How long are street tires usable and safe?

[URY914]

Two things about Tires I have always found interesting;

- We only use or wear out about +/- 10% of the total material of a tire then we say it's worn out and we need to replace it. Such a waste.

- There is still no good way to recycle used tires in enough quantity to have an impact on the amount of tires discarded everyday. There are MILLIONS in landfills and tire dumps and thousands being added everyday. Such a waste.

[ted]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

i dont know of a racing series that allows tire treatments, in dirt track they certainly dont. i dont think any road racing series allows tire treatments either.

I've heard the same, saucing new slicks not allowed in racing.
But saucing tires has a place for used/almost dead slicks on a practice/test day.
Saucing is a messy process that may only provide benefits for one session.
At $2500 for a set of slicks its just economy to try on a Friday test day to get a 7th or maybe 8th heat cycle out of a set.
For my tire management I save the new slicks for qualifying or race day.
Then again the motto for many is "cheatins eaten".
Others with bigger tire budgets say "after 3 laps the good is gone" on race slicks.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by speeder

I have 2017 Michelins on the old Benz that I just drove cross-country in 110 deg. heat in places, they are still fine. First 5 years or so were in WA. state, so not much heat or UVs, which can drastically shorten safe life span. I think that the 10 year rule mentioned above is solid advice. Driving on public roads on 18 year old tires is crazy...what if you hit someone because you could not stop in time?

I know a guy with a 1981 Ferrari, last time his car had the tires changed was 20 years ago just before he bought it. I kept telling him the 8-10 year rule but he will not listen to me, so I just stopped telling him.

Garage queen driven a couple hundred miles a year, but he drives like a nut case.

I'm going to laugh when he totals that poor car.

I drove my S10 for a couple of years with some old used tires on it when things were tight money wise a decade or so ago. I had to be extra timid especially when it got cold out. I'm guessing they were closer to 20 years old than 10 years old, and do not recommend it.

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by ted

I've heard the same, saucing new slicks not allowed in racing.
But saucing tires has a place for used/almost dead slicks on a practice/test day.
Saucing is a messy process that may only provide benefits for one session.
At $2500 for a set of slicks its just economy to try on a Friday test day to get a 7th or maybe 8th heat cycle out of a set.
For my tire management I save the new slicks for qualifying or race day.
Then again the motto for many is "cheatins eaten".
Others with bigger tire budgets say "after 3 laps the good is gone" on race slicks.

choosing a car that needs 2500 dollar a set tires was your move, not mine.

stay out of any racing series im in, id protest your ass immediately if i knew you were cheating.

[RNajarian]

My Cayenne constantly garaged, 4000 miles a year suffered a major blow out on the freeway on tires that were 9 years old with 30,000 miles on them.




Tore the rear end of the car apart. I don’t screw around with brakes or tires anymore.

[wildthing]

Tires wear out in 4 years or less in all my cars, even the minivan with all seasons (gets driven maybe 20K miles a year). The 88 gets changed every 2 years or so.

I'd probably change out tires on the 911 after 5 years, maybe 7 on the minivan if they don't wear out first.

[ted]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

choosing a car that needs 2500 dollar a set tires was your move, not mine.
stay out of any racing series im in, id protest your ass immediately if i knew you were cheating.

Try to refrain, maybe try a little less caffeine in the morning.
Big talker your threat to protest it total keyboard bully BS.

I'm gentleman driver, in it just for fun.
I have 2 Trans Am spec race cars that eat slicks and are a blast to drive.

Big talker calling your bluff post up your race car and slicks or get back in your basement.
Here are mine show us what you race that is so important to warrant your outburst.

[Tobra]

WD 41 now I guess, cool

I put a lot of stock in what someone who has done something for decades has to say.

[flipper35]

I was told by a tire guy that sitting is also hard on the tires as the "conditioners" don't stay worked it. Not sure if it is true or not. Goodyear told me the Billboards on the Cobra didn't have them so they would not last like a dot tire.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

My Cayenne constantly garaged, 4000 miles a year suffered a major blow out on the freeway on tires that were 9 years old with 30,000 miles on them.




Tore the rear end of the car apart. I don’t screw around with brakes or tires anymore.

The thing is bald! What did you expect? Sorry, I'm not understanding this.

[Zeke]

Regarding the treatment of tires, I doubt RC cars have anywhere near the same compounds as race tires. When I was kart racing the subject was always there. We all tried various treatments and nothing really worked better, or I should say as well, as new tires. Did they work better than they did before treatment? I couldn't tell you because the weather had more to do with it than any treatment. IO, you couldn't get back to back data. When you only race once or maybe 2wice a month, it's hard to compare. Just the time alone might be the only offset you will get with treatment. Cling wrap was very popular.

[kochtools]

Originally Posted by ted

With all of your 29 years as a tire materials scientist what have you seen that does soften or extend tire life? I'd value your educated input.

I try to keep air and the sunlight off of the slicks.
WD40 was suggested to me by a longtimer short track oval racer, they have some seat of pants experience with tire management.

This guy is wearing a witches' hat, you can hear it in his voice.

Don't spray anything on your tires ... any molecule small enough to be soluble isn't going to stay in the tread, its going to keep diffusing ... to the belt package ... to the carcass ... where there is potential to cause serious issues related to safety.

[kochtools]

The Cayenne tire is not a blow-out so to speak ... the tire seems to be holding pressure in the picture where it is in the hatch/trunk. It seems to have thrown a tread .. hence the body/bumper damage. It's also a 3rd tier tire manufacturer .. and I won't say any more about that.

I am a materials scientist, not a tire engineer, but the issue may be related to the source of the tire (quality vs. price) or accrued damage ... for example having been run at low pressure for an extended period of time, the failure being a result of the accumulated heat damage.

Continental published an excellent technical paper about 20 years ago .. showing the impact of prolonged running at an under-pressure condition on tire performance. I have searched for it a number of times since ... with no luck

[ted]

Originally Posted by kochtools

Don't spray anything on your tires ... any molecule small enough to be soluble isn't going to stay in the tread, its going to keep diffusing ... to the belt package ... to the carcass ... where there is potential to cause serious issues related to safety.

Thanks.
Other tips for extending the life of slicks (confirmed by GY reps at the track) was to do a gentle first heat cycle, then let the slicks rest unloaded for 48 hours. This helps the slick stay softer for a couple more heat cycles.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

The Michelins on my wife’s SUV are almost 6 years old and has less than 20k miles on them. The car is garage kept and hardly ever goes on dirt. I’m wanting to wait another year but don’t know if that’s a good idea. Google says replace by 10 years max regardless of mileage. I think that’s too long. What do you think?

Well, 5 years really is the shelf life l had continentals on my Suburban 2500, I was heading out to the beach and developed a nasty vibration. Turned out one of my tires was coming apart.
I went to my preferred tire shop and because the tires didn't have a lot of wear, they were just going to order one. I asked them to check the dates and my tires were 5 years old, so I said replace them and use the best for the spare. A few weeks ago, the spare developed a big bubble in the side wall so I replaced that one too.

[Zeke]

We kart racers did the gentle 1st heat cycle too.

[cockerpunk]

Originally Posted by ted

Try to refrain, maybe try a little less caffeine in the morning.
Big talker your threat to protest it total keyboard bully BS.

I'm gentleman driver, in it just for fun.
I have 2 Trans Am spec race cars that eat slicks and are a blast to drive.

Big talker calling your bluff post up your race car and slicks or get back in your basement.
Here are mine show us what you race that is so important to warrant your outburst.

um, basically all i post about here is racing cars.

im in this picture (not that you can tell):





see, i didnt buy a car that needed 2500 dollar a set slicks. because running costs are critical to racing, and having large, healthy fields of competition.

dont cry to me about running costs, you made the decision to buy and race the car you choose.

or rules. i mean you probably shouldnt be posting on a forum bragging about cheating. thats also on you.

[cockerpunk]

i guess that isnt a pic of my slicks directly, and i dont think i have any of them, like just sitting around.

but i do have what i do to spare slicks:

[ted]

Originally Posted by cockerpunk

i mean you probably shouldnt be posting on a forum bragging about cheating. thats also on you.

Read this slowly.

Originally Posted by ted

For my tire management I save the new slicks for qualifying or race day.

Miata driver, that explains why you are triggered.
The most egregious example of cheating in amateur racing I know of was at a Miata race.
It was several years ago at an SCCA Nationals race.
Evidently there is a culture of cheating and protesting in Miata racing.
At this race the first place Miata was protested.
The head was lifted and found to be illegal.
The second place Miata was awarded the win and was promptly protested, that head lifted was also found to be illegal.
You can see where this is going, same thing happened to 3rd, 4th and 5th too.
As it was getting late and everyone was ready to leave the 6th place Miata was awarded the win but his head was never lifted.

Where I race my cars no one cheats, no one cares and everyone is there to be safe and enjoy racing with friends.
Good luck racing.

[speeder]

That’s funny.