Old tires

[Barry]

I took my 00 GTS out for a ride this week, the first time in about a month. As I was going around a curve I hit a bump that made the car jump to the side. As this occurred the car lost its grip and it felt like I was sliding on ice. It was all I could do to regain control of the car. I was only traveling at about 30mph when all this occurred and I’ve been on this curve at least 100 times in the past with no problems.

Could it be that my tires are too old, (original Michelin Pilots 8yrs old 12,168 miles) and have lost their grip, or maybe I have another problem? Can anyone give me some information on aging tires?

 

[Neil - UK]

youll find most tire experts recommend a 6 year tire life, its the heat cycles that kill the grip, i swapped my 2000 tires last year still lots of thread left ar 14K miles, its worth doing

 

[AviP]

There are too many factors to consider: road temp, road traction, tire wear, tire age, tire temp, rpm, etc. You be the judge.

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

I feel that a 6 year tire life may be for "most" passenger cars but when you are trying to harness the power of the Viper with the two rear tires I would think 3 years would be a better number. You are the only one to tell though based on your driving habits. I say burn'em down so you don't have to throw them away!1

 

[CitySnake]

8 year old PS's are beyond useful life. And with PS2's available, you'd be foolish not to make such a significant upgrade.

 

[HollywoodGTS]

Get rid of them! Not worth crashing your car.

 

[2000_Black_RT10]

Nevermind..

 

[Bandit3]

EH? Ahhh Canadian

 

[2000_Black_RT10]

EH? Ahhh Canadian

Yep.

PS - I am not discouraging buying new tires.. it's the point of the post - sliding around a corner without control. I always encourage buying new tires, they can be unsafe at high speed or competitive racing.

 

[LiquoRT/10]

A good video to watch.

ABC News

 

[HollywoodGTS]

Tires that could kill you tonight at 7pm!

 

[DrumrBoy]

Good tires make all the difference in how these cars behave. You can run on old tires but you won't feel confident nailing a turn. They're expensive, but worth every cent.

I like the PS2s for the street though I'm getting really fond of the Kumho V700's I recently got. The Kumhos are cheaper and much grippier, the PS2s just feel great all around..

 

[kcobean]

Barry,
You will be amazed at the difference between old and new tires. I replaced my '01 born tires last year and the difference is night and day. Get new shoes for yer baby ASAP!

 

[RoadiJeff]

Could it be that my tires are too old

More likely they were too cold. 30 mph isn't all that aggressive for cornering.

I still have the original tires on mine. They have a 1998 build date on the sidewall and around 18,900 miles on the tread. No plans to get new ones anytime soon.

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

Not really a true statement, the Vipers ability to break the tires loose at low speeds is the precise problem there is. This is evidenced by all the new cars wrecked at the dealer or by a new owner. This is on NEW tires and as they get older/harder it just gets worse.

More likely they were too cold. 30 mph isn't all that aggressive for cornering.

I still have the original tires on mine. They have a 1998 build date on the sidewall and around 18,900 miles on the tread. No plans to get new ones anytime soon.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

A good video to watch.

ABC News

Informative vid but the sensationalism is disgusting.

1. The tires are properly coded according to law, what more can the consumer expect?
2. Why isn't our education system teaching about tire life in Driver's Ed? Because they are too busy teaching alternative lifestyles and how to dribble a basketball?
3. Buyer beware - educate yourself, it isn't difficult. In fact, with the interent there is no excuse for being ignorant about this today.
4. How many of the tire tread failure traffic fatalities would have been prevented had the occupants been wearing seatbelts? I'm betting very nearly 100%.
5. I lost a complete tread at 50mph going through Tampa's "malfunction junction" interstate section which is a series of turns and never left my lane. I have to question how professional the so-called professional in the vid was that he/she lost it completely.

 

[ViperTony]

My tires are 8 years old and have 13,000 or so miles on them. Knowing they are this old I take less 'risks' then I'm accustomed to meaning I'll drive it like a ***** ape when accelerating straight ahead but cornering concerns me. I feel the car losing grip at times if I take a corner too fast. Other times it feels fine. I've driven in the rain at speeds of 60-65 miles an hour without issue but I know full well that if I need to make an emergency maneuver I'm toast in the rain and just as vulnerable in the dry. I almost bit it on the highway this summer when I had to abruptly change lanes and my rear end slipped out from under me. I kept the Viper from going sideways but that was one hell of a wake-up call. Something it never used to do when the tires were stickier. They're getting swapped out soon.

I took my wife's SUV to Town Fair Tire to get a fresh set of Michelins. Junior suggested I buy 3 new tires instead of 4 because my spare was never used. It was also 6 years old. I pointed out the date code and his response was "it'll be fine". This was after Junior tried to sell me their store brand tires that were 4 years old and had the thinnest side walls I've ever seen. I agree with Chuck...buyer beware.

 

[2001-V10 Power Nut]

Get some new tires, your driving on "hockey pucks". Your life and car are way to valuable to drive on bad tires

 

[AZTVR]

I still have the original tires on mine. They have a 1998 build date on the sidewall and around 18,900 miles on the tread. No plans to get new ones anytime soon.

My tires are 8 years old and have 13,000 or so miles on them. Knowing they are this old I take less 'risks' then I'm accustomed to meaning I'll drive it like a ***** ape when accelerating straight ahead but cornering concerns me. I feel the car losing grip at times if I take a corner too fast. Other times it feels fine. I've driven in the rain at speeds of 60-65 miles an hour without issue but I know full well that if I need to make an emergency maneuver I'm toast in the rain and just as vulnerable in the dry. I almost bit it on the highway this summer when I had to abruptly change lanes and my rear end slipped out from under me. I kept the Viper from going sideways but that was one hell of a wake-up call. Something it never used to do when the tires were stickier. They're getting swapped out soon.

Get some new tires, your driving on "hockey pucks". Your life and car are way to valuable to drive on bad tires

I agree totally with 2001-V10 Power Nut's comment; but don't be mislead by the "hockey puck" comment. I realize that it is an exaggeration; but, it is something that misleads people. Don't look at your tires and judge based on resiliency or tread depth. The degradation is not necessarily visible. The rubber breaks down, the bonds to the belts fail, etc. Just sitting in one position for long periods is not the best condition for tires; so, you can't go by mileage.

You've invested in a high performance car. Why gamble with your life or your family's welfare to save a few dollars now? Failed tire accidents are not always single-occupancy and single car events. If your tires are older than six years and you suspect that you feel a handling issue, bite the bullet and upgrade now.

We do not want to read about you in the newspaper !!

 

[ViperTony]

If your tires are older than six years and you suspect that you feel a handling issue, bite the bullet and upgrade now.

We do not want to read about you in the newspaper !!

I don't suspect a handling issue due to the tires...I know it! Fact: my instructor last year at Pocono took my car around the track and was hesitant to push it in and out of the turns. Tires go on next week.

If you do read about me in the newspaper it won't be because I wrecked...it'll be because of the obscene speed I was driving due to the new PS2's (on a closed course).

 

[vip06]

I got a new set of ps2s coming next week for my 01. I cant wait to see the diffrence between old and new.

 

[ZEUS]

Same thing happened to me on 6 year old tires with very low mileage on them.
Losing it changing lanes going from 25 to 35mph lugging it in 3rd. Gathered myself in my own lane in traffic after correcting 4 or 5 times (both the fronts and rears sliding) while crapping bricks, all the while slowly easing off the throttle with my hands going left and right. Bewildered and pissed actually, I posted here and got PS2's right after. You can actually squeeze the tread with your fingers to understand the difference in hardness between the two. The olds are truly hockey pucks, especially as in my case with 80% tread left. Don't let it happen to you, it will be the saddest day.
ViperTony--- trust me it'll happen when your baby-ing it.
Change your tires asap.

PS-Another telltale sign is not leaving skid marks on old pavement, or hearing the tires burn. They usually spin really fast----(the "treadlife" actually gets better over time I guess).
PPS- Don't sell the "hardly used" old tires to someone who doesn't know...I've seen guys do this at the meets knowing full well.....what effers----its not a joke.