air pressure in older tires

[jacksauto]

my tires are in relitivily good shape some cracks with the nubs still on the tread,the current tire pressure is about 15 lbs,just drive it around town no more than 30MPH ,I want to put the recommended pressure of 45 lbs.but cant help but wonder if it is safe to do so,heard a lot of horror stories about in juries,should I be worried.or should I leave well enough alone.any input ??????I don't know the age of the tires but they were on the truck when I got it 6 months ago.

[RMS]

older tires like 10-20-30 years? ...bla the only older tires to be concerned with are ones made out of rayon. I have run many tires with dates of 55-68 on them Im currently running some supper all traction's with a date of 79 on them. my last set of tires were from the 40s. most important thing is to check the cords if there are no slices or holes down to the cores on the casings that would allow water to get in they should stay together. break down your tiers and run your hand along the inside of the tire to check for defects. I had a tire from the Mohawk tire company that had a bit of shale in it. I removed the rock and ran it on the highway for three hours 40ft from my drive way Bang! the cords shredded the tube and rim met road. elbows in I griped the wheel expecting it to be torn from my hands, to my surprise the 37 stayed strait and I casually turned into my drive. I came to a stop opened the gate then had to engage the front diff to get her moving.

only real advice I can give is always use a lock on chuck.

[Monkey Man]

15 PSI seems awfully low, pretty well the pressure you might run on sand or very boggy ground, I run mine at 35 PSI, 50 when the truck is sufficiently loaded. You will find the correct pressure will make for easier steering and better handling overall. Over the years on my older retreads I have run.....
15 to 20 psi for sand
20-25 for slushy snow on the blacktop (rare here but I do go to the mountains occasioanlly)
30-35 psi for normal running
45-50 psi for loaded hauling or towing something heavy.
The newer NDT's I have seem to follow the same pressures and I too have asked about appropriate tyre pressures, if you do a search of the forum there is a wealth of information and don't forget to search up Cabell Garabee's page on tyres....

MM

[w30bob]

Hi Jacks,

Boy, that's one of those questions that's pretty wide open. The ultra conservative will say replace those tires ASAP!......the more care-free will say just drive the darn thing! I'd say the real answer lies in the middle somewhere, as it usually does. First thing I'd do is see if the tires have a manufacturing date on them. I'm not sure when DOT made tire manufacturers start date stamping tires, but I know they did it in the 70's........so see if you can tell how old they really are. Obviously age is only one part of the equation, condition counts too. Visible cracking on the sidewall is not a good thing no matter how you look at it, as it allows the elements to penetrate into the inner workings of the tire....but we've all driven on tires with cracked sidewalls and most are still around to talk about it.

Even at 30 mph a blowout will scare the crap out of you, maybe worse. But new tires are EXPENSIVE! So if it were me, first I'd see how old they are.......then I'd start saving my pocket change in a big jar to get some new ones down the road. I'd keep a good spare in the back, and really try not to drive very fast.

regards,
bob

[jacksauto]

that is very good advice,better safe than sorry.they do have surface cracks on them ,I will look for the date of manufacture,i will also start a slush fund,adding air to them is quite stessfull ,your life passes before your eyes when u put the air to them.jack

[Chris P]

Except for excessive pressure, i would assume that a higher pressure would put less stress on a tire then a lower pressure, because the tire would have to flex less. Sometimes older tires with hardened rubber will heat up from the flexing.

[m37jarhead]

My next door neighbor, Dan, is a commercial tire dealer. As mentioned above the conservatives will recommend replacing any tire over 10 or 12 years old. But Dan says that in the real world many of us will not replace older tires. Particularly
if they look to be in good shape without huge cracks and missing tread.
His recommendation is to check the PSI recommendations on the tire and then put a few lbs. less than MAX. Low, low
tire pressure will cause excessive side wall play and shorten tire life.
I run 50 PSI in my M37 tires.
Jerry

[pwrwagonfire]

check for defects. I had a tire from the Mohawk tire company that had a bit of shale in it.

Mohawk Tires...whoa! Those were old tires!
Used to see a lot of those NDTs around my area

-T

[8543bob]

GOOD MORNING, I tried to bring my spare up to 40psi, at the gas station, did not get past 30psi when the side blew out. old tire, some cracking on the side walls, but did not expect the explosion. new tire, tube and flap cost me $240 from summit racing 40 to get it installed. Bitch getting the old tire off, I watched, took about an hour. FYI
BOB

[gravely8199]

well Bob,glad to hear it was just the sidewall and not the lock ring that gave! hope you didn't hurt more than your shorts! have a friend that lost his left forearm to an old f250 wheel when we were kids. never forget that day as long as i live. the whole reason i dont want anything to do wth the 2pc rims and old tires. every bit of money and sweat we put into the trucks we love is riding on them. literally.