Tyre Life span

[Samurai 20V]

Hey chaps..

 

I was having a look at my in laws 20 year old Honda CR-V, noticed the cover on the spare wheel bulging.

 

Pulled off the cover, and it revealed this.

 

 

The tyre is fairly new, but is the original spare from the car.. It seems the steel reinforcement just let go...

It is a decent brand, BF Goodrich.

 

My mother in law was driving the car, she said she heard a loud bang, but never found any damage, she thought she hit something on the road.

 

It got me thinking, the spare on my supra is most likely the original 1994 item, pumped up to 4 bar, surely I'm at risk of something similar happening.

 

Anyone have any similar experiences?

[Swampy442]

Ive recently bought a 205GTI thats got tyres that are 16 years old (not boasting about it or driving on them!), all intact. Must be an underlying reason why that failed like that.

[mellonman]

The age normally shows on the walls , but that is some serious failure they , have they ever looked at it ?

[Samurai 20V]

The age normally shows on the walls , but that is some serious failure they , have they ever looked at it ?

 

I looked at it once when had a flat, it looked fine..

 

Maybe it was overinflated, I had never checked the pressure in it.

[Hobgoblin]

Quite unusual for a tyre to let go, when it is not even under load. It could be that it was damaged before being put away as a spare.

 

That said, that tyre does look like a long discontinued pattern, so probably very old. The DOT code is 4 digits, eg 2014, 20th week 2014. Pre 2000 tyres have, iirc, 3 digit DOT codes.

[Tyson]

Where does the exhaust system run ? Maybe 20 years of exhaust heat have compromised the rubber to a point where it failed ?

 

That's been used before as the colour bands have gone and it has a stone in the tread so maybe something happened to it while it was used ?

[supra joe]

Do you have to change your tyres by a certain date if there's a date stamp on the side ??

[David P]

Do you have to change your tyres by a certain date if there's a date stamp on the side ??

 

If your brain works properly, yes.

 

"Tyres that have been in storage should not be placed into use if they are over 6 years old, from their date of manufacture. When a tyre has been in use, the effects of ageing are lessened to a degree, but such tyres should be replaced after 10 years.2 Dec 2014

Tyre Information - RoSPA www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/vehicles/tyre-safety-technology/information/"

 

"The date your tyres were made will be on the sidewall in the form of four numbers usually preceded by the letters DOT. These numbers represent the week number and year, so 3410 will be week 34, 2010. Use that information to make sure you're buying tyres with the longest shelf life possible."

[Dnk]

I don't think there's a law covering the age of a tyre.

 

There should be as i can imagine lots of vehicles are running around on very old rubber, especially trailers and caravans

 

How old is too old ?

[Chris Wilson]

If it was my in laws I'd put a tube in that and tell `em it's fine to go again....

[Tyson]

Do you have to change your tyres by a certain date if there's a date stamp on the side ??

 

No it's not law currently it's all based on the condition of the tyre and obviously tread depth. If the tread is above legal minimum and there are no cracks , gouges etc then it's legal to drive on. Tyre dressing that people use is like moisturer for tyres are can prevent cracking.

[Samurai 20V]

Where does the exhaust system run ? Maybe 20 years of exhaust heat have compromised the rubber to a point where it failed ?

 

That's been used before as the colour bands have gone and it has a stone in the tread so maybe something happened to it while it was used ?

 

Exhaust is below it, but is it hot enough to cause any damage?

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

If it was my in laws I'd put a tube in that and tell `em it's fine to go again....

 

Haha.. I'm lucky I actually have good in laws..

[Tyson]

Exhaust is below it, but is it hot enough to cause any damage?

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

 

 

Haha.. I'm lucky I actually have good in laws..

 

20 years of heat abuse could have eventually taken its toll, is the heat shield still in tact ?

[cered]

If your brain works properly, yes.

 

"Tyres that have been in storage should not be placed into use if they are over 6 years old, from their date of manufacture. When a tyre has been in use, the effects of ageing are lessened to a degree, but such tyres should be replaced after 10 years.2 Dec 2014

Tyre Information - RoSPA www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/vehicles/tyre-safety-technology/information/"

 

"The date your tyres were made will be on the sidewall in the form of four numbers usually preceded by the letters DOT. These numbers represent the week number and year, so 3410 will be week 34, 2010. Use that information to make sure you're buying tyres with the longest shelf life possible."

 

 

^^ Why Paul Walker died, iirc the Carrera GT he had was on the original factory fitted tyres but hadn't been replaced as it was a dealership car that covered very few miles. Rubber hardens with age, cheaper tyres harden sooner and you may find cracks and splits along the sideall and perhaps the tread pattern too, my mum's spare car - a streetka with budget tyres had this issue. Tyres were over 7 years old

[Dnk]

What tests have RoSPA done to get the time limits ? have they just used accidents involving tyre failure to get

average numbers ?

[David P]

Visual crack inspection same as in MOT, data from MOT failures maybe?

[Dnk]

I dont see how they get the numbers from the mot, i've never had an mot tester make a note of the age

of the tyres on any car i've ever had tested, even when they've failed it on a dodgy tyre.

 

I'm not sure i see how a tyre stored in a warehouse properly ages more than one being used in all temps and weather

conditions with x amount of weight sat on it, especially when parked up

[David P]

For an MOT by the book, I don't know how slammed suspension with stretched tyres slips through?

 

"Avoiding MOT Failure

 

 

Wheels & Tyres

Check the side wall of all tyres fro any damage, splits, lumps or bulges. Make sure that there is no seperation of the tread from the tyre and no visible signs of any of the ply or cord.

 

Check that the tyre bead is correctly seated in the wheel rim and the wheel is not distorted or buckled.

 

Check that the valve is correctly seated and is is good working order.

 

Check that each tyre is of the correct size and pressure for the vehicle and that each tyre matches the opposite tyre on each axle.

 

Check the tread depth of each tyre. The legal minimum tread depth is 1.6mm for at least 75% of the tyre.

Abnormal wear patterns could indicate worn shock absorbers, innacurate wheel alignment, bad tyre pressures or suspension faults.

 

Tyre condition

A failure with respect to tyre wear will result where:-

The grooves of the tread pattern are not at least 1.6mm throughout a continuous band comprising:

• Central 3/4 of the breadth of tread

• Entire outer circumference of the tyre.

 

Tyres must be correctly matched with regard to:

• Type

• Size

• Structure

• Location on the vehicle with respect to the axles.

 

Also examined:

• General condition of tyre

• Condition of valve

 

Tyres fail if they have serious cuts, bulges or other damage. The wear on the tyre is checked with a tyre tread depth gauge to ensure compliance. The tyres are examined to ensure that there is no fouling with any part of the vehicle.

 

Note:

The condition of the spare tyre is not part of the MOT."

[TuneR]

I had to put my spare tyre on the rear of my beater recently (better thread on it), same size as others just older. Twitchy in the back on wet days or driving quick, its nearly 10 years old! Also my Supra's spare needs to be changed, used it once and now its cracked due to being so old.