Tire Age - Driving Hazzard... be careful. Must Read for Safety

[DjfunkmasterG]

I watched this segment on ABC News today and noticed something quite scary.... Tires sitting on shelves for over 6-7 years being sold as new, are not exactly considered safe.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/aged-tires-driving-hazard-4826897&tab=9482931&section=4765066&playlist=&page=1

[bassman]

Yeah....if your tires are starting to dry rot it's time to get a new set. The problem is that most people just ride them until there's no tread at all or they burst.

[SymphonicX]

yeah bad idea to have dodgy tyres...never had one blow thank GOD but I dread the day it may happen.

[DjfunkmasterG]

Nice thing about this video is that it explains how to read the mfg code for whent he tire was made by telling you the week and year through the DOT code printed ont he side of the tire.

[MinionZombie]

I had a blow-out on a tyre last year (the replacement of which had to in-turn get replaced, along with the alloy wheel, thanks to a feckin' pothole) ... fortunately someone ahead of me was turning right down a side road, so I'd had to slow down for that, but was still doing about 20 when the tyre blew - thank fuck it hadn't blown the day before when I'd been doing 70 down the dual carridgeway - somehow the tyre had gotten worn out on the inside (where you can't see it obviously), and the whole thing was chewed wide open.

At the time I thought I'd slammed into a pothole, but the monstrous wheel shake confirmed a flat - and indeed it had been a blow-out.

I don't seem to have a lot of luck going to the location I was heading that time when the tyre blew out, because when going to that same location I've also had another flat tyre, and the big one being when the cam-belt went (which was expensive).

...

Interesting issue ... odd how some tyres could just be sat there for so long though, and how come there isn't some legal time limit on tyres being sat on shelves?

[darth los]

Very informative deej. I didn't know that and although i don't drive ( i live in NYC, no need to) i can always pass the info along. Thnx.

:cool:

[DjfunkmasterG]

Welcome... Since I oversee safety at work when I see stuff like this I like to send it out to people who may not have found it otherwise and having worked in the automotive industry for 3 years in QA anytime I see something safety related about cars I try to pass it on.