tires and age: how old can a new tire be, and still be legal ?

[32vertex]

Hi guys,

We're building a bellytank lakester for V4F class, 32 Ford banger, and plan on running 15x4 Goodyear frontrunners on all corners. Off course we'll get new ones. We plan on Speedweek 2012, so the tires are at least two years old before they wil ltouch the salt.
I am not in the shop at the moment, so I am not even sure there's a datecode on the pair of Goodyears we already have.

I couldn't find anything in the rulebook, nor this forum; how old can new tires be, and still pass the Tech inspection ?

anxious to learn !

Erwin

[Stan Back]

Why risk damaging them during the build?  Get some mini-spares or something at a junkyard and buy the tires last.

[nrhs sales]

Stan is a wise man indeed!!

[RichFox]

As an answer to your question, I have seen quite old tires, in good shape, run without question. Keep them in a dark, dry, cool place inbetween events and don't spin and they should last for years.

[jimmy six]

I wish I had tires that were only 2 years old...Some of mine are over 30.............. ..JD

[interested bystander]

I've been bitin' my tongue surpressing an answer. Thanx for opening the door Jimmy.

I feel sorry for ALL newbies- but here goes:

When DID they run Indy cars at Monza?  Was it 1957 or 1958?

When did they stop running 18" wheels at Indy?

You'll get used to us, Erwin, keep the faith. You'll get more GOOD advice from Landspeed posters over the long run!

[RichFox]

I didn't want to come up with any specific numbers in case the nanny's are paying attention.

[Richard 2]

The new front runners you buy are probably far from new. Most front runners on the salt are many many years old. The tires are alot tougher than you might think. I have seen a pair of tires spun down to the cords on a 250 mph run and still be perfectly round and full of air.   

[Jonny Hotnuts]

I have seen a pair of tires spun down to the cords on a 250 mph run and still be perfectly round and full of air.

The reason they were still round and full of air is BECAUSE they were spun down to the cord.

~JH

[32vertex]

Hi all,

almost all answers very usefull (hehehe, I can take some flack, don't spare me because I'm a newbie, LOL !), but the real question is: do the Tech-guys declare a GO or NO-GO based on the age of the tires ?

I could email KiwiSteve 'bout it, but I thought I could get an answer on here, with all the experience and knowledge in abundance.

erwin

[RichFox]

As long as you don't mind flack- Gee. I thought we were pretty clear but the answer is NO. I have never seen or heard of a car being written up because of age. Condition will be an issue. But not simply age in my experience

[bvillercr]

As long as you don't mind flack- Gee. I thought we were pretty clear but the answer is NO. I have never seen or heard of a car being written up because of age. Condition will be an issue. But not simply age in my experience

ditto to what Rich said.

[panic]

Tires change composition over time due to ozone, ultraviolet, and simple gas-out.
Use an opaque sealed plastic bag (blocks both air and light), keep cool, but the petro chemical constituents will boil out of the surface no matter what unless the bag is pressurized. The cord strength is slower to decay, but if the rubber bond is weakened the tire will chunk.
 JM2¢? If someone showed up on the line with a tire sidewall colored gray (not black), and you could dig a crumbly hunk out with a fingernail, it should be DQ.

[32vertex]

allrighty, crystal clear now !

[desperate]

'32, this is something that I've wondered about too. I'm doing an Indian bike http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,7976.0.html and got hold of the basic motorcycle rules. I guess they're different than for cars, but seem extremely strict, stating that tyres (English spelling, sorry) must be no older than 10 years and must also be speed rated to correspond with the speed of the record you're going for. The tyres on my bike are 9 years old, from a top quality manufacturer, and look like new, with zero defects and no tread wear, but by the time I get to Bonneville they'll be 11 years old. The rules I have say the date markings WILL be checked. I can't afford 2 new tyres. How strict is the tyre rule?