[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by GT182

I use to use Armor All on the BFG T/A tires I had on my 79 Formula. If you got it on the tread they were slippery as all hell. Plus it attracted road dust like crazy and they were a PITA to keep clean. Since then I've used silicone out of a spray can and had no problems with dry rot. Dust wasn't and isn't as bad either. I've been doing the tires on the GTO with Silicone too, and they look better longer.

Slippery?! Well then my "special" OHC might spin the tires then

I have some silicone and will give it a try.

[455Grandville]

Originally Posted by eric65

80% of tires sold in America are made else-where. Buying American made tires can be a challenge but it can be done, one problem is that a particular brand could be made in america and elsewhere. The only way to know for sure is to physically look on the tire. Most all tires are stamped on the side-wall with where they are made(i.e. made in USA. Not all are though, so you need to look on the side wall for the DOT #. For example, the BE after the DOT means BF Goodrich tire ( owned by Michelin) was made in Tuscaloosa, AL.

American plants and their 2 letter code after the DOT. All are union plants.

BE B.F. Goodrich (Michelin) Tuscaloosa, AL
BF B.F. Goodrich (Michelin) Woodburn, IN
AN B.F. Goodrich (Michelin) Opelika A.L.
VE/YE/YU/8B Bridgestone/Firestone Des Moines,AL
2M/3M Bridgestone/Firestone Bloomington,IL
D2/E3/W1/Y7 Bridgestone/Firestone Lavergne,TE
2C/4D/5D Bridgestone/Firestone Morrison,TE
UP Cooper Finlay,OH
UT Cooper Texarkana,AR
DY Denman (Penslar Capital) Warren,OH
DA Dunlap ( Goodyear) Buffalo N.Y.
JJ/MD/PU Goodyear Gadsden,AL
JN/MJ/PY Goodyear Topeka,KS
JE/MC/PT Goodyear Dansville,VA
JT/MK/TA Goodyear Union City,TN
JP/MM/PJ Kelly-Springfield (Goodyear) Tyler, TX
JF/MM/PJ Kelly-Springfield (Goodyear) Fayetteville,NC
CC Yokahama Tire Salem,VA

Thanks for the info - I'm betting my T/A's tires were made in China

[dennis kirban]

Just saw this thread....

Here is one area you see a lot of made in china tires pop up on.....trailers! small trailers and car trailers....and believe me they do not last....I never seen them crack as bad or as quick....

Again its a cost saving measure I am sure.....but I have switched them out on my open trailer also had new radials balanced.....

denniskirban@yahoo.com

Surf City makes a great tire dressing spray I used on my car tires....if you ever see their neat store display it features a 1969 GTO with an early Corvette.

[TempestFugit]

Originally Posted by muscle_collector

what have you had good luck with that was made in china?

Chopsticks!

[pontiacfarmer]

hmmm HANKOOK.. they are the only brand (right?) that still does 215/75r14 tires with a thin white line..they are made in china..... sad for all of us 14 inch guys

/s

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by PMD1969

I have a set of BFG's on my 69 (in the picture below) that were installed in 2001. They are in perfect shape but have extremely low miles and the car is always garaged. No cracks, dry rot, perfectly round with no flat spots and still ride like new.

These tires are overdue for replacement - no matter how good they look.

The problems could be hidden inside - the steel belts could let go at anytime.

I've personally had this happen to me while driving down the interstate with tires that were "in perfect shape and have extremely low miles" with "no cracks, dry rot, perfect;u rpimd with no flat spots and still ride like new" - until the belts started to separate at 70 MPH.

How Long Does a Tire Last?

Carmakers, tiremakers and rubber manufacturers differ in their opinions about the lifespan of a tire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has no specific guidelines on tire aging and defers to the recommendations of carmakers and tire manufacturers. Carmakers such as Nissan and Mercedes-Benz tell consumers to replace tires six years after their production date, regardless of tread life. Tire manufacturers such as Continental and Michelin say a tire can last up to 10 years, provided you get annual tire inspections after the fifth year. The Rubber Manufacturers Association says there is no way to put a date on when a tire "expires," because such factors as heat, storage and conditions of use can dramatically reduce the life of a tire.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/how-...our-tires.html

In most cases, a visual inspection or check of tread depth will not reveal the problem, the experts say.

The Ford Motor Company has urged the federal government to adopt a six-year expiration date, citing "comprehensive research" and "defendable data driven by analysis."

Ford, BMW, Chrysler, Toyota and VW/Audi now carry warnings about aged tires in manuals given to car owners.

Even some tire companies have begun to issue warnings. Bridgestone/Firestone, Michelin and Continental now recommend that tires older than 10 years should not be used, even if they appear safe by visual inspection.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4813029&page=1

Just because a tire looks to be in perfect shape doesn't mean it's safe, say safety experts who are advising motorists that tires that are more than six years old could fail with catastrophic results.

"You can look at a tire that appears to be new, has brand-new tread, never touched the ground, but that tire could be over-aged to the point where the material properties can't withstand the forces when you put it on your car," Sean Kane of Safety Research and Strategies said in a special report filed for TODAY by Natalie Morales.

A recent government report agreed with Kane, finding that 84 percent of insured tire claims it examined from a number of states involved tires that were more than six years old.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/243901...deadly-danger/

[Elarson]

We had a set of 16" trailer tires that started flinging treads off at 5 years old. That made me a believer in the 5-6 year old expiration rule. Of course, the trailer places much higher loads on the tires than a car, but the overall concept is valid.

If a tire tread separates, it will beat the h*ll out of your quarter panel. That seems to be too much risk for a classic car to run with old tires.

I buy most of my tires from www.tirerack.com If you call up a specific tire and click on the "specs" tab, it will show you the country of origin. Sometimes, for a given tire brand and model, you'll find that certain sizes are domestic and other sizes are made in other countries.

Eric

[PMD1969]

Originally Posted by The Champ

These tires are overdue for replacement - no matter how good they look.

The problems could be hidden inside - the steel belts could let go at anytime.

I've personally had this happen to me while driving down the interstate with tires that were "in perfect shape and have extremely low miles" with "no cracks, dry rot, perfect;u rpimd with no flat spots and still ride like new" - until the belts started to separate at 70 MPH.

[/url]

I would LOVE to have new tires on all of my vehicles but I simply do not have the money to throw down since I am poor. My bike has Metzler tires that were installed in 05' and I ride it at 100mph plus often. Maybe I should just stick to surface streets when the alarm goes off?

Not starting an argument but I don't buy low quality tires and I do not buy into the 5 year time factor for tires.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by PMD1969

I would LOVE to have new tires on all of my vehicles but I simply do not have the money to throw down since I am poor. My bike has Metzler tires that were installed in 05' and I ride it at 100mph plus often. Maybe I should just stick to surface streets when the alarm goes off?

Not starting an argument but I don't buy low quality tires and I do not buy into the 5 year time factor for tires.

It's your car, your life.

FWIW - the tires that I personally had the experience were not "low quality" or imported tires. They were U.S. manufactured from one of the major tire manufacturers. Car was always garaged when not being driven. The only thing wrong was they were about 10 years old.

I no longer choose to run old tires based on my personal experience.

[65Mark]

Originally Posted by TempestFugit

Chopsticks!

Funny you should say that. I watched a show, "How it's made" I think, that showed a company here in the US that makes chopsticks and they sell to China. So China imports chopsticks from the USA! Ironic isn't it?

Here's the company...

http://www.npr.org/2011/07/27/138761...ticks-to-china

[66Post]

Aircraft tires have no age limit, although they are limited to 10 retreads for main tires and 12 for nose or auxillary gear applications. Anytime you fly on a commercial airliner about 70% of the tires are retreaded.

[dennis kirban]

Speaking of aircraft.....unlike cars you can never actually tell just how old the aircraft is that you are entrusting your life to.

chilling thought...

denniskirban@yahoo.com

[66Post]

Originally Posted by dennis kirban

Speaking of aircraft.....unlike cars you can never actually tell just how old the aircraft is that you are entrusting your life to.

chilling thought...

denniskirban@yahoo.com

Alot older than any other form of public conveyance. Maybe rail cars are as old......

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by The Champ

These tires are overdue for replacement - no matter how good they look.

The problems could be hidden inside - the steel belts could let go at anytime.

I've personally had this happen to me while driving down the interstate with tires that were "in perfect shape and have extremely low miles" with "no cracks, dry rot, perfect;u rpimd with no flat spots and still ride like new" - until the belts started to separate at 70 MPH.

Yessir. Don't kid your self. Here's a thread that I started about belt seperation that just happened on one of our Ponchos http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...=1#post4814427

[boater bill]

Originally Posted by eric65

For example, the BE after the DOT means BF Goodrich tire ( owned by Michelin) was made in Tuscaloosa, AL.

American plants and their 2 letter code after the DOT. All are union plants.

BE B.F. Goodrich (Michelin) Tuscaloosa, AL

And the T/A on the sidewall also stands for Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
I really enjoyed taking field trips there during my college days there.

[The Champ]

Originally Posted by Alvin

Yessir. Don't kid your self. Here's a thread that I started about belt seperation that just happened on one of our Ponchos http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...=1#post4814427

Thanks Alvin!

My tread didn't separate like your's, but I had a knot in the tread surface between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball. Felt like the rear end was going to come out of the car...

My tires still looked like new - about 15,000 miles on them - but they were over 10 years old.

Never again after that experience.

[geeteeohguy]

A lot of new rubber products are junk. Including tires. A friend had his brand new front suspension dust boots on his ball joints and tie rods rot and fall off the car while we were restoring it. They were 6 months old. We ended up cleaning and re-using the 30 year old USA boots. I've got 40 year old New Zealand made tires on my 1915 Ford, and they are still fine, no cracks. The new Vieatnamese made tires for these cars crack and split within 6 months to a year. I had a repop shift boot split in two after 6 months. Reinstalled the 47 year old one. I'm running 19 year old Goodyear ST's on my '67 GTO, and they look and ride like new. No cracking at all. I think the secret is in the poor manufacturing process/ingredients of the new rubber products. We have heavey duty 220 volt cord at work that's 3 years old, and it needs replacement...the insulation cracked and is falling off in chunks. I have drills, saws, etc. that are 40 years old, and the rubber on their cords is still fine. Quality is harder and harder to find.

[CDN2PLS2]

That's exactly right,new bungie straps break in half after a month now!

[gtohurstjudge]

Never run a tire longer than 6 years even if they have zero miles on them.
They can get you killed. One of my Pontiac club members brought four 8 year old BFG
Radial T/A's to my shop so I could dispose of them for him. They only had a couple of hundred miles on them and showed no cracking whatsoever but he was throwing them away because they were too old to be safe. I threw them on the scrap pile out back,
and unbeknownst to me, one of my mechanics dug them out of the trash and put
them on his wife's Toyota Previa. About three weeks later, the left rear tire exploded while she was driving down the freeway at 70 miles per hour. The van immediately made a
90 degree left turn and she hit the concrete divider wall. The front of the van was in the front seat.......Somehow she survived with minor injuries, if you saw the van you would
assume it was a fatal accident.

[Alvin]

Originally Posted by The Champ

Thanks Alvin!

...I had a knot in the tread surface between the size of a golf ball and a tennis ball. Felt like the rear end was going to come out of the car...

My tires still looked like new - about 15,000 miles on them - but they were over 10 years old. Never again after that experience.

I too have had the tire "knot" experience. It was just before the tread & belts completely seperated from the carcass... somewhat dramatic @ highway speeds...