Hot Rods Cracks in my tires!.......GRRRRRRRRRR!

I realize rubber tires tend to dry rot/crack with age. I don't know if it's a natural occurrence or planned obsolescence?
Anyhow.....y'all know of anything to put on tires to slow down the cracking process?
Cover them??
Park inside??
6sally6

 

Both of these will help, but will only slow the process some. The sun is the enemy.
We did this whole thing in another thread not that long ago. Was quite a heated discussion about whether old tires should be replaced or not. I am in the "replace them" camp. There, I have probably kicked this off again............

No matter how tempting it may be to try ArmourAll or something similar, DON'T DO IT.!!!!!!
A guy I know once did his motorcycle tire sidewalls many years ago. Let's just say it was quite the learning experience for him...

 

Keep them cool and out of the sun.

 

Armor all speeds up the process.

 

The opposite is worse…

 

Do like Burt Munroe

 

The ArmourAll comment was tongue-in-cheek.
Only a moron would put it on tires...............and yes, he did do it.......and yes, he was a moron......

 

The sun is the major enemy, heat of direct sun light. Dry rot or cracking even fails state safety inspection here in PA.

 

I would be concerned that old tires might be a sticking point with the insurance company in the event of an accident that may or may not be your fault. Dealer refused to work on a German sports car because the tires were 14 years old even though the mileage was under 10K

 

Don't let this " happy smile " on Mr. Sun's face fool you ! " UV " ( ultraviolet degradation )
is a very real element that decreases the life of a tire and indeed does speed up the rate of tire/rubber cracking!
As BJR said, " Keep them cool and out of the sun "

 

Tires have a "shelf life" as well as a "service life".
Shelf life is the degradation of the rubber compound over time, leading to cracking and rot.
Service life is the wear to the tread and sidewalls due to driving the vehicle.
Best scenario money-wise is for the two to match. If your tires are cracking before they are worn down, you need to get in more miles with your rod.........

 

GRRRRRRRRRR!

 

The way I see it is this. Modern tires are so far superior to the stuff built in several prior decades their is no reason to go back to their compound formulations. All the metrics of tire performance are infinitely better.

The intersection of carcass/tread life and the 'shelf life' is no conflict for the vast majority of vehicle operators. The average vehicle mileage driven is somewhere in the 12k to 15k per year. At that rate shelf life and tread life are not at odds. With the huge number of tire sizes, profiles, tread designs and compounds, there is no economically feasible way manufacturers could possibly build tires reformulated for the relatively microscopic market (per size and type) of very low mileage drivers. 'Use it or lose it' applies here as much as in other endeavors. Otherwise it comes under the heading of "cost of doing business", in a manner of speaking.

Ray

 

Most tire shops will not repair a tire if it is over 8 years old......
I finished a customers car in 2006. He has put less than 3000 miles on it. Garage kept, tires look brand new. He picked up a nail in one, took it to a tire shop and they saw the date stamped on them and said nope, we can't fix it. Too old. He brought it to me and I put a plug in it.

 

How old are they and are they radials? If they are Radials and they're six years old they are landfill regardless of how much Tread they have...and as alluded if you choose to keep running them you are doing the gamble...

 

Some brands(Michelin) are worse about premature dry rot/cracking than others.

 

How old are they?

Oops, Stogy beat me to it.

 

I know of this but I haven't had personal experience with it. Maybe test it on an old tire that has been sitting in a field for years. .......or if you're going to dump the tires anyhow ??

https://www.ebay.com/itm/12oz-RUBBE...ER-SAVER-REJUVENATOR-OLD-RC-TOY-/152905740322

 

That’s just crazy. I have heard stories about people doing this but never knew of any personally. When checking out bikes at a show, bar or whatever we would look at the tires for wear pattern. You could tell the people that didn’t take turns very fast. There would be no wear on the outside of the tire. My buddy called them Mcchicken strips.
I’ve noticed that as I age, my strips are getting a little wider.

 

I buy cheap tires and don’t keep them over 5 years, same as batteries, sell them used for half price and buy more new ones. Used to buy T/A radials but you loose more because you pay more. High silicone content of tires make them rot. Only have 1 classic car at a time.

 

As you suggested, planned obsolescence is a very real thing in many products but, for tires, it is mostly the nature of the beast in that they start degrading as soon as they leave the mold. Like some others I have been snubbed by the 'big' tire shops on old tires; it is their liability insurance that someone will collect.
Cover them like the RVers do.

 

Are the cracks numerous, very small and on the surface?
Usually caused by the sun and ozone acting on the sidewall rubber compound.
Some brands do worse than others. Michelin was the worst. Cosmetic mostly, but no cure.

Are the cracks into the body plies, tread edge or circumferential with the bead?
Tire construction issue and they need to be removed from service.

 

I don’t put expensive tires on my avatar, makes throwing away aged out tires less painful.

 

UV light, car exhaust (probably the worst. Ozone?) and stuff people buy to make them look pretty (tire shine,etc.). Get some RV tire covers if you leave your car outside for long periods. The small cost will pay off. I have a '26 Model T with virtually new tires made by someone in Australia. No miles on them to speak of but how old they are is anybodies guess. Small 1/4" square tiny cracks all around the sidewalls. They don't reach the cords and they don't explode with 50 lbs of air in them. I'll keep using them. If you buy any new rubber parts for your car DO NOT let them get exposed to exhaust gas. The cheap crappy rubber import parts will rot in weeks. Where I live nobody cares about how old anything is.

 

I have used brake fluid I think it helps

 

I just took a set of snows to get mounted yesterday. Now I’ve read most of that tire report based on Arizona temps and for Arizona I believe it. But I’m in the Vancouver BC area where rain was invented. It never gets really hot up here and most of the year it’s a cool dark place like in the song. Anyway the tech guy noticed the bead was starting to separate from the tire. I suspect if he was a little more gentle demounting it from the wheel the crack would not have been there. This report was a boon for retailers to sell many more tires for the most part imo. And the cost of tires is crazy these days...

I’m hoping my bias plies stand up longer which is apparently what they do.

 

Just means you need to wipe better, or eat more fibre

 

Thoughts on John Deere ultra tire guard. Is this just a "branded version" of armor all?
https://www.johndeerestore.com/jdb2cstorefront/JohnDeereStore/en/John-Deere-products/Genuine-Parts/Fluids-&-Chemicals/All-Fluids-&-Chemicals/Ultra-Guard-Tire-and-Rubber-Protection,-20-oz/p/TY16369

I bought 2 small tarps and covered my trailer tires, magnets to the fenders. Should buy some of the RV tire protectors mentioned.

If you are buying new tires, ask to see the date codes before they are mounted. I put new tires on the wife's car and the tire shop was ready to mount tires that were over 2 years old. I refused to have them mounted.

 

just gotta drive the car more, so they wear out before they dry rot

 

If the sidewalls are cracking, the traction quality of the treads may not be so great anymore either.