<VV>Tire "aging"

[Bryan Blackwell]

Hi Bill,

I have read a number of reports of tread separating on old, but 
otherwise apparently good tires.  This always seems to occur on the 
highway, which makes sense given the heat goes up considerably as speed 
increases.  The closest I've come is a bubble on the side of some 
unknown age tires, again after a highway run - not really fast, but 
probably 65.

It's probably reasonable to use old tires to move the car around, take 
it to be painted, that sort of thing.  If you expect to drive the car, 
even casually, any real distance or on the highway, then Bill Elliott's 
age limit of ten years seems like a good rule of thumb.

--Bryan

On Aug 15, 2006, at 12:29 AM, Bill Meglen wrote:

> Is safety compromised by their age? ...do they need replacement? Is 
> tire failure likely to be catastrophic from aged tires?