OEM tires from 2001!, are they toast? Options

[rpoz-29]

After my spark plug issue, I started think a little more about my car. As I've said before, it's a very low optioned 2002, with around 7,300 miles, that I bought new in October of 2001. The car has been garaged all it's life, but still, it's almost 10 years old. I'm taking care of the fluids, but what about the tires? Should I consider replacing them? The tires are Z rated Goodyears, they look good and don't seem to have any cracks or leaks. I realize I'm not doing the car any favors by letting it sit, and I plan to drive it a good bit more in the future. Thanks for any thoughts you guys may have.

[creeper]

most tire places say that anything older than 6 years or so is "unsafe"

but then again those are tire places who make more money if people buy more tires, so who knows

I probably wouldn't do any aggressive driving on them

[pknowles]

My current street tires on my Camaro came attached to some takeoff rims I bought from SLP years ago. I looked at the build date for the tires and it's 2002, so the tires are 8-9 years old. Mine don't show any signs of riot, which I think is the real issue in using old tires. My first set of trailer tires lasted almost 10 years before they needed replaced and they sat outside in the weather their whole life.

If they have been inflated the whole time and not kept in a moist basement rioting, then they should be OK. Look real close for any cracking. If they have been on the car this whole time while it has been sitting, then they are most likely flat spotted and may not come back into round.

[rpoz-29]

They've ben on it since new, unless I had my auto-x tires on it. They DO feel a bit flat-spotted, which is what started me thinking about them, but they look pretty good.

[EchoMirage]

get new ones. my originals seemed fine, until tread blocks started chunking out, after one drag pass and one autox event. they were original, 20k mile, 3-4yrs old. at least 75% tread, then down to 25% after the one autox.

get another set of rims for race tires, keep the originals. if you plan on keeping the car, having the original rims AND tires will only help the value and collectability.

This post has been edited by EchoMirage: Dec 31 2010, 01:51 PM

[roy]

Over here the inspectors take tire age very serious. If your tires are six years or older from the build date then your car will not pass inspection. If your in a tire related accident because of aged tires , your insurance doesnt have to pay for damage to your vehicle.

[rpoz-29]

My "R" compounds have always been on a set of SLP take-offs. I may keep the original wheels/tires since I still have the factory DeCarbons in the garage.

[jensend]

In a related vein, how long is it safe to retain the original factory installed radiator and heater hoses?

[rpoz-29]

Good point about the belts and hoses. I swapped all of the belts and hoses on my '87 Toyota 4Runner at around 80,000 miles. Ditto on my Dodge diesel. As long as I don't see any cracks in the belts, or any soft spots or leaks on the hoses, I'll probably leave them alone. Personally, I don't think tires are necessarily dangerous after 6 years. How and where they are stored, used, the number of miles, all seem more important.

[pknowles]

I change hoses when I see cracks, bulges, or the ends distort and don't seal as well. Not sure what rubber they are made of, but original GM hoses last a very long time. In fact I still have a bunch of original GM hoses on my 97 C2500 truck with 232k miles on it. I take a few of the hoses off and look at them in detail every time I do anything that requires a cooling system drain and they look good as new. My truck is also my mostly driver, so hoses and belts may rot quicker on vehicle that sits. If I find any cracks starting, I will probably change all of the original hoses at that time. For some reason I never get the same life out of the parts store hoses.

[85t5mcss]

For some reason I never get the same life out of the parts store hoses.

Simple. Lower quality. Not bashing, either. I work in parts. It's simply price. MOST will not pay $60.00 for a top quality hose with premium rubber when you get one for $10-15. Personally I would like to buy the premium product to prevent break downs, but others wouldn't agree. Batteries are the same way. GMs are usually 7-8 year factory life while aftermarket (including Delco) are 4-5 years. But, do u want to pay $200 for the "factory style" battery? Maybe not the battery I wouldn't, but other parts I would. I could keep going on-brake pads and shoes are a big one. It's just the business and doubt it will change for the better. FWIW-some OE parts are made by the aftermarket companies-Belt Tensioners for GM were made by Gates for example.

And as far as tires go-I do not know. So I always replaced to prevent problems. Tires on the Monte look brand new-over 3 years on them. Maybe I should do a few HPDEs in it and fix that problem.

This post has been edited by 85t5mcss: Jan 2 2011, 12:54 AM

[CMC #37]

If you know what the correct "feel" is for the tire or hose type, you can usually run your hands on them and get a good idea. In addition to the visual inspection I always do this.

[85t5mcss]

my originals seemed fine, until tread blocks started chunking out

This is my concern. Old tires, driving along that suddenly start to separate with no warning. This could have been track or road related, but the fear is still there for me.

[pknowles]

For some reason I never get the same life out of the parts store hoses.

Simple. Lower quality. Not bashing, either. I work in parts. It's simply price. MOST will not pay $60.00 for a top quality hose with premium rubber when you get one for $10-15. Personally I would like to buy the premium product to prevent break downs, but others wouldn't agree.

Defiantly a quality or material difference. My real issue is that all of this stuff is listed as "rubber hose" and there are clearly different types of "rubber hose" that last a lot longer than others. Call me crazy, but I will pay more for something if I knew specifically what I was buying!

[85t5mcss]

but I will pay more for something if I knew specifically what I was buying!

Couldnt agree more. Especially on parts that will cause severe damage when they fail. Tires, brakes, suspension.....

[CrashTestDummy]

For some reason I never get the same life out of the parts store hoses.

Simple. Lower quality. Not bashing, either. I work in parts. It's simply price. MOST will not pay $60.00 for a top quality hose with premium rubber when you get one for $10-15. Personally I would like to buy the premium product to prevent break downs, but others wouldn't agree.

Defiantly a quality or material difference. My real issue is that all of this stuff is listed as "rubber hose" and there are clearly different types of "rubber hose" that last a lot longer than others. Call me crazy, but I will pay more for something if I knew specifically what I was buying!

Same thing with wiper blades. Factory originals will last you three or more years, while parts house replacements are separating in less than 12 months. They're now part of my 'safety inspection parts refresh plan'. I replace them, and change the oil and filter before heading to the inspection station.

As for the tires. I have driven and autocrossed on 10 year old OEMs. Took the car to a show in Bowling Green, Ky., and they had an autocross. Had no problems with them, and they had about 15,000 miles on them. I'm not sure I'd feel safe testing their Z-rating, though.

This post has been edited by CrashTestDummy: Jan 3 2011, 02:13 PM

[Todd]

For some reason I never get the same life out of the parts store hoses.

Simple. Lower quality. Not bashing, either. I work in parts. It's simply price. MOST will not pay $60.00 for a top quality hose with premium rubber when you get one for $10-15. Personally I would like to buy the premium product to prevent break downs, but others wouldn't agree.

Defiantly a quality or material difference. My real issue is that all of this stuff is listed as "rubber hose" and there are clearly different types of "rubber hose" that last a lot longer than others. Call me crazy, but I will pay more for something if I knew specifically what I was buying!

for some vehicles you can get the goodyear extended life belts/hoses. It depends on the application though. I know that the Impala SS crowd gets the police duty belts/hoses.

[CrashTestDummy]

For some reason I never get the same life out of the parts store hoses.

Simple. Lower quality. Not bashing, either. I work in parts. It's simply price. MOST will not pay $60.00 for a top quality hose with premium rubber when you get one for $10-15. Personally I would like to buy the premium product to prevent break downs, but others wouldn't agree.

Defiantly a quality or material difference. My real issue is that all of this stuff is listed as "rubber hose" and there are clearly different types of "rubber hose" that last a lot longer than others. Call me crazy, but I will pay more for something if I knew specifically what I was buying!

for some vehicles you can get the goodyear extended life belts/hoses. It depends on the application though. I know that the Impala SS crowd gets the police duty belts/hoses.

Not OEM. The 94-96 SS got normal rubber hoses, as all Caprices. Fortunately, the 9C1 silicone hoses are a drop-in upgrade. It isn't cheap, I'm betting the Goodyear hi-milers are about half the price, but the silicone hoses will outlast the plastic connectors they put inline in the heater hoses. :-)

[Sidney]

your insurance doesnt have to pay for damage to your vehicle.

I'm calling B.S. on that one. There is absolutely zero insurance policies that have an exclusion that they won't pay a claim if the insured's tires are old! I still recommend everyone read their policy and know the coverages and exclusions. Most Insurance companys have added exclusions for Track Days recently for any damage or liability if it happens at or on a racetrack regardless if the event is "timed". The word "Timed" used to be a way for track day/HPDE drivers to get coverage for an accident on track.

Sidney Franklin
(Former Personal Lines Insurance Underwriter)
Bloomington, IL
(Home of a couple really big Insurers!)

[roy]

your insurance doesnt have to pay for damage to your vehicle.

I'm calling B.S. on that one. There is absolutely zero insurance policies that have an exclusion that they won't pay a claim if the insured's tires are old! I still recommend everyone read their policy and know the coverages and exclusions. Most Insurance companys have added exclusions for Track Days recently for any damage or liability if it happens at or on a racetrack regardless if the event is "timed". The word "Timed" used to be a way for track day/HPDE drivers to get coverage for an accident on track.

Sidney Franklin
(Former Personal Lines Insurance Underwriter)
Bloomington, IL
(Home of a couple really big Insurers!)

Sidney,
Our laws on tires are different in Germany then in the US. Its also the same with insurance policies. Get in an accident that is tire age related, the insuarance company doesnt have to pay for your vehicle damage or medical bills.

This post has been edited by roy: Jan 5 2011, 01:53 PM