VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 35 yr. old tires on my '32

Gents,
I been running Sears Allstate bias ply tube type tires (5.25/5.50-18) on my '32 Conferderate. The 3 digit date code points to 1985 which is when the prior owner completed the restoration.

They look almost new with only some very minor cosmetic cracking, do not leak, pressure was always monitored, the rubber appears pliable. They all have very good tread depth and even wear. White walls are white, no yellowing.
I rarely drive over 45 mph.

Question: Would you guys change them out solely because of age ? Is it fact that tires can rot from the inside out ? Like heater hoses ?

I'm a firm believer in safety but also want be practical. Maybe replace just the tubes for now ? Guessing new Coker tires are around $1500 + for 6. I have 2 side mounts.

Thanks !!

Depends on how brave you are. ;-)

Now, I'm not brave, just mighty silly. The front two tires on Lurch are over 75 years old (see the pics below). New-ish inner tubes and flaps, but old outside rubber. I've had these tires on the truck since I put him together 25 years ago.

I figure tootling around town at 22 mph (although I've gotten up to 30 occasionally!), not much can go wrong. If a tire blows, I'll pull over to the side and call the towing service.

Cheers, Dean

I don't think the DOT officially stamped dates into tires until in the 2000's but maybe some companies did their own thing.

Tires do indeed degrade due to time, exposure to chemicals in the air and UV. Radial tires are recommended to be replaced when older than 6 years due to the steel belts corroding internally and then the rubber peeling off. The verdict is still out on BIAS ply tires as they last much longer but like anything, each manufacturer's magic rubber formula is different, so some can last decades while others might have hidden weaknesses after only a single decade. Really old tires seem to last a crazy length of time. Dean has tires from the 20's on Lurch or Justin I think. I'd already typed this before I saw Dean post above lol. I have a set from the 60's that look new but I'd never drive with them.

There has been discussion from insurance companies about identifying an age where a tire is officially "end of life and too old to run safely". Where this is a concern is that if an accident is deemed to have been caused by a failing tire and that failed tire is considered old, you may be placed at fault for the accident or uninsurable. If your tires are indeed 35, I would be very concerned with driving very far with them. Crawling around town or a parade would be fine but beyond that, spend the $1500 and be good for many more years. They are really only costing you $100 a year to stay safe. Even a minor accident will cost you more that $1500 in damage plus the hassle and injury potential.

Tubes are only the minor concern as the bigger issue is with the tire disintegrating into pieces...

Wow Dean, I knew they were old but don't remember them looking that bad in person. I would wonder if you could get a fine for driving them looking like that? They could be tougher than a new overseas tire but perception is another thing lol...

My 52 that I bought in 1998 had an old set of oversize tires with cracks in the side. I have no idea how old they were. I drove on them for 20 years and finally bought 4 bias tires from Universal. Feel much better now going down the road.

75 years old ?? That's not rubber , more like petrified carbon.

I do have very fine shallow cracks in some areas of my sidewalls but assumed if not deep, there're mainly cosmetic in nature and not a structural risk to the tire blowing.

I agree though, it's best to go with all new especially when thought of a $100 per. But would need another Covid check

Just hard to let go when they look so serviceable. One spare tire still has the Sears paper tag glued on. Apparently years ago before Coker and like companies, Sears had a lock on early reproduction tires and could be ordered direct from their catalog, although they were made by Armstrong Tire and Rubber, so I've read.

An article in Old Cars Weekly not long ago had an article about an old tire, can't remember how old, blew up in the trunk of his car. Picture told the story.

...i hate to admit this but I ran a set of BF Goodrich for almost 20 years on my 37 pickup.... I was careful what I put on them and the truck stays in my shop. I'm known to spin rubber some so recently I put a new identical set on.........NOW, while two of the ones I took off has good tread and extremely little weather cracking I would recommend riding on nice new/good tires. I'm 27 years older now and have found out the hard way that my body is not indestructable.....and I"m trying to wait around and see my grandkids grow up.

6 WW tires, tubes w/metal stems, stem covers cost me $1,800+ for my Oldsmobile DCR and I bought the Lesters as I prefer their tread pattern over the BFG which cost about $25 more each. Out fitting a deluxe mounted car is not cheap these days. With the old bias tires it’s hard to say as they contain more pure rubber and most cars that they’re on are garaged which helps with less UV and ozone exposure which is what actually breaks down rubber. Putting our cars up on jack stands over the winter also helps prolong the life of a tire. My 31’ Chevy has WW BFG tires that are about 28 yrs old now and look no worse for wear. They too are soft and subtle and show no signs of an eminent failure. Heat and overloading a tire are the main causes of a blowout. Overloading will cause heat as will under inflation. When we had our model T Ford we had Hood 30x3 1/2 tires on it that were 50yrs old plus. Never an issue and that huckster was driven every where plus often it was loaded fairly heavy.

It only takes one issue, the finial one !

Funny how our risk tolerance decreases with age.

Back in 1971, I took my '68 VW for a "test drive" across the US, from New York to Washington State and back after rebuIlding the engine.
Rear tires were very cheap recaps. I made it with no problems, of course no cell phone, no GPS, no nothing. A four on the floor and a fifth under the seat helped somewhat.
Unthinkable to leave the house now without a collection of fancy devices. Pretty sad.