Looking for Input about Tire Safety

[gadget73]

I've seen a number of tires with that dimple, not sure what it is. Could just be where the belts overlap.

[87gtVIC]

Ive had a Dunlop like that before. I always wondered about it, luckily nothing ever happened.

The tires you are looking at are 6 years old now. The set I had on my car were way older then that and I was fine.

You would think people trying to selling things would clean them up.../rant.

[IPreferDIY]

I suppose if there's no sign of external trauma, it must be benign. Thanks for pointing out the date code. I hadn't gotten around to looking up how to find it until you pointed it out.

The seller says he just hurt himself under his car, so things are on hold (after I cleared out my trunk FFS). Not sure how this is going to unfold.

[GM_Guy]

The badyears on my work truck have that (they are only a few months old). Just the way the tire is made.

[IPreferDIY]

Good to know. I doubt I'll see those ones though. Here's the chronology:

- initially listed set of tires with HPP rims for $240 (Canadian), seemed too good to be true, no response to my initial message
- price increased next day to $290, I sent another message indicating I was still interested
- call from him wanting to meet at a gas station in too short of a timeframe before he picked up his wife; who the f--- brings a set of wheels to a gas station?
- he was supposed to call back at 6 pm, I went to a bank machine for money and cleared out my trunk
- he didn't call so I called him ~6:20 pm but didn't leave a message, he sends an email 10 minutues later claiming he hurt himself
- listing is removed later that night though he still has other listings

Win some, lose some I guess.

[87gtVIC]

Gotta love people.

[DerekTheGreat]

I've seen a number of tires with that dimple, not sure what it is. Could just be where the belts overlap.

This. I think the tires on Ashley's Mark VII are doing that but no problems or blowouts yet.

[sxcpotatoes]

It's a mold mark from where the tires were formed in the mold, looks like shit but it ain't dangerous. I first noticed 'em on a set of tires on the '94 rims I bought (to put winters on) from the guy who was demo-derbying it had those, if the belts were broken, it wouldn't be on all four tires and it would shimmy like hell, probably.

[IPreferDIY]

I ended up getting those wheels after all. I got an email Sunday saying he relisted them the day before and asking if I was still interested. I sent him a reply but didn't hear back, so I called him Monday morning and met him at his desired gas station, for 'security reasons'. He's an older guy, probably eastern European. He apparently bought the car fairly recently but said he ran into too many issues with it and has given up. I didn't bother asking about his alleged accident, but he volunteered that another buyer had an Acura or something and was given the opportunity to try putting a wheel on but found it didn't fit.

He was only asking $280 this time. Two tires were 7/32" consistently, one was 7/32" except for one edge at 6/32", and the other was only 5/32" consistently. Only one has a 3411 date code. The other three are 2911. The rims and center caps (from a 2001) seem to be in better shape than my year-round ones (on a 2000), so I guess the fact that he's selling winter wheels too means these ones didn't see many winters, if any.

In retrospect, I probably should have tried to talk him down to $260 based on the one tire being 5/32", but meh. His price was comparable to the lowest U-pull yard price, and there's not much chance of finding a decent set at a U-pull yard around here. And if I use my full-size spare until the others get to 5/32", the age will probably become more of an issue than wear. The cracking on the sides of my 13-year-old tires is definitely at the point of being worrisome, and I'm still at 4/32". If all goes well with my timing/camshaft/intake stuff (presumably in the spring), then I'd feel comfortable about investing in decent tires.

Thanks for all the input!

[knucklehead0202]

Glad it all worked out buddy. Driving on sketchy tires is never a good idea. My brother is the worst when it comes to that and we've had bad experiences on multiple occasions because of it. The most noteworthy was having the right front tire blow while going through a fast left-hand sweeper at about 50mph. We went straight at that point, right into a bunch of poles. The mustang didn't win that battle and neither did we. Years later his truck ate a tire and stranded us in the middle of shitty downtown LA. I try not to ride with him much anymore.

[87gtVIC]

Yay hpps.

[His Royal Ghostliness]

and met him at his desired gas station, for 'security reasons'. He's an older guy

I do this all the time - if the thing they're buying from me can fit in a truck and doesn't require more than two people to move from my truck to theirs the buyer has no reason to be coming to the front door. I don't know them, and I'd rather not put myself in the position where I need a boomstick to persuade them to drop their shenanigans and leave. I also don't want them to know what's going on around so they won't be tempted to make a surprise visit later on when they think no one's home - had that happen both to me and to a neighbor, my late-night visitors I just had a gut feeling about but of the ones that dropped by the neighbor during their initial Craigslist-related visit one actually whispered to the other they really gotta come "shopping" there later tonight (which I happen to hear cause I was on the other side of the fence IIRC). Stakes are even higher for someone who's up there in age and can't physically overpower a younger and stronger opponent if the need arizes. Bottom line yes it's better to meet in well-lit public places, this way the chance of something going wrong be it cause of the buyer or the seller or both is much lower.

[gadget73]

Yeah I can't say this is a bad idea. The last CL thing I bought, the guy met me in the parking lot at the municipal building, which also happened to be the cop shop. It had a sign out there listing it as a designated meeting spot for just that kind of thing. I was fine with it, and since he suggested it I presume he was as well. I figure if you'll volunteer to meet me outside a police station I probably don't have anything I need to worry about.

[IPreferDIY]

... The mustang didn't win that battle and neither did we. ...

How bad of an experience was it for you? I don't intend to pry, but you're leaving a lot to the imagination. I hope there weren't any serious injuries.

Yay hpps.

Ended up getting another set (made in '96) with old tires (from 2003) for real cheap the next day. I just couldn't help myself. They're definitely not show car quality, but it seems like a 'can't lose' deal.

... Bottom line yes it's better to meet in well-lit public places, this way the chance of something going wrong be it cause of the buyer or the seller or both is much lower.

... the cop shop. It had a sign out there listing it as a designated meeting spot for just that kind of thing. ...

From the sort of things I've read about in the U.S., I can see why that sort of practice would be more prevalent there, though I'd never heard of the police having a designated meeting spot. That sort of thing just supports a view I've formed that humankind has probably run its course. I just don't see the possibility of Jesus' "on Earth as it is in heaven" concept ever coming to fruition.

As a buyer in Canada, it comes across as kind of sleazy. It reminds me of the stereotypical portrayal of some guy in an overcoat whispering from an alley "Psst, want to buy a watch". Fortunately, I've not encountered an obvious rip-off situation yet, but waiting to see if something actually works makes me rather uncomfortable (though I limit how much I'm putting at risk). They might say "Let me know if there's a problem", but are they really going to respond if you say "This thing doesn't work". I haven't sold much (and never on eBay), but when I have, it's always been a matter of the buyer seeing it work and being satisfied with it.

I suppose to some extent I'm not fully appreciating the other perspective, since I don't sell a lot, I presume I can take care of myself, I'm not in a position where anyone would want to steal from me, and doing the sorts of things that people fear is just not in my nature. It's a sad reflection on society though when the bad apples are such a large segment that an even larger segment of the non-bad apples gets all paranoid.

[GM_Guy]

This local Canuck city has the front police parking lot as designated safe meeting space. That said, I'd rather not meet anybody at my house, they don't need to see something else that might be of interest, or somebody they talk to who may take interest.
How safe is the cop lot? I am dubious, because in the "old" days, the safest place to rob was across the street from the cop shop, because the cops who respond won't be coming from inside the station, dispatch summons the cops out on patrol.

Alex.