We usually try to keep things on the lighter side
here, but sometimes a serious topic needs to be brought up. This is
about safety and how a small thing can lead to big consequences. Many of
our hot rods don't see a ton of street miles compared to our daily
drivers, and therein lies the rub. You see, parts don't just wear with
use, they also wear over time. That's why oil change intervals have
time, as well as mileage, attached. This also applies to tires. If you
drive your Chevy a few hundred, or even a few thousand, miles a year
then chances are they are going to age out well before they wear out.
Yeah, you'll look at the tread and think they are great, but, in fact,
they aren't. The number one cause is dry rot, also called sidewall
cracking. Many factors cause this, including oxygen, ozone, heat, UV
light, long periods of siting, etc. And while you can slow it down,
eventually time always wins and a tire becomes unsafe even though it
looks fine at first glance.
At an event this
summer a participant, Jerry "Waco" Andres, tragically died when a tire
blew out on his '55. An older tire failed and the car rolled. After this
I began looking at date codes on cars at the event and saw quite a few
that were over 10 years old. The tires all had a ton of tread left,
which is what most people look at to determine if it's time for new
tires. But, when cars aren't driven much time wins the race before wear.
So, inspect your tires regularly, look for
unusual wear (especially on the inside edge), watch for strange bulges,
as well as any small cracks, which are the first signs of dry rot or
other tire problems. Remember that sometimes the tires can crack on the
inside, where you can't inspect. If you notice your tires don't hold air
will, then that's also a sign of a possible problem. All tires are
stamped with a date code. This code tells where the tire was made, but
more importantly it gives the week and year they were made. Typically
it's four digits, for example 1709, which would be the 17th week of
2009. A good rule of thumb is to replace tires that are older than six
years. But if you see any signs of cracks replace them immediately. So
let's have fun out there with our Chevy, but also stay safe as well!
