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Tire question

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Dave Russell

Dave Russell

Yoda - R.I.P
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I have seen brand new tires with the same depressions. Don't like it but there doesn't seem to be an actual problem. Doubt if it is caused by damage.

Tires do get brittle & the tread gets hard. Your old tires are likely to fail much more drastically like losing a tread or blowing. At the very least, new & much softer tires will give a better ride, more grip & less likely to fail. I replaced a set of 10 year old tires that had 100% tread due to hardening. The rubber durometer reading (Shore A Scale) on the old tires was 90. The new tires measured 70 & had much better traction.
D
 
At thirteen years of age, I wouldn't give those depressions another thought. You've certainly gotten your money's worth out of those tires, even if they still show remaining tread.

Rubber never stops curing once a tire is removed from its mold. Every second that it is exposed to air, the rubber is aging and getting harder. I wouldn't consider using a tire over five years old for anything but holding up a restoration project, let alone driving over 25 MPH on a public road.

I bought a set of Yokohama Avid H4's for my Healey when it went into Paul's shop because I didn't want him to have to worry about the old tires going flat while the car was there. The H4's cost about $50.00 each. That is SO CHEAP! I can't buy a single tire any of my BMWs for $200.00 As soon as I get the Healey back in my own garage, new tires/wheels are on the list of items to buy.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Patton:
Randy,

What size tire (tyre) did you get?

Patton

<hr></blockquote>

I used a 195/65 x 15 on a six inch wide rim. I'm certain that there are narrower H4 tires to suit the stock rims.

About your other post, do you happen to have an extra "Longbridge" double washer jet (or know where one is)? My BN6 (very early #942) originally had the single center mounted jet but the shroud was later changed to one that had two jets. Since it was just painted, I don't know when I would correct that, but I do want to someday.
 
I didn't know the early BN6's had that washer as well.

I still can't figure out what happened to the place where washer jet was? I wonder if I had a shroud replaced at one time as well.

I haven't ordered it yet, but British Car Specialists lists the double jet in their Hard to Find Parts Catalog. It is on page 40, P/N. GWW 4544, and the price according to the list I have is $3.95.

Patton

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Randy Forbes:

About your other post, do you happen to have an extra "Longbridge" double washer jet (or know where one is)? .<hr></blockquote>
 
I've been thinking of replacing my tires because of their age. I believe they're about 13 years old, or so and the sidewalls are starting to crack a bit. While removing the wheels from the car the other day, I noticed each tire has a slight "depression" in the side wall. It's about the width of my finger and goes from the bead across the sidewall to the tread. One tire has three of these "depressions" and there's at least one on each of my other tires. Are these indications of a broken belt or other defect in the tire, or might they be caused by road impact? I'm a careful driver and don't remember ever hitting a chuck hole or a curb or anything. The wheels are in very good condition showing no signs of trouble and the tires were riding quite nicely. I've not noticed any vibration or loss of control. Any ideas?
 
My 67 BJ8 had Michelin tires that were 14 years old. The tires looked great at a distance, but I always had a very rough ride and bad traction in rain. Last year I replaced the Michelins with a set of Vredestein sport tires. Now there is a much stronger grip in wet or dry conditions, and the ride quality has improved. The wall of the tires flex now to soften the road bumps. Important stuff when considering your personal safety and comfort.
 
Dave, with a durometer of 90 are you sure you didn't have the plunger on the wheel?!
Just for reference, the Hoosier slicks I run on both the Sprite and the Spitfire come in at about 50, and by the time they have heat cycled themselves out and get replaced, they have gone up to about 60.
Tires are a major part of the suspension system and take the brunt of the road forces. That's one reason tire pressures are so crucial when it comes to handling. In conjunction with sidewall flex and tread squirm, of course.
Probably a pointless bit of information.
Jeff
grin.gif
 
Dave, I tend to get every bit of use out of the tires I can. Those suckers are expensive. The 60 Shore A figure was at the extreme end of the scale, and those particular tires were corded. It was the last race of the season, I had the points locked up, and didn't want to put fresh rubber on.
Someone was watching me, and asked me after the race if my tires were going away, because I looked a bit squirelly going through the "esses". My response was,"No, they aren't going away, they're GONE!" A more typical reading would be in the 54-57 range.
I know it's a trade off between durability and handling, but for my street stuff, I'd just as soon have the stickier tires, because with the limited mileage I put on them, they will suffer from age well before tread wear comes into play, so why not enjoy the added control of the softer compound. If I was doing a lot of driving, I'm sure I would lean the other way.
I seem to have digressed from the original topic of this thread. Sorry.
Jeff
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Bugeye58:
I know it's a trade off between durability and handling, but for my street stuff, I'd just as soon have the stickier tires, because with the limited mileage I put on them, they will suffer from age well before tread wear comes into play, so why not enjoy the added control of the softer compound.<hr></blockquote>

That is an excellent point!
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Bugeye58:
Dave, with a durometer of 90 are you sure you didn't have the plunger on the wheel?!
Jeff
grin.gif
<hr></blockquote>

I should probably have added that the readings were at 60 degrees F. I've found that temp has a great effect on the hardness reading. As another point of reference I have had a couple of sets of new truck highway tires that measured around 80 Shore A. Tires made to last 60,000 miles start out harder. It's a tradeoff between long wear & traction, as you know.

Considering a soft race tire of 50 & a really hard tire at 90, a total range of 40 points, a change from 50 to 60 is quite a bit.
D
 
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