Thoughts of spring...

Valley Vette

Valley Vette

Regular
2 You're 10
Sep 12, 2011
205
87
Somerset, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada
VetteCoins
546
Car
2004 Coupe
Last fall I had a look at the manufacturing date on the tires that have been on the Vette since my purchase a few years ago. They were old enough that the date code didn't show the year - hmmm not a good thing...

This fall I'm going to take her to Nova Scotia and driving is certainly an option. Did I mention the tires... So I'm thinking about replacing them.

One large Canadian corporation that sells tires lists BF Goodrich Radial T/A P225/70R-15 at $150 each. A US company shows them at $125 - comparable and no great deal when you add everything up.

Thoughts anyone as I sit here thinking of spring, summer and next fall's drive?

Doug
 
Tires aren't cheap anymore .I'd have a tendency to buy local all things being equal .

Nova Scotia is a great place .Also one of the greatest events is the Atlantic Nationals early July .
 
Tired out...?

Appreciate the link. Five to six years or so - then replace. Guess I'm not surprised.

As to identification, I know that the Tire Identification Number for tires produced prior to 2000 was based on the assumption that tires would not be in service for ten years. While they were required to provide the same information as today
 
my thoughts would be to buy from the Can. company, as there isn't much
incentive to buy US, according to your info.
Also...if you're going east in Canada, should you have a tire mishap, the fact
that your receipt is Canadian will mean a no hassle repair / exchange.
[ ie....peace of mind ].
Obviously your decision !!

Tony,
welland
 
The 10% or more premium on the dollar right now doesn't help either when going across the border to buy. I had 40+ year old tires on our old Chevelle and they were still holding air. Mind you, I wouldn't drive anywhere on them. If the tires are 10-15 years old, then you would want to keep a close eye for cracks, especially down in the tread grooves. Pretty soon, they will be telling us to get rid of tires every two years. I think that is a bit of a scam. If the rubber in tires is rotten after five or six years, then it was junk in the first place, especially if the tires are on cars like our Corvettes which are in out of the sun for the most part. Ozone gets them no matter where you park them.
 
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Based upon my relatively quick look, there isn't enough savings to take me south of the border for replacements. My recollection is that the tires show no sign of cracks anywhere and she spends her time in the garage, out of the weather and not heavily driven. Yes, I know, the rubber still gets old as the decades pass. I read a post recently about an older tire that blew and the $6K in damage to the fiberglass rear quarter. One can buy a lot of tires for $6K - if you happen to be unlucky enough to have a tire blow... And of course hindsight is always 20/20! No decision required this month...

Doug
 
Many years ago Eaton's stores were getting out of their automotive department in the Oshawa Centre. I bought six Eaton Bulldog F-60X15 white lettered tires for a bargain price. Within a year, the sidewalls blew out of two of them. Thankfully, one blew at low speed and the other blew right in our driveway when I got out of the car to get mail from the mailbox. They all got replaced and a knife got run through the sidewalls so that the rest couldn't be used. Poor quality probably has more to do with the life of the tire than age.
 
Keith Tedford said:
Many years ago Eaton's stores were getting out of their automotive department in the Oshawa Centre. I bought six Eaton Bulldog F-60X15 white lettered tires for a bargain price. Within a year, the sidewalls blew out of two of them. Thankfully, one blew at low speed and the other blew right in our driveway when I got out of the car to get mail from the mailbox. They all got replaced and a knife got run through the sidewalls so that the rest couldn't be used. Poor quality probably has more to do with the life of the tire than age.
Click to expand...

Keith, I'm thinking that your not very far off top dead center...
 
the tires on mine were at least 20 years old - g60/15. they looked great, almost like new. however, first time on the road after 17 years a bulge about the size of a grapefruit materialized on the left rear. talk about a scary ride - at 20 miles per hour !!! replaced them with 255/60r/15 cooper cobra's, nice tires, i run em at 32 psi.
 
Tires also get harder as they age and can have less grip in the rain. I can attest to that with the 17 year old BFG TA's I had on my Vette when I bought it a couple of years ago. Hardly any tread wear on the old tires but they were useless in wet weather. Got Manny to put a new set on last year and immediate improvement in grip. And yes, a blow out on a C3 is very expensive as it destroys any fiberglass in the vicinity. I've seen some very nasty pictures. :eek:
 
Case75 said:
Tires also get harder as they age and can have less grip in the rain. I can attest to that with the 17 year old BFG TA's I had on my Vette when I bought it a couple of years ago. Hardly any tread wear on the old tires but they were useless in wet weather. Got Manny to put a new set on last year and immediate improvement in grip. And yes, a blow out on a C3 is very expensive as it destroys any fiberglass in the vicinity. I've seen some very nasty pictures. :eek:
Click to expand...

The tires on my C4 are still in pristine condition but I can tell that they're hard because they were made in '04.......Ten years is too old for tires so I've arranged replacements for them. They will help soften the ride a little too.

C.
 
buckhorn76 said:
wise idea colin, with old tires you always risk belt separation like mine did.
Click to expand...

Right on Doug -- Not worth taking a chance when you look at what could happen.

I've bought a new set of Pirelli's from a fellow member here -- 88BlackZ51 (Louis), and will have them mounted by Manny in the spring and will have the old ones destroyed.

C.
 
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