Bias Ply Tire?

[55 Fargo]

Hey all, I know bias ply do not handle or ride as well as radials, but they must be reasonable, heck they were used for many many years.

I do not know if my Dunlop Gold Seals are bias or the improved bias belted.

They are 4 ply passenger tires, are soft and subtle, not all dried up and hardened.

I still have some major play in front steering, and do still need tie rod ends badly.

With any steering play is noticed more easily I am hoping once repaired to improve the ride.

Can those of you tell your story on bias ply tires from years ago or recent times.

I really like the look of these tires, so want to improve all aspects of steering and handling.

I did test drive on my rough rutted roadway, made for an interesting ride with loose steering.

 

[50desotocoupe]

I had a 59 Lincoln with bias ply tires.  It was just fine.  I didn't drive the car hard and drove fine.  I still drove 70-80 on the highway. It would follow ruts more than radial tires but perfectly acceptable.  I have a buddy who just bought a 48 Ford with bias ply tires...riding with him you really don't notice them.  I think the trick in our old cars is to anticipate the fools that are in modern cars and be 3 steps ahead of the game. 

[JIPJOBXX]

I like the look and sometimes think there safer than the radials as the side walls are thicker and usually you have a tube inside.  I tried out radials and really did not notice that much difference.  There are purist here and must work for Corker or one of those after market tire makers as those radials are expensive for what little ust you will get out of them.  I average maybe a 1000 miles a year and thats about it.  If you buy radials than after 7 to 8 years the rubber is usally getting to the point of replacement no matter how many miles you put on the tires.  So I would say if you can get a set for say 600 dollars go for it as the radial will cost your probably twice as much and will you really get the tire life out of them????

[TodFitch]

"Back in the day" I really did not notice much difference on the cars I switched from bias to radials other than much longer tread life.

 

Current day, the only vehicle I have with bias tires is my '33 Plymouth. On most roads it handles just fine. However rain grooves are horrible: the tires follow them and the grooves are not usually perfectly straight. Makes for "interesting" driving on those sections of urban freeway around here that have them. However I don't know how much your experience will differ as my tires are skinny 17" and I imagine that the wider 16" or 15" tires on your later cars will handle differently than my car regardless.

 

Coker now carries radial tires for my old size wheels and I have been tempted to try them. Not for the handling but for the longer life. I'm only getting 15K or so miles out of my bias tires on that car before the tread is worn down too far. However, I'm a bit worried about the tales of rim issues using radials on very old wheels and since I can't just buy new wheels that are correct I am a bit cautious. If I had a Model A or V8 Ford where new wheels in the original style are being manufactured I'd be more keen on the swap.

[De Soto Frank]

"Back in the day" I really did not notice much difference on the cars I switched from bias to radials other than much longer tread life.

 

Current day, the only vehicle I have with bias tires is my '33 Plymouth. On most roads it handles just fine. However rain grooves are horrible: the tires follow them and the grooves are not usually perfectly straight. Makes for "interesting" driving on those sections of urban freeway around here that have them. However I don't know how much your experience will differ as my tires are skinny 17" and I imagine that the wider 16" or 15" tires on your later cars will handle differently than my car regardless.

 

Tod,

 

I now own a 1928 Model A Ford, which is still wearing its factory 21" wheels... I'm running Garfield WWW 4.00-21 Bias plys...

 

YES, rain grooves definitely make life interesting, as do steel-grate bridge decks...

 

 

That said, I have been running bias-ply tires on my old iron since getting my license 30-some years ago... they still work.

 

They don't grip the road quite as tightly as radials, but they do just fine as long as the vehicle is driven respectfully.

 

NO tire will "fix"  a worn front-end.  If you've got loose parts, replace them, and make sure the front-end is properly aligned.

 

I rebuilt the front-end on my trusty-crusty '41 De Soto about 5 years ago ( new king-pins, new inner & outer  upper & lower shafts and bushings, and new steering knuckle supports (lower eyes were hogged-out on the originals).  I still need to go for a professional alignment, but the steering has tightened-up QUITE a lot, and she goes where I point her.

As for trucks, which I assume 55Fargo is speaking of,  my current project is the resurrection of a 1950 Studebaker 3/4-ton truck.

I will be putting 7.50-16 bias-ply truck tires on it (blackwalls, thank you.).  It is a work truck, and with its original driveline(170 cid Econo-Wheezer, 3-speed, and 5.57 rear), is not capable of exceeding 45 MPH (mayyybe 50, down-hill with a tail-wind ).

Bias-plys will do just fine for me.  Hi-way tread up front, and mud-grips in the back.

 

Another thing to remember when considering the handling of older vehicles... in the days before power-steering, steering-gears were geared "low", for enough mechanical advantage to make steering reasonably easy;  these were nick-named "wheel-winders", because they required so many turns from "lock to lock".... this was one of the reasons that "suicide-knobs" ( or "necking-knobs" ) were popular.

 

Folks who didn't grow-up with such primitive vehicles aren't used to having to turn the wheel quite so far to maneuver the vehicle.

 

As for whether or not 55Fargo's tires are steel-belted, or what,  the popular "flavors" of bias-ply tires were: rayon-belted, nylon-belted, "Glass-belted" (fiber-glass), and Steel-belted.

 

Rayon tires tend to not age well, and are prone to cord / belt failure (read: blow-outs)

 

Nylon tires are notorious for developing "flat-spots" when the vehicle sits in one place for a prolonged period of time; when the vehicle is next driven, the tires tend to "thump" until they warm-up and the plies / rubber relax.  They last "forever".

Steel-belted tires were the sturdiest,  but the steel belts can corrode inside the rubber carcass, and eventually break and start to "sprout" through the rubber... these tires will become "thumpers" and should be retired.

 

Unfortunately, no tire is "cheap" any more... bias-ply car tires are now sold only by specialists like Coker, Universal, Goodyear. 

Truck tires can be found from folks like STA (Formerly Carlisle Tire & Rubber / McCreary), Greenball, Tornel.

 

 

I just bought a pair of 6.50 x 16 WWW bias for the De Soto(May, 2013).... best price I could find was on Garfields from Coker.

 

 

Hope some of this is helpful...

 

[doctor dirt]

I just bought 4 radials for my 49 coupe that were expensive because of the white walls. Without the WW the black tire would be 88.00 the WW were 242.00. All that into consideration the WW are a one shot deal, the spare is already the black tire hahaha!!!! For me bias just doesn't cut it on my coupe! It came with coker 770 and I switched to 205/75/15 from Diamondback Tires who are family owned and operated. Nice people who deal with Hancook tires that I think are excellant for my application.  best to you, Doc.

[Don Coatney]

Frank;

Your posting brought back memories. Way back in 1957 a neighbor who was a veterinarian had a 1956 Oldsmobile. He was going on vacation and tossed the neighbor kid (not me) who was 15 years old the keys and a buck or two to back the Olds out of the garage (and up and down the driveway) daily to insure no flat spots developed on his tires. This neighbor who was 5 years my senior and became my mentor ask me to ride along in these driveway trips. As this car owning doctor had lots of money he had the only blacktop driveway in the neighborhood. When he returned home he never did say anything about the peel out marks on his driveway.

 

Along the memory lines I recall my mother having a fit when this Vet charged fourteen dollars to spay 2 cats.

[55 Fargo]

Tod,

 

I now own a 1928 Model A Ford, which is still wearing its factory 21" wheels... I'm running Garfield WWW 4.00-21 Bias plys...

 

YES, rain grooves definitely make life interesting, as do steel-grate bridge decks...

 

 

That said, I have been running bias-ply tires on my old iron since getting my license 30-some years ago... they still work.

 

They don't grip the road quite as tightly as radials, but they do just fine as long as the vehicle is driven respectfully.

 

NO tire will "fix"  a worn front-end.  If you've got loose parts, replace them, and make sure the front-end is properly aligned.

 

I rebuilt the front-end on my trusty-crusty '41 De Soto about 5 years ago ( new king-pins, new inner & outer  upper & lower shafts and bushings, and new steering knuckle supports (lower eyes were hogged-out on the originals).  I still need to go for a professional alignment, but the steering has tightened-up QUITE a lot, and she goes where I point her.

As for trucks, which I assume 55Fargo is speaking of,  my current project is the resurrection of a 1950 Studebaker 3/4-ton truck.

I will be putting 7.50-16 bias-ply truck tires on it (blackwalls, thank you.).  It is a work truck, and with its original driveline(170 cid Econo-Wheezer, 3-speed, and 5.57 rear), is not capable of exceeding 45 MPH (mayyybe 50, down-hill with a tail-wind ).

Bias-plys will do just fine for me.  Hi-way tread up front, and mud-grips in the back.

 

Another thing to remember when considering the handling of older vehicles... in the days before power-steering, steering-gears were geared "low", for enough mechanical advantage to make steering reasonably easy;  these were nick-named "wheel-winders", because they required so many turns from "lock to lock".... this was one of the reasons that "suicide-knobs" ( or "necking-knobs" ) were popular.

 

Folks who didn't grow-up with such primitive vehicles aren't used to having to turn the wheel quite so far to maneuver the vehicle.

 

As for whether or not 55Fargo's tires are steel-belted, or what,  the popular "flavors" of bias-ply tires were: rayon-belted, nylon-belted, "Glass-belted" (fiber-glass), and Steel-belted.

 

Rayon tires tend to not age well, and are prone to cord / belt failure (read: blow-outs)

 

Nylon tires are notorious for developing "flat-spots" when the vehicle sits in one place for a prolonged period of time; when the vehicle is next driven, the tires tend to "thump" until they warm-up and the plies / rubber relax.  They last "forever".

Steel-belted tires were the sturdiest,  but the steel belts can corrode inside the rubber carcass, and eventually break and start to "sprout" through the rubber... these tires will become "thumpers" and should be retired.

 

Unfortunately, no tire is "cheap" any more... bias-ply car tires are now sold only by specialists like Coker, Universal, Goodyear. 

Truck tires can be found from folks like STA (Formerly Carlisle Tire & Rubber / McCreary), Greenball, Tornel.

 

 

I just bought a pair of 6.50 x 16 WWW bias for the De Soto(May, 2013).... best price I could find was on Garfields from Coker.

 

 

Hope some of this is helpful...

 

The tires are Dunlop Gold Seal 78 series wide whitewall tires. Any idea if they are glassbelted or what?These tires are poly glass belted, hope there better than rayon belted.....

Edited August 29, 2013 by 55Fargo

[_shel_ny]

https://www.google.com/search?q=Dunlop+Gold+Seal+78&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=rcs

[55 Fargo]

Thanx Shel

[plymouthcranbrook]

I purchased 4 used radials for my 52 Plymouth as the cost of new is pretty high for a car that sees minimal usage.  I am happy with them(2 are nearly new Hancooks and two other that I don't recognize are not quite as good). They seem to have very good road manners. I really don't remember much about Bias tires since I stopped buying them in the 70's for anything. So I would recommend radials unless you are really set on stock look.  I really don't drive very fast(50 or 55 pretty much max) so high speed cruising is not a major factor in my decisions of what to buy.

[55 Fargo]

I purchased 4 used radials for my 52 Plymouth as the cost of new is pretty high for a car that sees minimal usage.  I am happy with them(2 are nearly new Hancooks and two other that I don't recognize are not quite as good). They seem to have very good road manners. I really don't remember much about Bias tires since I stopped buying them in the 70's for anything. So I would recommend radials unless you are really set on stock look.  I really don't drive very fast(50 or 55 pretty much max) so high speed cruising is not a major factor in my decisions of what to buy.

I had radials, and switching back to radials is not the point of my thread.

If your only cruising at 50-55 mph either bias or radials would be fine. 

If i want radials I would have stayed with radials, just wan to make sure all is well with the bias route. Bias look way better than most radials on these 40s/50s cars/trucks, but that is a personal choice. 

Radials will mask and compensate for worn steering components as I have discovered. 

[55 Fargo]

A pic of the truck, now need some body and paint...

[Niel Hoback]

  That truck is good enough looking that the type of tire is not going to affect the looks a bit.  The radials handle better,last longer, and roll easier for better gas mileage. Its a no-brainer for me.

[55 Fargo]

  That truck is good enough looking that the type of tire is not going to affect the looks a bit.  The radials handle better,last longer, and roll easier for better gas mileage. Its a no-brainer for me.

Okay Neil, but will stick with the bias ply for now. Interesting, many,many ,many hambers with bias tires cruising their hotrods 60- 70 mph all the time. 

Edited August 30, 2013 by 55Fargo

[knuckleharley]

Interesting, many,many ,many hambers with bias tires cruising their hotrods 60- 70 mph all the time. 

Lots of guys in the HAMB put style ahead of everything. It's all about sitting with the cool kids at the cool kids table in the lunchroom with them.

[Plymouthy Adams]

cool has it price..sacrifices are made....people still laugh...

[55 Fargo]

Lots of guys in the HAMB put style ahead of everything. It's all about sitting with the cool kids at the cool kids table in the lunchroom with them.

I would say there is some of that, and most declare they have no issues with bias ply tires performance. You made me think of something. I road 1000s of miles in Pops cars before radial tires. 1 car a 68 Olds Vista Cruiser, Winnipeg to LA and back over 4000 miles hitting speeds of 80 mph, no issues whatsoever, car road like a dream, same with all the cars before this car.

So if bias tires were so bad, so dangerous, how is it we are all here talkin about it. Don't get me wrong, radials will outperform them,wear better, better gas mileage, and safer in some respects, but there are a lot of crappy radial tires out there too.

The is no replacement for a front end that is in poor condition, that makes a big difference. In my case, straight front axle truck, gonna ride like a truck. I recognize radials would make it a little better, but for my use, I am hoping all will be okay

Edited August 30, 2013 by 55Fargo

[Don Coatney]

 

 

WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TIRES:

A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

This is the first in a series of articles on automobile tires by John Thomson. 
The next article will look at how tires are tested and rated.

The first rubber tires appeared in the mid-1800s. They were solid or cushion tires in which the rubber itself carried the load, absorbed shocks, and resisted cutting and abrasions. The pneumatic or air-filled tire, which carried the load and absorbed shocks by the compressed air in the tire casing, was patented as early as 1845. Solid rubber tires were preferred over pneumatic tires because of their durability, so pneumatic tires fell into disuse. The popularity of bicycles in the late 1800s revived the idea of the pneumatic tire, and in 1888 a Belfast veterinary surgeon named John Boyd Dunlop obtained a patent for a pneumatic bicycle tire.

The first use of pneumatic tires for automobiles was pioneered by the Michelin brothers, André and Édouard. They equipped a car with pneumatic tires and drove it in the 1895 Paris-Bordeaux road race. Though André and Édouard didn’t win the race, they generated popular interest in pneumatic tires, and Michelin & Cie became a leading producer of tires in Europe. At the same time, solid rubber tires disappeared from the highways, mostly because of legislation that discouraged their use because they were hard on the roads.

In 1898 Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company—named after George Goodyear, the discoverer of vulcanized rubber—was formed in America by Frank Seiberling. Then Firestone Tire & Rubber Company was started by Harvey Firestone in 1900. Other tire makers followed.

For the next fifty years automobile tires were made up of an inner tube that contained compressed air and an outer casing that protected the inner tube and provided traction. The rubber that made up the casing was reinforced by layers or "plys" of rubberized fabric cords embedded in the rubber. The tires made during this period were known as bias-ply tires because the plys ran across the tire in alternating diagonal layers at about a 55 degree angle to the wheel rim. Bias-ply tires continue to be made and are sold as authentic equipment for antique and collector cars that were made during this period.

Michelin first introduced steel-belted radial tires in Europe in 1948. Radial tires are so named because the ply cords radiate at a 90 degree angle from the wheel rim, and the casing is strengthened by a belt of steel fabric that runs around the circumference of the tire. In radial tires the ply cords are made of nylon, rayon, or polyester. The advantages of radial tires include longer tread life, better steering characteristics, and less rolling resistance, which increases gas mileage. On the other hand, radials have a harder riding quality, and since they are technologically more complex than bias-ply tires, they are about 45 percent more expensive to make. Because of their construction, radial tires require a different suspension system from that used by cars designed for bias-ply tires. It is generally recommended that radial tires not be used on cars designed for bias-ply tires.

Over the next 20 years radial tires became standard on new cars outside of America. Michelin in France, Bridgestone in Japan, Pirelli in Italy, and Continental in Germany became powerful radial tire manufacturers. Automobile tires everywhere became tubeless as tire technology improved, but what happened to radial tires in America? Therein lies a tale.

Both the American automobile manufacturers and the tire companies fought the radial tire. Detroit, home of the American automobile, was afraid of how much it would cost to redesign automobile suspensions to accept radial tires. The tire industry was afraid of how much it would cost to retool the entire American tire industry to make the more costly radial tires. Not happy with the threat of having to make tremendous investments, most American automobile makers and tire manufacturers wrote off the radial tire as "a freak product that isn’t going anywhere."

With the notable exception of B.F. Goodrich, the American tire companies decided that the American public wasn’t ready to pay a lot more for the harder ride that radials produced, and they stuck to making bias ply tires. Goodrich bucked this trend by investing heavily in radial tire technology, only to have their tire—the Silvertown Radial 900, introduced in 1965—snubbed by the American automobile industry. Eventually Goodrich sold its tire operations and got out of the tire business.

In 1967, Goodyear, the world’s largest tire company, introduced their response to the radial, a bias-belt product called the Custom Superwide Polyglas. The bias-belted tire simply added a fiberglas belt to the bias-ply tire. The bias-belted tire would last 30,000 miles compared to 40,000 for radial and 23,000 for bias-ply tires. It could be used on cars designed for bias-ply tires. Best of all, it could be made on existing bias-ply tire-making machines, which made its cost not much more than a bias-ply tire.

Fueled by a Goodyear advertising blitz, bias-belted tire sales rose from 2 percent of the original-equipment market in 1968 to 87 percent by the early 1970s. In advertisements touting their bias-belted tires, Goodyear ridiculed radials for their hard ride and their high cost. The American tire and automobile industry was confident that the bias-belted tire would keep the radial tire wolf from the door for a while and expected to have plenty of time to develop their own radial tire expertise at their own pace.

Then came 1973 and the gasoline crisis. Gas went from 30 cents to a dollar a gallon. Americans demanded more economical cars. That year, imported cars represented 15% of American auto sales, but by the early 1980s imports were 28 percent. Of course, each foreign car came equipped with radial tires. Americans clamored for radial tires when they found that they improved gas mileage. Companies like Michelin and Bridgestone were only too happy to supply the American market.

Alas, in the mid-seventies Firestone Tire decided to get into radials on the cheap, fabricating radial tires on machines made for building bias tires. The tires came apart in a spectacular manner. Firestone recalled close to 9 million of its Firestone 500 steel-belted radial tires. From 1977 to 1980, Firestone’s tire business dropped 25 percent, resulting in the layoff of 25,000 workers. The company went from a $110 million profit to $106 million loss, and its stock dropped from $15 down to $10 a share. Firestone was rescued when Bridgestone Tire bought them in 1988.

Goodyear finally produced a radial tire in 1977 by investing billions of dollars in radial technology. Other American tire companies either merged or were bought out. All American new cars came with radial tires by 1983.

Currently Goodyear holds about 20 percent of the global market share in radial tires, both original equipment and replacement; Michelin, 19 percent; Bridgestone, 17 percent; Continental, 9 percent; Pirelli, 5 percent; and the others, 30 percent.

 

 

[De Soto Frank]

Interesting Thread...

 

 

Let me say this abgout that...  bias-ply tires STILL work.  The down side is, that with the general exception of light-truck, trailer, and agricultural tires, the only sources for them are folks who specialize in period tires for antique vehicles, so they are pricey.

 

Now, as for handling and performance, on a given vehicle, radials generally allow for better handling, better gas mileage, and longer tire life.  A big part of this has to do with the radial generally having a larger tread-patch in contact with the road, as well as the different interior construction and dynamic response to driving forces.

 

If you do put radials on your stock pre-1970's rims, and your vehicle has full wheel-covers, don't be surprised if your wheel covers start "creaking",  "walking", or popping-off altogether, especially on curves, at speed.  Radials transmit more lateral force to the rim than do bias ply tires, causing the rims themselves to flex more than they wouid with bias ply.  Have experienced this for myself on several '50's - '60s vehicles.

 

As for 55Fargo's concern "whether bias are okay for his truck ('55 Fargo)",  I wouldn't worry - that's what it was supplied with from the factory!

 

As for "appearances"... I REALLY dislike the "look" of an old car, otherwise stock (including wheels and hub-caps), sitting on squat, incorrect-profile tires (read: modern radials).  I don't care how much they improve the handling, give better mileage, etc.  They  "just look wrong", to my eyes.

 

I also had / have a big aesthetic problem with  cars like the Glenn Pray (sp?) replicas of the 852 Auburn Speedster... they were a beautiful car, faithfully executed, except when it came to the wheels and tires: fat, modern (1970's - '80's) "appliance" wires and fat, modern radial tires...  ruined the look of the car.

 

But, that's me, and I'm imfamously cranky, so use your own judgement...

[Furylee2]

All this talk about radials lasting longer makes me laugh.  I bought my 58 Plymouth Belvedere convertible in 1985.  First thing I did was buy some bias ply wide white Sears tires to put on it.  I never stored the car in a heated garage, or put it on jack stands, and sometimes never even started it for a couple of years at a time.  Those tires lasted 25 years, before I had a 2 in X 2in piece of tread come off.

 

On my 68 Fury III convertible, I put a new set of radials on it a few years back.  It was stored right along side of the 58.  Driving to a POC meet a few years ago, threw a chunk of thread.  Tire beat a small whole in the wheel well before I could pull over.  I thought those tires looked like new, didn’t have many miles on them, and were not that old.  While the tire store was mounting a couple of new ones, I got in the glove box and looked up the paperwork.  They were 15 years old.

 

Needless to say, a new set of Goodyear bias ply’s went on the 58.

[TodFitch]

All this talk about radials lasting longer makes me laugh.  I bought my 58 Plymouth Belvedere convertible in 1985.  First thing I did was buy some bias ply wide white Sears tires to put on it.  I never stored the car in a heated garage, or put it on jack stands, and sometimes never even started it for a couple of years at a time.  Those tires lasted 25 years, before I had a 2 in X 2in piece of tread come off.

 

On my 68 Fury III convertible, I put a new set of radials on it a few years back.  It was stored right along side of the 58.  Driving to a POC meet a few years ago, threw a chunk of thread.  Tire beat a small whole in the wheel well before I could pull over.  I thought those tires looked like new, didn’t have many miles on them, and were not that old.  While the tire store was mounting a couple of new ones, I got in the glove box and looked up the paperwork.  They were 15 years old.

 

Needless to say, a new set of Goodyear bias ply’s went on the 58.

For me "lasting longer" means more miles rather than more years. And I do find that radial tires last longer with respect to tread life. At least 20K miles and sometimes up to 60K miles. Whereas I don't think I've ever gotten more than 15K or 20K miles out of a passenger car bias tire.

 

I've swapped out a set of 15 or 20 year old tires that had tread but I was worried about the integrity of the internal components. Running at 60 MPH on those skinny 17" tires is reasonably interesting even if you aren't thinking about how old and possibly rotted they are. Fortunately, or unfortunately as you may look at it, the car is on the road enough that my usual "failure" nowadays is tread life and not something more destructive to the car and/or me.

[55 Fargo]

For me "lasting longer" means more miles rather than more years. And I do find that radial tires last longer with respect to tread life. At least 20K miles and sometimes up to 60K miles. Whereas I don't think I've ever gotten more than 15K or 20K miles out of a passenger car bias tire.

 

I've swapped out a set of 15 or 20 year old tires that had tread but I was worried about the integrity of the internal components. Running at 60 MPH on those skinny 17" tires is reasonably interesting even if you aren't thinking about how old and possibly rotted they are. Fortunately, or unfortunately as you may look at it, the car is on the road enough that my usual "failure" nowadays is tread life and not something more destructive to the car and/or me.

Tod, 60 mph is nothin, try 200 mph with hand shaved tires on a 1922 Indian scout at Bonneville. Bert Munro of New Zealand, ring a bell.

Okay just foolin with ya, not sure what tires Mr Munro used on that old Indian at Bonneville...

[B-Watson]

Depending upon tire manufacturer, where you live and how the tire is stored, a tire can last six to ten years.  The older the tire, the greater the likelihood a tire will fail.  The fact you got 15 years out of a tire is nothing to complain about.  And remember, only one of the four died. 

 

Personally, I would not drive any car, whether it has bias ply, belted or radial tires over ten years old, on the highway.  Even in the city I would not drive them at high speeds.  You cannot tell from the outside what condition the tires are under the rubber.  And that is where they fall apart.  

 

And remember that "new" tires that have never been put on a wheel age, too.  Sun, high temperatures, moisture, etc. all affect the various components and materials in a tire, regardless of whether or nor the tire is in service.  And that includes your spare tire that is being baked in that oven known as a trunk.

[55 Fargo]

Depending upon tire manufacturer, where you live and how the tire is stored, a tire can last six to ten years.  The older the tire, the greater the likelihood a tire will fail.  The fact you got 15 years out of a tire is nothing to complain about.  And remember, only one of the four died. 

 

Personally, I would not drive any car, whether it has bias ply, belted or radial tires over ten years old, on the highway.  Even in the city I would not drive them at high speeds.  You cannot tell from the outside what condition the tires are under the rubber.  And that is where they fall apart.  

 

And remember that "new" tires that have never been put on a wheel age, too.  Sun, high temperatures, moisture, etc. all affect the various components and materials in a tire, regardless of whether or nor the tire is in service.  And that includes your spare tire that is being baked in that oven known as a trunk.

Bill, I do know a few Gents who have 40 year old tires on vintage cars stored inside, that have no miles, that should give make the hair stand up on your neck.

The tires I just acquired might be 20 years old, the DOT date is before 2000. The inside cavitiy looks brand spanking new, the outside in excellent condition, but degradation most likely is occurring.