tires too old?
#1
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tires too old?
I am debating whether to replace my 7 year old Kumho Victoracer V700's. They still have a little tread line and are far from the cords (only about 7 track days on them) but they are old. In freezing cold temperatures, I am still able to make a mark with my fingernail if I push hard. The car was great at the track last summer but I am worried that I am missing out and I'm not getting any younger.
#6
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Older tires are slower, and tires that old are probably no good, just for example truckers cant use a tire thats more that 5 years old. I think also a tire cannot be sold if its more than 5 years old by the dot date on the tire if it has one.
#9
Unlike street tires, competition tires will not have any rubber antiozone components (waxes) to protect them. This makes the tire far more susceptible to aging symptoms, like cracking. Frankly, I wouldn't use a street tire that old....and certainly not a competition tire.
I highly recommend taking a close look at them. If you spot any signs of cracking or separation....toss them.
I highly recommend taking a close look at them. If you spot any signs of cracking or separation....toss them.
#10
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No cracking of any kind, its amazing how good they look after all this time. And they stick like glue, when warmed up and kept at 25psi, although I will never be competitive even with hand of god whatevers. I'm a better instructor than a driver, by far. But I like speed and want to make the most of the time I do get on track. I checked into some used race tires on ebay, but they won't tell me the manufacture dates, which is written on the DOT's so that's annoying. Guess its time to start reading the tire sticky.
#12
I'm considering the same and I read (on the internet, there are no lies on the internet) that race tires have effectively infinite shelf life until their first real heat cycle. Any truth to this? The tires in question have apparently been sitting in Kumho's warehouse since 2005.
#13
I bought some "brand new" Hoosier tires with stickers attached from some guy on CL that had them in his garage for 6 years (6 yo date codes too). I called Hoosier to see if they were safe to run. Hoosier said they would be safe, but likely not fast. They were right. I use em for practice and fun days. Got 5 for the price of 1.
I ran some heat cycled out V10's and they looked great, but were 3 secs a lap slow. Again, for fun they are fine till they cord. For competition, not so much.
I ran some heat cycled out V10's and they looked great, but were 3 secs a lap slow. Again, for fun they are fine till they cord. For competition, not so much.
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