[Chief of the 60's]

LOL! Yet there are thousands of original, low mileage, collector cars out there running on their original tires with no issues what so ever. I alone have and have had several. It all depends on how it was stored. PERIOD! I have an NOS pair of Goodyear Speedway redline tires dated 1972. They are perfect and I would not have any concern at all running them at 70mph on an interstate.

[Authentic-242]

Could be a bad axle bearing. Especially if you hear any light crunching now and then. If the rear housing is pre 1970 they used a sealed bearing (round ball bearings) that is not as good as the later roller bearings. To check axle bearing endplay jack the rear tires off the ground and pull-out/push-in the entire tire by hand. Movement of say 1/8" (0.125") would be reasonable (I believe the factory max. spec is around 0.04"), but if you can move it 1/4" (0.25") you may have a bad bearing or the bolt-in axle retaining flange has been worn by rubbing of the bearing sides and there is a bigger than normal air gap allowing in-out movement. Replace original sealed bearings before the wheel/axle comes flying out of the differential housing and takes out the rear quarter panel.

[JMB36TA]

Originally Posted by Authentic-242

Could be a bad axle bearing. Especially if you hear any light crunching now and then. If the rear housing is pre 1970 they used a sealed bearing (round ball bearings) that is not as good as the later roller bearings. To check axle bearing endplay jack the rear tires off the ground and pull-out/push-in the entire tire by hand. Movement of say 1/8" (0.125") would be reasonable (I believe the factory max. spec is around 0.04"), but if you can move it 1/4" (0.25") you may have a bad bearing or the bolt-in axle retaining flange has been worn by rubbing of the bearing sides and there is a bigger than normal air gap allowing in-out movement. Replace original sealed bearings before the wheel/axle comes flying out of the differential housing and takes out the rear quarter panel.

If there's still a wobble in the rear when I have the tires rotated I'll check the movement of the axle. The last thing I want is to see my rear tire pass me on the road! That wouldn't be good. I haven't noticed any crunching but the exhaust is kind of loud.

[HWYSTR455]

If you are ok with the risk of an old tire letting go on your pride and joy on the highway at 70, that's entirely up to you.

If anyone wants to accept the risk of advice from a random source, that too, is up to you.

But there's tons of evidence that supports tires only last a few years, and then degrade.

http://www.tiresafetygroup.com/tires...-in-six-years/

"For most tires, this expiration date should be six years from the date of manufacture. Tires age dangerously because of a chemical process commonly referred to as oxidation, which simply means that as the tire components are exposed to oxygen, the oxygen particles cause the flexible components of a tire to harden and become brittle. Over time, the tire will simply fall apart under normal stress, just like an old rubber band. Because this process occurs naturally, it does not matter if a tire is being used, stored as a spare, or simply waiting on a store shelf for an unsuspecting consumer."

And that's based on tires made within the last 10 years. You go back 20, 30 years, then you are just asking for trouble.

Anyway, original poster, my suggestion is, check the date, but it sounds to me like you need to replace the tires.

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[JMB36TA]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

LOL! Yet there are thousands of original, low mileage, collector cars out there running on their original tires with no issues what so ever. I alone have and have had several. It all depends on how it was stored. PERIOD! I have an NOS pair of Goodyear Speedway redline tires dated 1972. They are perfect and I would not have any concern at all running them at 70mph on an interstate.

I've seen cars cross the block at Barett Jackson with their original tires. From my understanding my car was sitting in a collection and not driven much. I know it was stored in a climate controlled environment so the tires should be fine, but it could be a manufacturer default. I just don't know. I planned on replacing the tires simply because I don't know their history, and I want to replace the BF Goodrich with the Goodyear Polyglas E70/14's.

[HWYSTR455]

It's simply age, doesn't matter if it was in a climate controlled enviro, it would have to be a completely oxygen-free enviro to prevent breakdown.

You don't have to take my word for it, just look at the manufacturers and OEMs, USDOT, NHTSA, and others, they say the same thing. Just drive down the highway for a few miles and look at the shoulders littered with shreded tires, that should give you a clue.

Crossing the auction block is a lot different than driving on the highway at 70 mph. But again, if you're comfortable with that, it's totally up to you.

The gene pool needs a cleansing occassionally, and we've all seen the shows/movies of people doing stuff that they thought was perfectly safe.

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[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

It's simply age, doesn't matter if it was in a climate controlled enviro, it would have to be a completely oxygen-free enviro to prevent breakdown.

You don't have to take my word for it, just look at the manufacturers and OEMs, USDOT, NHTSA, and others, they say the same thing. Just drive down the highway for a few miles and look at the shoulders littered with shreded tires, that should give you a clue.

Crossing the auction block is a lot different than driving on the highway at 70 mph. But again, if you're comfortable with that, it's totally up to you.

The gene pool needs a cleansing occassionally, and we've all seen the shows/movies of people doing stuff that they thought was perfectly safe.

.

All in the business to push products for a kick-back. Just like Sfi certs. Tell me, do you change your seat belts every 2 years? Look that up.

[HWYSTR455]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

All in the business to push products for a kick-back. Just like Sfi certs. Tell me, do you change your seat belts every 2 years? Look that up.

https://www.chaliklaw.com/defective-...-tire-failure/

"Car accidents are far too common but some can be prevented. According to safecar.gov, nearly 11,000 accidents a year are caused by tire failure."

I bet those people who died from tire failures had no connection to kick-backs.

This is a futile debate. As I said before, if YOU are comfortable with driving on old tires, that's entirely up to you.

.

[HWYSTR455]

Seat belts are different, and replacement intervals are different for passenger cars and race cars.

Passenger cars:

"Some safety experts advise having seat belts inspected and possibly replaced after 10 to 15 years of use. "

'Possibly'. In the event of an accident, they should be replaced, since they are considered a one-time use thing:

"It’s adviseable to replace any seat belts that were in use during a crash to ensure the belts will offer the same measure of protection should a collision occur in the future. Some manufacturers also recommend changing all of the safety belts in the vehicle, even if they weren’t in use at the time of the crash."


Race cars, per SFI and NHRA guidelines:

"For SFI belts the expiry is 2 years and they do this because of the deterioration of the nylon webbing as noted below."

Race cars are different because of the extreme environment/use.

.

[JMB36TA]

Tires fail for many different reasons. Like I said in an earlier post, the tires on my 02 T/A are 9 years old and run fine and hold air fine. BUT, I've had to replace tires sooner for one reason or another, mostly because of dry rot from sitting in 100+ degree Arizona summers. They lasted longer since I've been able to keep it in a garage and out of the sun. There's no debate that everything deteriorates over time but the rate can be determined by usage and climate. Tires are a consumable product and I always keep an eye on them. When they need replacing I replace them for whatever reason.

[HWYSTR455]

Run fine and hold air, UNTIL they fail. You do a 100+ MPH blast, it can exceed the limits of the tire in it's current condition, and can fail. It's a risk. If you're comfortable with that risk, then it's entirely up to you.

All I'm saying is, tires do expire, tires do become compromised with age, and there is a risk with old tires.

In this case, where you have a 'wobble', guess what? It's probably the tire. And all I asked was how old they were. If the tire is of questionable condition, then, it's most likely the tire causing you issue. It's just common sense. Deductive reasoning.

.

[Navy Horn 16]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

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This is a futile debate. As I said before, if YOU are comfortable with driving on old tires, that's entirely up to you.

I've really seen it all now. The same guy who tells a bunch of us that our transmissions are doomed to failure because of "metallurgy", now claims that tires have a near infinite service life.

Some jokes just write themselves.

Maybe he will do us a favor and do some high speed runs on those 35 year old tires before the next transmission discussion?

[Navy Horn 16]

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

LOL! Yet there are thousands of original, low mileage, collector cars out there running on their original tires with no issues what so ever. I alone have and have had several. It all depends on how it was stored. PERIOD!

That's nonsense. Rubber breaks down over time just like any organic compound. Sure, indoor/climate controlled storage can extend life, but the compounds will still age and deteriorate. Moreover, any elastic material under strain (from weight or pressure) will suffer from stress relaxation. Aircraft museums routinely have to change the tires because inflation pressures and weights they are supporting are so high (and static).

Even tires that aren't under a load (internal pressure or weight of a vehicle) deteriorate, which is why many states have passed laws restricting the age of tires that can be legally sold in those states.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Navy Horn 16

many states have passed laws restricting the age of tires that can be legally sold in those states.

Oh please, post up those states and their laws. I am always looking to learn something new.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Navy Horn 16

many states have passed laws restricting the age of tires that can be legally sold in those states.

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

Oh please, post up those states and their laws. I am always looking to learn something new.

Yeah, I figured I'd hear crickets on this one. ^ ^ ^

Here's the deal, most vehicles here and most collector cars in general rarely go over 40mph with some occasionally maxing out at 60mph on a short stretch of the interstate. As long as a tire has no visible sign of deterioration, age is not going to matter.

Now, if you race or are a cone killer I can see someone "needing" to replace their tires. However, if you just like wasting money because you can, then by all means knock yourself out and buy as many tires as ones little heart desires.

[Chief of the 60's]

Originally Posted by Navy Horn 16

many states have passed laws restricting the age of tires that can be legally sold in those states.

Originally Posted by Chief of the 60's

Oh please, post up those states and their laws. I am always looking to learn something new.

Still waiting.....

[OG68]

California has a tire inflation and inspection law on the books. While it does not specify an age limit most tire shops will not service a tire over 7 years of age. The liability factor plays a major part in that decision. No shop wants to be responsible for any future failure.