Taking care of old tyres...

[Neil Davies]

Having a good chat to my Dad and a friend on Saturday morning, and we were discussing old tyres, specifically the 155 Firestone F-560s on the front of my project car. Lee thinks that the tyres are too old to use, whereas I've given them a good check over and there are no signs of perishing or cracking. Dad said that he thought the rubber seemed too shiny on the tread, almost like plastic, and was concerned that the tyres are too hard and just wouldn't grip, especially with the front disc brakes. I've used Firestone F-560s before and they've always been a hard tyre. I don't think I've ever worn one out!

I don't know how old the tyres are - they came on the wheels I'm using that I bought three or four years ago, and I don't know how long they'd been on a car before that.

So, three questions:
How old does a vintage tyre have to be to be unsafe?
Is there any way of breathing life into an old tyre? Grip juice? Rubber softener?
What is the correct way of storing tyres to prolong their life? (I'm asking this one because I'm getting another pair of 145 XZXs off BenSSP and I've got a fair collection of wheels and tyres I want to last!)

Thanks!

[yvre]

Tyres are normally good for 8-10 years as of date of production.
The manufacturing date is mentionned on the side of the tyre.
Look for the mention DOT + 4 digits (wwyy) --> DOT 0506 means the tyre was produced week 05 in 2006.
They should be stored flat and in the dark (in a plastic bag for instance).

[speedwell]

talking about old tyres 

[j-f]

Your car can look good if you can find some wide steelies to put at the back with bigger tyres. 

[speedwell]

Your car can look good if you can find some wide steelies to put at the back with bigger tyres. 

[Jason Foster]

Tyres are normally good for 8-10 years as of date of production.
The manufacturing date is mentionned on the side of the tyre.
Look for the mention DOT + 4 digits (wwyy) --> DOT 0506 means the tyre was produced week 05 in 2006.
They should be stored flat and in the dark (in a plastic bag for instance).

 perfect answer here.  even if they look fine outside they can be fatigued and or deteriated from the inside it happens from the moisture in the air when mounted. probably not the best choice to use them.

[Jim Ratto]

funny... my dad and I had the same exact conversation last night....
we were getting in my Bug after picking up a pizza and he asked "how long have those tires been on this thing?"
The answer is about 10 years now.
 
Maybe it is time?

[Black Sheep]

I had this chat a while back with a guy into vintage cars , his advice again was to store dry dark and flat ( already said here ) but also not to use any oil based product on them coz that would deteiate them .
he advised using a glycerol based product , e.g vaseline to prolong the life of the tyre , rubbed into the side walls to help prevent cracking etc

[Martin Greaves]

So Glenn you want to rub into your side wall Vaseline to prevent cracking.

I need to have a chat with your wife.

First your running around with a dress on and now this.

[stealth67vw]

funny... my dad and I had the same exact conversation last night....
we were getting in my Bug after picking up a pizza and he asked "how long have those tires been on this thing?"
The answer is about 10 years now.
 
Maybe it is time?

Perfect excuse to burn them off

[Nico86]

So Glenn you want to rub into your side wall Vaseline to prevent cracking.

I need to have a chat with your wife.

First your running around with a dress on and now this.

 

[Rennsurfer]

Whatever you do, don't use Armor-All or any other silicone based product that claims to be a protectant. Quick way to crack your tires, bigtime.

[Neil Davies]

Tyres are normally good for 8-10 years as of date of production.
The manufacturing date is mentionned on the side of the tyre.
Look for the mention DOT + 4 digits (wwyy) --> DOT 0506 means the tyre was produced week 05 in 2006.
They should be stored flat and in the dark (in a plastic bag for instance).

Thanks to everyone who replied, some valuable information there. I checked the date codes on the tyres, one is week 42 of 2001, the other is week 31 of 2001, so I'm happy enough to use them.

Now I need to find some taller tyres for the back...