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Re: Tire Age & Related Problems

To: Healey List <healeys@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Tire Age & Related Problems
From: Eric (Rick) Wilkins <wilko2@cox.net>
Date: Wed, 16 Nov 2005 10:57:20 -0800
I don't have a dramatic story, but a failure none the less.
Just a mismatched set of ancient tires on my project BN6 just out of 
highschool in 1981. One of my old cracked and brittle radials just 
decided to collapse and let out all of its air while I was driving a 
semi-hard corner on the downhill side. I had a second of major 
understeer as I slid to a stop. It was residential area, I stopped in 
the oncoming lane.

Wilko

On Nov 16, 2005, at 9:24 AM, Reid Trummel wrote:

> Hi Team,
>
> Just looking for some "anecdotal evidence" and thought maybe you could 
> help...
>
> Over the decades I've read articles warning about the dangers of old 
> tires, and yet I can't recall hearing of any actual problems with 
> them.  Some say you should not drive on tires more than 10 years old, 
> or more than six years old, and tire sellers and quite happy to sell 
> you a new set every year -- for safety's sake, of course!).
>
> I do not doubt that for high-performance applications, such as for 
> racing, it is always better to have the best and newest of everything, 
> but for the occasional joy ride -- the way that most of us typically 
> use our Healeys -- it seems like overkill, at least based on my 
> experience and the lack of evidence to the contrary that I have seen 
> or heard.
>
> So my request is this: Please tell me if you have had any problems 
> with tires that are attributable to the age of the tire(s).  If you 
> got a flat tire by running over a nail, the age of the tire isn't NOT 
> the proximate cause of the flat -- I'm looking for stories of problems 
> that were caused by, or the direct result of, the tires being old.  No 
> old wives's tales or "I heard of a guy who..." stories, please.  YOUR 
> personal, first-hand experiences, please.
>
> Anyone?  Thanks.
>
> Reid
> Fearlessly driving on 15-year-old Pirelli radials




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