OT: car tyres

[Scott]

In Yorkshire, I assume?

My concern about a small concern was that they may not have the range that KF has. I suppose all that means is going back a couple of days later.

[dennis]

There is a limit to how long they last..

I had all mine replaced at seven years because the side walls were cracking and they deflated slowly (weeks not days for a couple of PSI).

[dennis]

I have seen KF fitters poking object into puncture holes to split the cords and then telling the customer they need a new tyre not a repair.

I wouldn't trust them to seep the floor.

Now the local National Tyres is a different matter, they do proper checks and give out sensible advice and have repaired my tyres for free in the past.

[tabbypurr]

Never let them fit brake pads/shoes. Ever.

[Jethro_uk]

When we had a caravan over 10 years ago, it was recommended to replaced tyres irrespective of wear after 5 years.

Exposure to UV light can degrade the sidewall risking a blow out.

Seemed good advice to me. But then I've seen sidewalls crack. If you haven't, you might be tempted to assume it's just scaremongering. Depends how exciting you want life to be, really ....

[Scott]

How do you know whether a cracked sidewall is due to UV degradation or mechanical damage due to parking errors? My father if the car collided with the kerb would shout: 'That's 500 miles off the life of the tyre'. .

[alan_m]

I will never use Formula I again after selecting their option for their free (safety) checks. They found the tracking to be out and wanted the best part of £60 to adjust the front and £40 to adjust the back. There was previously no evidence of abnormal tyre wear. I declined their offer to fix it and was immediately offered a £30 discount which I also declined.

On my car at the time there was no adjustment on the rear.

I took the car to a local small outfit who checked and said that no adjustment was necessary and if required would have done it for £20.

[Jethro_uk]

Well until it blows, you don't. As I said, a lot depends on how exciting you (and any passengers) prefer your lives.

[T i m]

<snip>

Because there is generally a big difference between the overall cracking (or even if localised) and the result of contact damage.

The chunky M&S remould tyres on our kitcar were showing signs of sidewall cracking and splitting and even though they passed the MOT ('superficial') I didn't like it. I contacted the supplier who after being sent a photo of said deterioration, offered to replace both tyres at their cost. Not bad for tyres that were cheap in the first place and probably 10 years old!

I need to make up some sun guards (floor protection sheet?) to stand over the trailer wheels to help keep the sun off them.

Cheers, T i m

[Steve Walker]

I have found that sunlight, whether they are properly inflated or not and how much they are used makes a huge difference.

My kitcar was stored outside for a couple of years, with one side towards the sun. One of the tyres subject to direct sunlight suffered slight cracking. The one that was also flat (alloy valve cap had corroded and would not come off) suffered severe cracking. All five tyres (including the spare) had been bought at the same time.

My trailer tyres and spare also seem to suffer, as have my parents' caravan tyres over the years.

My wife's car which does no more than 1500 miles per year, but is used at least weekly had the same tyres for years, until the tread wore enough for replacement. Very slight surface cracking was only just beginning to appear.

Not a large sample I know, but maybe others have similar experience?

SteveW

[Steve Walker]

How much does it matter with a caravan or trailer? That is a genuine question.

The one on my parents' caravan was only noticed as the van was not level side to side and the one on my trailer wasn't actually a blowout, it was failure of a brand-new suspension unit that fired the hub and wheel off into a field and again was only noticeable by the side to side tilt in the mirror. Both occurred at speed and neither had any effect on control.

The one on my father's car (Mk 4 Cortina, rear, nearside) gave a bit of mild shimmying, we just pulled onto the hard-shoulder and changed the wheel; the one on my friends' car (Mk 2 Fiesta, rear, can't remember which side) had them into the central reservation, backwards.

I don't know any statistics or other people's experiences, but my limited experience has been that trailer/caravan blowouts/loss of wheel have been pretty well non-events. Something to avoid if possible, but not frightening or affecting control.

SteveW

[Brian Gaff]

I've never heard of this, it much depends on usage and how people drive and what they drive on and if the car is set up correctly according to my driving friends. As an aside I notice a lot of commercials on Scottish Internet stations for remoulds. I thought this practice had been seen as possibly suspect, since the bonding can never be as good as the original. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

Yes well, predictably a company wet sells tyres bigs up the shortest possible life of a tyre.. grin. You need an independent bit of advice.

Iwonder what the rules are for tyres on bicicles? Never mind, since the riders seem to not be very careful it probably does not matter much! Brian

[Andy Burns]

I don't know if it's 5 years, or a bigger number, but I've heard of it (especially on trailers where the often do low mileage, so have plenty of tread remaining).

[Dave Liquorice]

New set of tyres for my car won't last 5 years before they are worn out. Might get 30 to 35,000 miles or 2 to 2 1/2 years.

Surpriseds mentioned oxygen attacking the compound. Thought that was the reason some places highlight nitrogen, rather than air, inflation.

[Marland]

The main reason for them is to get money from your bank account into theirs.

Nitrogen permeates through rubber slower than air but for ordinary day to day car use it won?t make an appreciable difference over the period you should be checking pressures anyway. I suppose kids in Novas and Seats get a kick from thinking they have an affinity with an F1 racing car if they have used it.

GH

[harry]

I think it's sunlight gets them.

[Dave Liquorice]

Goes without sayin'...

Seasonal ambient temperature changes have more effect on my car tyre pressures than anything else. Roughly a few PSI from the winter around 0 C to the around 15 C of summer.

There was an inordinant number of small hatches with noisey exhausts, replacement alloys and coloured brake calipers, northbound from Derby up the M1/M18/A1/A1M late yesterday afternoon. Little groups of two or three but lots of them.

[alan_m]

Isn't there also a problem with having the weight of the vehicle sitting on the same bit of the tyre for a long periods with vehicles that are little used?

[alan_m]

Air is 78% nitrogen anyway so the effects of using 100% nitrogen must be minimal, except (as said) on your pocket.