My 47 Fleetline sits for weeks maybe even a month or so before I'm able to get it out on road for a cruise around town. It's time for new tires and there's there whole bias vs. radials debate that's forever on going but what about from the perspective of the car sitting a lot. Putting looks aside...Which type would last longer and ride better over time keeping in mind the amount of time the car sits? Does one type of tire do better as far as flat spots, deteriorating, etc.?
A month doesn't sound that bad... the lumpy roll from the flat spots will work out soon enough. Longer? Get some jack stands. Gary
My personal opinion is that bias ply tires will last for years longer than radials, on a car that doesn't get driven much. Not sure if that's what you're asking....overall lifetime? or month to month?
No idea but all things eventually deteriorate / break down over time. Case in point circa 1990 I commenced restoring a 66 GTA Fairlane convertible after it was imported from the US. At this time the rims were fitted with four (4) new WW radial tyres. When I'd finished the restoration I refitted these tyres and commenced driving. Not long after the tyres commenced to separate. After the second blowout I cut the sidewalls of the remaining [good] tyres with a box cutter and noticed fine cracks where the tread joins the case. These were new tyres and placed on the shelf until I'd finished the restoration. It was a weekend and not daily driver. In 2004 I bought 4 x new radials for my 35 Chevy phaeton when I put it on the road. Early this year I had a blow out on the front when the tread separated from the case not far from home. The car has 35k's on the odometer being a weekend and not daily driver. I looked at the case where the tread joins and saw quite a few hairline cracks. I then checked the others and saw similar cracks so I removed all four (4) tyres and bought new ones. I ran a box cutter through the sidewalls to prevent them being reused. Better be safe than sorry IMHO as it was only a matter of time before the others went the same route. I erred on the side of caution and didn't put a price on my safety and that of others. If they'd only gone flat I wouldn't be too concerned however I'd suggest looking for any fine cracks in the side walls, tread and case. As an example these are the tyres that were on my 46 Olds when purchased. Very old with hardly any miles as car had been sitting.. Starting to show signs of age. Could have cleaned them up and sold but didn't want to run the risk. Look at the side for the date code (Manufacture)
I agree with Mgtstumpy. If it were me, I would buy tires that are less expensive with a treadwear rating in the low hundreds. They won't last long enough to fail due to age. Also, protect them with a UV protectant (not silicone).
Where does the OP live? Ambient temperatures has a lot to do with tire life. If you live in the sunbelt (or anyplace where average daily temps run high), the heat will shorten tire life. If you live in a more temperate climate, this ageing process is much slower. The US DOT did tests after the Firestone/Ford Explorer debacle, and determined that six years should be the maximum 'recommended' tire life. But the tests were based on Phoenix Arizona, the urban area with the highest average daily temps in the US. They also noted that this ageing went up exponentially with the temp, so if you live in the northern half of the US or in Canada, ageing from heat is much less of an issue. Storing the tire out of the sun will also extend tire life. With that said, I'll agree that buying a high mileage tire for a car that's driven little may be self-defeating in that the tire may 'age' before it's worn out. With all this, I'll note that the DOT found that accidents attributed to tire failure were mostly in the sunbelt states, and they were unable to confirm any accidents due solely to tire age.
My experience with my bus has been the crossply tyres flat spotted very quickly. I replaced the fronts with radials and the ride and steering is hugely improved . I cannot say which will last longer, as on the rear, the inner (crossply) duals are over 40yrs old and still in good condition. However they don't see much sun under there
If it isn't driven that much, what's wrong with a dedicated set of jack stands for those non driven time periods. It isn't that much work to put it up and take down. Way cheaper than special tires too... Just a thought. Crap I should have read the first reply fully. So I'll endorse that thought then.
Obvious answer: ones that hold air! Actually, tires with tubes seem to hold air a lot better than tubeless in my experience. Flat-spotting is mostly a bias ply issue, and made worse by cold temps. Flat-spotting will work out with driving and getting the tire flexing and warmed up. As for tire longevity, seems tires now have more problems, but certainly keeping them from sun exposure would be a good idea. Not sure if radial or bias ply makes a difference.
All bias ply's with tubes on my coupe. Since I live in the frozen north, and won't drive my car through roads covered in ice melting salt, (Too much money involved in what's under the floorboards), mine sits on a sturdy set of jack stands until the weather warms and the salt is off the roads. Keeping it on the stands prevents flat spotting. Just to keep things oiled, I go out once a week and fire it up. I let it run until it warms up, and let it idle in gear to lubricate the trans & rear end.
Yep ^^^^ I drive both bias plies and radials and like them both in a given situation. Radials have less tendency to get flat spots from sitting but unless a vehicle sits for years the flat spots go away on a bias ply as a soon as the tire gets some heat in it. Actually most won't remember this but back before you could buy steel belted radials they got flat spots from sitting as well. its not good for any tire to sit for any length of time but a month is nothing. I would just buy whatever tire floated my boat the best.
Thanks for all the replies and tips. Now it's time to move forward on trying to decide which tires to go with. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
at some time in the past - history - I read that "ozone" is killer of tires and is natural but can be higher around electric motor equipment. Also can bag tires to limit sunlight and ozone.
The car spends it's life in the garage, so sunlight isn't much of a concern. I was worried about flat spots and whatever else might be caused by sitting. Thanks again for the tips Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for a good synopsis of the issue. That's useful information. It supports my guess that tyres deteriorate by losing volatile content, a process which slows down at cooler temperatures. Keeping unmounted tyres in plastic bags might also help, if the bags can keep evaporated stuff in.
My recent experience was with a pickup that sat in my next door neighbors garage for 7 years with new radial tires. I bought it and after re-balancing them, they have run out all the flat spots with no noticeable bumping after a couple of hundred miles. Luck of the draw? Bob http://www.bobsretrophobia.com/
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