When thinking about tire safety, it is important to consider two things:
age and use. Vehicles driven daily are typically driven 15,000 miles a
year. But there are situations where cars put on even fewer miles. This
includes: being driven only on the weekends, never driving in the rain,
'show' cars, and cars that are stored for extended periods of time. So,
some tires on these types of cars put on less than 100,000. But it
doesn't mean that they are safe tires. Tires deteriorate over time and
can 'age out' wear out before they wear out.
In a statement from the
British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) issued on June 5, 2001
regarding the age of tires they state, 'BRMA members strongly recommend
that unused tires should not be put into service if they are over 6
years old and that all tires should be replaced 10 years from the date
of their manufacture.' Tire age can be accelerated by a variety of
environmental factors, such as sunlight exposure and coastal climates.
Poor storage and infrequent use of your vehicle are other things that
can accelerate tire age.
If you keep your tires in ideal conditions,
the tire age can go as high as 10 years from its manufacture date. But
ideal conditions are the exception rather than the rule. And the worst
part is that you cannot tell the safety of an old tire just by looking
at it since there are no conclusive tests for the safety of tires
without destroying the tire itself!
Due to this, some European car
manufacturers of high performance sports cars, coupes and sedans have
hedged their bets, stating in their owners manuals that the tire age
should reach no higher than 6 years.
How Better Rubber Makes Tires That Are Safe
There
have been a lot of changes in rubber compounds since Charles Goodyear
discovered how to cure rubber when he baked a combination of natural
rubber and sulfur on his family's kitchen stove. Thus, he would convert
an unappreciated raw material into many useful products. Goodyear
cross-linked sulfur with polymers that, when exposed to heat, would help
make rubber durable and at the same time maintain its elasticity. The
main focus of new research has been finding tire age inhibitors. Sulfur
molecules are one such tire age inhibitor that is reactivated every time
they are exposed to heat, making the rubber harder.
Nowadays,
rubber in tires has oil in it that tends to migrate into the tires'
under tread/casing and evaporate into the air. In the process of this,
the tire compound releases oil and gets harder. If you can't quite
visualize this, go into any tire store and take a big whiff. You'll
smell the oil there.
Before curing, most tires are coated with a
mold release agent that is makes it easier to remove from their mold
after curing. If it's a little hard to visualize, think about spraying
'Pam' on a fry pan before pouring on the batter for pancakes.
This
increases the safety of tires because some of the mold release agent
gets 'cooked' onto the surface of the cured tire, which prevents all the
oil from evaporating.
What Is The Right Tire Age?
In most
cases, most street tires are good for 6-8 years if maintained properly.
Don't forget though that this includes the time the tires spent from the
manufacturer's plant to the dealer to you. So, keep this in mind when
you are determining tire age.
Most tires get to you anywhere between
3-6 months. Some stay longer with the tire manufacturer, but generally
all tires that go on your car are less than a year old. So, you should
not get an old tire from any tire manufacturer.
Which Tires Last Longest?
If
you want to buy a tire based on how long it will last, you have to
consider thread compound. The more aggressive its compound ... the
shorter tire life. Below is a list of tires from longest-lasting to
shortest-lasting:
Bottom line: if you want to avoid safe tire issues go with tires that last long and properly maintain them.
tire repair equipments manufacturer, tyre changer wholesaler: http://www.chinapuli.com/Tyre-Changer/
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