: 4/29/2005 9:00 PM

John....Just One Word...."REPLACE"......Dry rot and big vehicles, should not be in the same sentence, never mind on the road. Any tire over 7 years old, no matter what the mileage, Unless kept in complete darkness in climate control without weight bearing down on them should be replaced...max life 7 years ...Hence "LIFETIME Guarantee"
You really don't want to blow out a tire even driving locally.....much damage to rig could accur, and destruction of ir-replacable parts, not forgetting about the driver and passengers too...REPLACE Good.....Dry Rot....Bad
Timmy



From: Derrek
Sent: 4/30/2005 7:34 AM

Timmy said:

"You really don't want to blow out a tire even driving locally.....much damage to rig could occur"

Timmy,
Did you mean the kinda damage that occurs when a tire blows, and blows a large section off of the side of your motor home kinda damage???...lol
As you can see from the photo..the tires had no cracks at all in the sidewalls, but were close to the 7 year mark.

Recently, I spoke with a chemical engineer who works in the tire industry about tire life, and why tires are to be replaced at the 7 year mark. He explained that when the compound for the tires is mixed, anti-oxidants and anti-ozonants are added to the compound. These ingredients are sacraficial, similar to the anode rod in a hot water tank. The oxygen and ozone will attack these ingredients until they are depleted and then begin to attack the rubber, until the compound weakens enough that the tire finally fails....



From: cooneytunes
Sent: 4/30/2005 10:39 AM

X-zact-ly.....and had that been a steer wheel, think of what could have happened.....at least on the rear, you had another tire holding up up...but on the front, beside the body, you have all the suspension stuff, the brakes, discs or drums etc. Mucho Denairo more than the cost of new tires......"Be safe & Replace" is my motto...
Timmy



From: 54PrairieSchooner
Sent: 4/30/2005 10:42 PM

Great advice....the tire guy's wisdom wasn't so good.  10,000 lb rig, traveling at 55 mph, blows a front tire=bad day for all.

Thanks again.

John