Tires...Tires...Tires?

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ir3333

ir3333

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Have any of you guys tried a more expensive Michelin or other tire on your classic?
I know on my daily drivers they make a world of difference.
I wonder if they would help the 50 year old suspension technology of our Classics?
 
I think any modern, short wall tire will help in braking, handling, be more useful in varying weather and road conditions, wear better and in a lot of cases cost less. Now this means you need to move to 17" and up wheels, give up some ride comfort, and is some folks cases loose the original or that fat tire look. So it really depends on what you want out of your tires, your driving style and the "vision" you have for your car. I don't think you need high end Michelin's to get there but I hear their Pilot series is good.
 
ir3333 said:
Have any of you guys tried a more expensive Michelin or other tire on your classic?
I know on my daily drivers they make a world of difference.
I wonder if they would help the 50 year old suspension technology of our Classics?
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well, the short answer is yes, they will be better than the old bias ply's and poly glass's. That said, some of the alignment specs are designed for bias plys and the newer radial style require different specs. So you'll have to keep that in mind and likely provide that to anyone doing your alignment.
 
Just bought 4 Goodyear E70-14 Polyglas tires. I'm not looking back. New modern rubber is like putting a CD on a Victrola record player. It just ain't going to happen. Lol :poke:

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Ice Cream store is my favorite destination. If I put 300 mile a year on this car? I'll be lucky.

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Expensive tires on your classic when they will be "bad" in 7 years? I can't see it. I bought 4 new cheapies from Walmart for my Mazda truck and it was like going from steel wheels on a skateboard to 78mm Urethane OJ's. That would be a good thing. Although the power cushion bias plays on my 65 when I bought it were smooth but squirelly on the freeway.
 
In 2000 I put Michelin X radials on a 68 GTX.....whitewalls and hubcap car. In 19 years I put 25k+ miles on those tires. (Tires are still good for another 20 and are not checked or cracking.) That car rode very well on the highway; what a cruiser! Great tire. I agree bias-plys look great for the short rides, but have another set of mags with radials for the long ride. Only 300 miles....get some radials and really enjoy that Mopar.
 
You roll on 19 year old tires? I commend your thriftiness! I don't have an issue with this but some guys here will tell you your flirting with disaster. I got some old low mile dismounted tires in the garage that look fine, but are 10 years old. Wonder if they will hold air?
 
i have heard after about 7 years tires can grenade but have never ever seen it happen to anyone,
i do think the ride can deteriorate some as the rubber can harden and crack with age if left in the elements or sun.
 
Heat is what causes everything to disintegrate including tires,. When rolling the tire has to change shapes from round on the top to flat at point of contact and actually goes to a wave pattern after contact with the road. The constant flexing is what causes the majority of the heat generated in the tire. It WILL eventually fail. The higher the speed, the more dramatic the failure. Even old tires kept "from the elements" are still "old". The chemical compounds used in the manufacture of the tire are in a state of deterioration from the time they are made and start to harden reducing ease of flexibility. Take any matreial and flex it back and forth and you will see that the stiffer the material the quicker it will get hot. Just like us, we start to die as soon as we are born...
 
The Back side and Front view of the rims my Goodyear E70-14 Polyglas tires are going on.

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ir3333 said:
Ultra violet from the sun deteriorates rubber as well as oxygen..everything oxidizes
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We all likely garage our cars so sun damage is minimal. I believe the Michelins are better quality than the average tire (and though they own BFG, T/As quality is not equal). The tires are still nice and pliable 20 years later. BTW I could not sell the GTX with original wheel covers, so put some Magnum 500s and 37 year old Eagle STs with birds that my brother had laying around and it sold in a month Now those GY tires looked great but were hard static display placeholders. Probably has T/As on it now.
 
72Dart6pack said:
The Back side and Front view of the rims my Goodyear E70-14 Polyglas tires are going on.

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Dang man that is sharp i cant wait to see this car compteted!! Do you have a restore thread on this car? I see your pictures pop up all the time and I love this build but I don't think I have ever seen your thread for it.
 
No thread for this car yet. I will start one soon. I'll title it. "JUST SOMETHING I THREW TOGETHER"
 
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Just a teaser picture. This is how it looked before I started working on it. This is the direction I'm going.

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Straight Dupont Black out of the can. Same color as the 2019 Dodge Ram Trucks.
 
I have a set of Michelins on my Bronco that are easily 15 years old. Very minimal cracks in the tread face only, lots of depth still, and I generally only drive to work and back, maybe 10 miles a day. One has gone flat since Friday night so I may pull them off, I have another set in the garage, 2 are nearly new, 2 are getting thin but they should last until spring.
 
Bought some nice looking wheels with tires awhile back for sons car. The tires had a lot of tread and looked good. Worked fine around town for awhile. Took it on the highway and after about an hour one threw the tread. Looked at the date code on tires and they were more than 10 years old. Lucky it didn’t tear up the car. I will never run old tires again.
 
Mike69cuda said:
Bought some nice looking wheels with tires awhile back for sons car. The tires had a lot of tread and looked good. Worked fine around town for awhile. Took it on the highway and after about an hour one threw the tread. Looked at the date code on tires and they were more than 10 years old. Lucky it didn’t tear up the car. I will never run old tires again.
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Old thread, but just had to comment. I bought my Duster this past November and drove it 150 miles home. It had a bad shimmy over 60 MPH. Took it to a tire shop to have them look at the tires. The back tires were dated 1992, but they did not look bad! The tire tech said he had never seen that before. So glad they did not fail on my drive home. Sure rides nicely with new rear tires!
 
Currently most auto manufacturers call for tires to be replaced after 6 years. Most tire manufacturers still list 10 years as absolute max life regardless of appearance, but will tell you as soon as there’s any checking or cracking the tires are done. There have been a bunch of high profile accidents on tires more than 6 years old though, which is why the auto makers have changed their tune because of liability.

Here’s an article on tire life/wear
How Old - and Dangerous - Are Your Tires? | Edmunds

Guys will say old tires used to last longer, maybe they did. But they also didn’t perform nearly as well. Modern tires perform better in pretty much all conditions, but yeah, there’s a trade off there. So maybe they don’t last as long. They work a hell of a lot better when they’re good though.

I’ve seen and heard of more than a few “classic” tires letting loose and tearing apart a fender or quarter panel. Usually on low miles survivor too, because that’s why the ancient tires are still on there. And what’s that worth? You bite the bullet and buy some new tires every 6-7 years, or you bet that you won’t lose a tread, take out that nice quarter panel or fender, and cost yourself thousands in bodywork and paint. Not to mention if it’s s survivor, well, that’s over too. Assuming of course you don’t wreck the thing outright when the tire goes.

Blows my mind how much guys will spend on their engines and paint and all that “looks cool” stuff and then cheap out of tires, brakes, suspension etc. Tires are a HUGE part of braking and handling performance. You know, the stuff that lets you avoid accidents and maintain control so you don’t end up wrapped around a telephone pole?
 
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