[Firedup6975]

The Trans am I just got has Indy 500 firehawk tires on it. Are they an old brand? They look to be good, but someone said that’s an old tire and they might not be safe? Any thoughts on this?

Thank you.

[dhcarguy]

I have them on my car MA , and I like them a lot. They have been discontinued. Not sure where it is now, but there is a date code on your tires. Mine are (I think) 8 or 9 yrs old with no issuses, and can't find any dry rot. I recently last year replaced a wheel and checked inside that tire before having it mounted and it was fine.

Dave

[Lightfoot]

Originally Posted by MaryAnn;

The car won’t be going anywhere for a long time as we change things around to my liking.

Then by all means, WAIT until then before you buy new tires. They'd just be getting age time on them while you're not meaningfully using the car.
Just driving it 2 miles to the store is not enough to fret about IMHO.

The only time I had a major brand tire go to sh*t from age was about 13 years ago. It was a FIrestone Supreme that was part of a set I had purchased new and was approximately 10 years old. The steel belts in the tread broke, which made for a very noticable wobble at low speeds. I actually drove it like that for a month because I was dirt poor and couldn't find a good used one to replace it (hard to find 14" size). Well it finally did blow out but I was mentally prepared and it was on the rear so it was non consequential. I limited most of my driving around town and drove very cautiously while this was going on. I had noticed some weather checking in the shoulder grooves some time before the broken belt became apparent. Actually a year or two before that. The car had spent a lot of time sitting outdoors with the sun beating on the tires.
I think they held up pretty well considering all that. The other three Firestones were still on the car for another year before I sold it. Since I had plenty of 'warning' time before the one that failed let go, I wasn't too concerned with replacing the others right away.
I'll probably get flamed for having this attitude, but that's how it is when you have to scrimp for every dollar.

BTW: I still get tires from the salvage yard to put on my daily driver. Not very often because I know how to inspect tires, and the ones I select usually last for a long time.

[GT182]

Are they weather-checked and/or look in bad shape MaryAnn? How's the tread? Tho just to be safe I'd put a new set of tires on it.... peace of mind is good.
New car (to you) deserves new shoes. Better safe than sorry.

[tinindian68]

I had two 7 year old tires blow out on me driving down the road. The belts came apart. They looked great, no weather checking or dry rot. If I were you, I’d replace them if they are over 5-7 years old.

[dhcarguy]

Originally Posted by tinindian68

I had two 7 year old tires blow out on me driving down the road. The belts came apart. They looked great, no weather checking or dry rot. If I were you, I’d replace them if they are over 5-7 years old.

Hey tinindian,
Boy ,that is scary. Was that on your everyday driver? I was wondering if tires last longer with less than 2000 miles a year and stored in climate controlled garage?

Dave

[tigergto]

There should be a date code on them. Look for DOT after that there will be some numbers. The last numbers will give you the week and year made. Google it and you’ll get a picture of what to look for. I can’t remember when this system was put into place. The old markings aren’t as clear as to the decade they were made

[tinindian68]

It was on a 68 LeMans. I bought the wheels with tires. They looked great. Date codes on the tires were 7-8 years old. They were name brand (Michelin) tires and from the outside, looked perfect. They looked like they were used maybe 1-2000 Miles.

Luckily, I was driving slowly, and they didn’t explode and make a mess of the car.

I’m not sure if tires last longer inside, but I’ll be replacing them every 5 years if they need them or not after that.

[Firedup6975]

Great ok I’ll have to look for the date. They look really good tread is nice and so smooth areas.

Thanks guys.

[Mister Pontiac]

So...

MaryAnn, I think the main point in all of this banter is simply that you just never know, and the odds of a failure go up the older the tire gets. Like others, I've had old tires that seem to run forever, but I've also had ones fail unexpectedly on me. (belts separating/bulging, tread peeling off, etc...)

I'm now in the camp that changes my tires regularly. I've done enough damage to things from tire problems that I just don't mess around with it anymore. I'm not as concerned about losing control of the car. Plus, there's the added inconvenience that they always seem to fail at a most inopportune time. It's frustrating being stuck on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with a tire problem, when I could have completely eliminated the problem by simply replacing the tires. If you plan to drive the car a lot, and they're in that 7-10 year range, I'd swap them out for the added peace of mind.

As an aside... If you're really in love with the look of the vintage tires, maybe hang on to them on a spare set of wheels for use at shows?

[Elarson]

I've had (2) tires catastrophically let go on the highway....one on the rear of a car and one on a trailer.. No loss of control, but wow, they beat the h*ll out of the wheelwells and body panels as they're coming apart. And the cars following them did some scary maneuvers to avoid the shrapnel.

Highway driving is way more stress on a tire because of the increased heat and much higher centrifugal force trying to pull the tread apart.

The car tire was probably 10 years old, trailer tire was 6 years old.

Eric

[stags]

UV rays break down rubber. If UV exposure is avoided, or minimal as in a garage-stored classic car, rubber will last indefinitely which is why tires are kept out of landfills. Of course there is more to a tire than just rubber - the various plys are bonded with adhesives, etc. and that's what worries me about even well-stored old tires. I just replaced 12yr old BFG's on my goat last year. They still look and feel smooth and pliable with no signs of cracking or delam. but I figured it was time, and I upgraded to 15". If your just gonna tool around to shows and such MaryAnn you can probably get by on them for a while longer but if highway speeds (or jumping creeks ) is in your plans you might want to go new.

sidenote - also replaced the frontrunners on the drag car last season. I realized they were 10+ years old and were hitting 140 at the top end . They too still look ok but enough is enough.

[GT182]

MaryAnn, I use spay silicone to wipe down my side walls. Protects the tires and keeps away the cracking and dry rot. Works great... better than that other stuff they sell.

[Firedup6975]

Originally Posted by stags

UV rays break down rubber. If UV exposure is avoided, or minimal as in a garage-stored classic car, rubber will last indefinitely which is why tires are kept out of landfills. Of course there is more to a tire than just rubber - the various plys are bonded with adhesives, etc. and that's what worries me about even well-stored old tires. I just replaced 12yr old BFG's on my goat last year. They still look and feel smooth and pliable with no signs of cracking or delam. but I figured it was time, and I upgraded to 15". If your just gonna tool around to shows and such MaryAnn you can probably get by on them for a while longer but if highway speeds (or jumping creeks ) is in your plans you might want to go new.

sidenote - also replaced the frontrunners on the drag car last season. I realized they were 10+ years old and were hitting 140 at the top end . They too still look ok but enough is enough.

Yes I actually was already thinking about changing them, for one safety, second the wheels must have been on a red car, because there’s red paint around the lug nuts and rims, so those are coming off to get done right instead of half assed.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by stags

UV rays break down rubber. If UV exposure is avoided, or minimal as in a garage-stored classic car, rubber will last indefinitely which is why tires are kept out of landfills. Of course there is more to a tire than just rubber - the various plys are bonded with adhesives, etc. and that's what worries me about even well-stored old tires. I just replaced 12yr old BFG's on my goat last year. They still look and feel smooth and pliable with no signs of cracking or delam. but I figured it was time, and I upgraded to 15". If your just gonna tool around to shows and such MaryAnn you can probably get by on them for a while longer but if highway speeds (or jumping creeks ) is in your plans you might want to go new.

While UV rays will accelerate the breakdown of the rubber, it has nothing to do with other tire problems.

I've personally experienced tire failures on my GTO. The car was always stored inside and there was absolutely no weather checking and the tread was perfect. Tires were the original Uniroyal redlline radials produced in the late 80's and early 90's and had less than 20,000 miles on them. I bought them in 1995 and the following happened in 2002 or 2003 (I'm getting old...)

While driving home from a car show on the I94, I started to feel a slight vibration from the rear. I slowed down and the vibration got worse so I pulled over. All tires "looked" fine.

I was only a mile and a half from my exit and didn't want to investigate further on the side of the road so I drove slowly and got off the highway and into a parking lot.

After a thorough inspection I finally noticed steel cords sticking out through the tread surface on the left rear tire. I had a "brand new" matching spare, so I mounted the spare thinking I had just suffered a "freak" incident. Once the damaged tire was off the car, it was plain to see that I had a bulge about half the size of my fist were the steel belts had let go - which is why I had the vibration.

Fast forward 1 month. Coming home from another car show as I pulled on to the road I lived on, I feel a slight vibration. I looked at all the tires and couldn't see any problems. I had an extra set of wheels and tires, so I mounted them and the vibration went away.

Went back and took a closer look at the tires - still couldn't see anything. Went to roll them into the corner, and 3 of the 4 tires failed to roll in a straight line. By rolling them again and noting at what point they "wobbled", I was able to find the bad spot. A very slight bulge - like the first tire to fail.

After that, I read up on tire failures due to age. There is a lot of information out there

Here is an ABC news video on the subject:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/dang...dents-23710711

If you don't know where to find or how to read a tire date code, here's what to look for:



In the example above:

DOT U2LL LMLR 5107

51 Manufactured during the 51st week of the year

07 Manufactured during 2007

[Judge273]

I would keep those tires. Love the look, and that what matters most to me.

If I get a flat I fix them. If unfixable then I replace.

I have driven on old tires too, and they've been problem free.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Judge273

I would keep those tires. Love the look, and that what matters most to me.

If I get a flat I fix them. If unfixable then I replace.

I have driven on old tires too, and they've been problem free.

Let me know when you leave the state of Illinois while driving your cars. I don't want to be on the highway anywhere near you when you suffer a catastrophic tire failure.

[Judge273]

Ok, I usually drive with other guys with old tires too.



But, we are not heading your way as we go to Dayton...



TA Nats cruise is a 700 mile round trip.

[tigergto]

I can see this thread exploding as with an oil or gas octane thread. Recommend safety time length of a tire is 7 years. I’m now officially out of this thread.

[Jim Zeek]

Originally Posted by tigergto

I can see this thread exploding as with an oil or gas octane thread. Recommend safety time length of a tire is 7 years. I’m now officially out of this thread.

yep. its amazing how people buy expensive things but cheap out on safety