Caution! Shock, horror!

[dasadrew]

Just went to drive the Escort Mk2 to its "Winter Quarters" and, after a few metres, I noticed that the steering was pulling dramatically to one side. Got out of the car and heard a very slight hissing from the valve on a front tyre. I just barely touched it with my finger and the brass part of the valve shot out and with it all of the air in the tyre. It had completely separated from the rubber valve body.

Just popped the tyre down to the local tyre shop and thought they would be aghast, but none of it! "10 years on a car which is hardly moved will often see the valve start to detach from the rubber". They hadn't often seen one which had completely broken free, but said it isn't that uncommon.

I'm still ashen at the thought that it could have occurred at 200km/h !

Needless to say, new valves every so often will be on my list now.

Drew

[tractorjames]

I had a perished valve on our trailer the other day. Just shows its worth fitting new valves when tyres are changed weather they look good or not.

James

[KOY 23]

Whenever I've had tyres fitted the valves were replaced as part of the deal, or are your tyres that old?

[dasadrew]

Whenever I've had tyres fitted the valves were replaced as part of the deal, or are your tyres that old?

Tyres were fitted new with new valves in 2008.

[mole42]

I wouldn't be doing 200kph on 7-year old tyres......

[dasadrew]

I wouldn't be doing 200kph on 7-year old tyres......

It's an interesting point. I must admit that, in the past, I've seldom been in a position that my tyres last that long from a wear point of view. Now that I seem to have too many cars to drive, I'm only putting about 1500 miles on the tyres in 7 or 8 years. In fairness, they are always out of UV light and in temperate conditions. There is no law in Germany about tyre age - in fact 5 year old unused tyres can be sold legally as being new and 3 year old ones as being 'factory new'.

I must be slipping as, in the days when I was buying used cars, I was always happy if the tyres needed replacing so then I got what I knew.

The motoring organisations here recommend 10 years as the maximum sensible tyre life.

I wonder how many classic car owners change there tyres every 7 or 8 years irrespective of tread depth?

I reckon tyre age could be a good EU law in the making, heh?

Drew

[Jeff]

Still no law here as far as I know, not an mot failure.

[mole42]

This is where we have to call on that common sense.
Taking a car to exhibit at a car show might involve driving a few hundred km but if our car is an older one with older parts we might not drive so fast, yes?
If we are driving at 200kph (125mph for us Great Britain) we might want to make sure our brakes, steering, suspension, tyres and driver skills are up to it, no?

[dasadrew]

Jolly sensible advice there! I'll pootle about at 70 mph in the Group 1 Escort in future. Hmmmmm.... second thoughts; I'll put some new rubber on and head off to the Salzburgring for a driving course.

[SAP]

Drew
I had old tyres on my stag 10plus yrs had them checked as getting vibration the tread was like new but the tyres side walls
showing cracks so new all round the difference in handling and no vibration, a lot older than yours I admit
but worth changing especially as yours are nearly 8years old - and as you say you don't want drive it like an old un....
be safe not sorry.....have a good Christmas......

[mjheathcote]

Interesting comments.
My Stag had new Yokohama tyres after her restoration 20 years ago. Due to mileage still loads of tread and no cracking etc being kept in the dark, infact look like new.
My Maserati is also on its original factory tyres, Michelins, again due to low mileage, 14 years old. They are nearly shot though now so will be replaced in the spring. Done a few track days and they still stick very well!
So I don't necessarily agree they should be automatically replaced at a certain age.

[Stagdad]

I think that keeping them out of direct sun light is the key that has preserved yours Mike.

[mole42]

Interesting comments.
My Stag had new Yokohama tyres after her restoration 20 years ago. Due to mileage still loads of tread and no cracking etc being kept in the dark, infact look like new.
My Maserati is also on its original factory tyres, Michelins, again due to low mileage, 14 years old. .

Do you keep the cars on axle stands? If not, the tyres can 'set' which could cause a blowout at speed.
Happened to me years ago in my Range Rover at a speed close to the legal limit on the M1, a front wheel had been changed prior to the journey and it went bang. The offending tyre had been sitting in one position for some time before that.

[Jeff]

Luck plays a big part good and bad.

4 new Michelin tyres, 5am clear road on way to Portsmouth ferry, rear tyre blowout on dual carriageway.

Whatever it was, why didn't the front tyre go? 20 minutes on a brand new tyre, what's the chances???

[StagJonno]

http://socforum.com/forum/showthread.php?29503-Back-End-loose-in-the-Wet-is-this-Normal

My experiences with 30-year old tyres, plus collective wisdom from many helpful forumites in this location. (Never tried to put in a link to a previous thread before, so bear with if it doesn't work. The last post was in September if you need another way to locate it.

General conclusion was to change before 10 years, even if they look fine. 2 killers (sic), one is UV degradation which will show as cracking rubber. The second, probably most applicable to our general membership, being oxidation of the rubber, which hardens the surface and reduces "stickiness". Mine were great in the dry, OK in the wet with a full load, and unpredictably treacherous in the wet with driver only.

As several commented - price of a life or 2 (or 4)? The cost of new tyres compared with fuel is small.

Jonno