Losses and Lessons: When it comes to tires, age is as important as mileage VEHICLE COVERED: 1969 Chevrolet Corvette WHAT WENT WRONG: On the surface, it makes sense that rarely used tires should last indefinitely as long as they’re properly cared for. But looks – and low miles – can be deceiving. The owner of a 1969 Corvette drove his car only occasionally on weekends, and he regularly cleaned and conditioned the tires. In the eight years that he’d owned the car he never felt the need to purchase new tires since they still looked great. An easy – and costly – mistake. One day while cruising down the highway, the rear driver’s side tire blew out. DAMAGE/LOSS: Fortunately, the Corvette owner was able to keep the car under control and pull safely to the side of the road, but it suffered considerable damage. The blown tire shredded the left rear wheel well and quarter panel of the fiberglass-bodied ’Vette. Cost of repairs was $5,215, which Hagerty paid. LESSON: There are no hard and fast “expiration dates” on tires, but because rubber begins to crack and deteriorate over time, most experts suggest that eight years is the maximum safe life expectancy of a tire.

If you don’t drive your classic at all and it just sits on display, you can get away with keeping the original tires as they’ll hold air. But if you drive the car at all, you need to know how old the tires are. The U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that all tires manufactured since 2000 have serial numbers, and those numbers easily identify their age. Using the last four digits, the first two numbers will reveal the week and last two the year. For example, a serial number ending in 4905 tells you the tires were made during the 49th week of 2005. If there are no recognizable serial numbers, you already have your answer – the tires were made prior to 2000 and need to be replaced. The back end will sway towards the side of the blowout The back end will sway away from the blowout The front end will pull towards the side of the blowout The front end will pull to the opposite side of the blowout What should you do if you have a front tyre blowout?

Your car will pull strongly in the direction of the side of the blowout if the front tyre goes flat. Don't hit the brakes hard or you could spin. Hold the steering wheel tightly and compensate for the pulling to one side. Take your foot off the accelerator and the vehicle will slow down automatically - more so than usual because of the extra rolling resistance of the flat tyre. Once you've got the speed down enough, use light braking as you bring the car to a halt on the side of the road. Make sure you leave yourself enough room to change the tyre - i.e. if your blowout is on the left, don't pull up hard against a wall or fence (unless that's the only safe place to do so). Similarly, if it's on the right, pull further off the road so that you're not in danger of being hit by other traffic. If you manage to stop quickly enough the tyre might be able to be repaired, unless there's been a catastrophic failure e.g. the sidewall has blown out. Some cars come with a foam repair kit designed to inflate your tyre and seal it with foam, which is enough to get you to a tyre repair shop.

If you don't have that, fit your space saver wheel. This video has some great advice and examples about what to do if you have a front tyre blowout.motorcycle dealers in salisbury ncMotor Vehicle Maintenance & Repairsuzuki motorcycle dealer leicester Sign up or log in to customize your list.beaverton honda motorcycle shop Here's how it works:husqvarna motorcycle dealers ohio Anybody can ask a questionmotorcycle sidecar rigs for sale

The best answers are voted up and rise to the top Update: I actually don't even have the car anymore. yamaha motorcycle repair calgaryBut I did immediately change this tire at the time.motorcycle rides in concord nc It's my rear right tire. It has a significant bulge in the sidewall. Here are two pictures of the bulge (original URL): Do I need to replace it before I ever drive on it again? Should I put on the spare to go buy the new tire? Or is it fine to even go a little bit on the highway for a few days before I replace it? Or is it fine to even go a little bit on the highway for a few days before I replace it?Please don't drive on that tire. You are seeing a large scale deformation in a portion of the tire that's not designed for point stresses like that.

There's pretty clearly a thin layer of rubber standing between the marginally acceptable and explosively decompressive states. And, just so we're clear, please don't drive for a couple of days on the temporary spare, either. It's not rated for that kind of workload. Personally I wouldn't drive on that tire - if it delaminates while you're driving you're risking a blowout. You get bulges like that if the rubber basically separates from the various reinforcement plys in the tire and as the air in the tire heats up from driving, it'll slowly expand. All it takes then is something that pokes/cuts the bulge to turn your car into a three wheeler. I'd slap on the spare tire and take this one down to your local tire place of least distrust. In the trunk, not on the car... In some jurisdictions (including my own), driving with a tyre looking like that is illegal. There is a question about it on the driving test, and all such academic questions on the test are about things you must do, lest you be found to be in charge of a dangerous vehicle.