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10-11-2007, 01:38

Hello John,

Let me first say, I'm no tire expert, but I can share what we learned from an
expert at the
recent Lone Star Birds Schulenburg rally seminar:

1. Exposure to sun (UV) ages tires and may show up as cracks on the tire
exterior.

2. Low inflation pressures age a tire from excessive sidewall flexing and heat
buildup.
This may show up as cracks on the tire interior and/or exterior. Blue Bird
recommended
tire pressures tend to be low to give a good ride. Generally speaking, tires
inflated to
90-110 psig will have better life than tires run at 60-80 psig.

3. An invisible form of tire aging occurs when the steel belts within the tire
corrode and
loose strength. Exposure to oxygen and moisture are the primary causes of belt
aging.
Improper tire repairs can promote moisture infiltration and corrosion. When the
belts
loose enough strength, catastrophic failure (blowout or disintegration) can
occur.

4. Using pure nitrogen in tires reduces the oxygen exposure and corrosion of
the belts.
Tires also run cooler and this helps slow the effects in item 2 above. The
benefit is
extended tire life. Nitrogen has been used for years in aircraft and mining
industry tires
and is now being used more in commercial and private vehicle tires.

5. There is currently no economically viable method to check the condition of
the internal
tire structure for corrosion or delamination. The useful life guideline remains
at 7-8
years. We can push it another 4 or 5 years, but we are taking a chance when we
do.

Regards, Eric in San Antonio
84FC35SBWL2

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "bubblerboy64" wrote:
>
> I find this tire subject interesting and at the same time rather
> puzzling as well. How is it that some ten year old tires show "no"
> sign of age and weather deterioration and others are described
> as "cottage cheese" at about the same age. (And on the inside of the
> tire while the outside shows no problem) Now I wouldn't expect them
> all to be identical but its difficult for me to understand what the
> variables are. It would be helpful to know because obviously then
> perhaps action could be taken to preserve them as much as possible.
> Obviously covers and proper inflation etc are important. Then there
> is the question, can you really visually see what is going on. Could
> you have a situation were the tires looks good on all visible
> surfaces inside and out and have issues deeper within the tire? I
> have to go with the prevailing wisdom on this and trust that I am
> doing the right thing and not wasting money. It seems to me there is
> not as much science and more religion on this then I am comfortable
> with. However, certainly better safe then sorry. I have seen guys
> driving tires which I swear you could see the air inside. But it is
> extremely hard to throw out tires which look new isn't it?
> John Heckman
> central Pa
> 1973 FC
>
>
>
>
> >
> > Scott,
> > Why didn't you ask the tire dealer to buy them off you??? When I
> replaced the tires on my coach, I asked them before I made the
> purchase, what would you give me for the carcass??? They told me they
> would give me $50 each, I said sold!!!
> > HTH
> >
> > Sea Ya
> > Larry
> > NYC
> > 84 35FCSB
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > From: Scott Forman <sforman@>
> > To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 8:03:50 PM
> > Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: Just to stir the tire pot....
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I left them there. Interestingly enough, they were not
> the regular
> >
> > highway treads, but rather the deeper square "drive" treads like
> one
> >
> > might find on a dump truck. Don't know why the previous owner had
> >
> > those on there, he must have got a deal at some point. Frankly, I
> >
> > don't care what they do with them, I just want to forget about the
> >
> > cost of replacing them.
> >
> >
> >
> > Scott
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In WanderlodgeForum@ yahoogroups. com, "Jon" wrote:
> >
> > >
> >
> > > --- In WanderlodgeForum@ yahoogroups. com, "Scott Forman"
> <sforman@>
> >
> > > wrote:
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > > The tires on my tag axle were replaced today. I did so because
> >
> > the
> >
> > > DOT
> >
> > > > dates on them were 1994 (not 2004, 1994, as in 13 yers old).
> >
> > They
> >
> > > > showed no signs of age, cracking, anything, just old age. When
> >
> > > they
> >
> > > > came off, the insides looked absolutely fine. The tire guys
> said
> >
> > > that
> >
> > > > while they agreed that changing them out based on age was
> >
> > > the "right"
> >
> > > > thing to do, if they viewed the tires without knowing the date,
> >
> > > they
> >
> > > > would approve them for use without pause. Maybe the tags just
> >
> > > don't
> >
> > > > get as much abuse and wear.
> >
> > > >
> >
> > > > Scott Forman
> >
> > > > 86 PT38
> >
> > > > Memphis
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Scott when I replaced my tires they were perfect but had a dot
> date
> >
> > > of 1989. When I had them removed they showed no sign of wear on
> >
> > the
> >
> > > outside or on the inside as well.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > So what did you do with your old ones? I bet the tire guy just
> sold
> >
> > > them to a re-treader and now they will be recycled to run down
> the
> >
> > > road on a big rig.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Maybe someday they will have some non destructive testing done on
> >
> > our
> >
> > > expensive tires to see whether or not they are need of
> replacement.
> >
> > > But for now most us try to play it safe and replace our rubber
> with
> >
> > > new when the magic date comes up at seven years old.
> >
> > >
> >
> > > Jon
> >
> > > Rebel Bird
> >
> > > >
> >
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > 
> >
> >
> >
> > 
> >
> >
> >
> > 
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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