Dry Rotted Tires

[slack]

This is probably a stupid question but I have some dry rotted tires that are VERY dry rotted. They have to be at least 30 years old and have cracks in the side wall.

Is it safe to be around these things or can they potentially knock me out or worse like a split rim if they were to pop? (They're currently holding air)

Should I just bring down the PSI to safer range? Maybe from 30ish psi to 15psi?

I want to put new tires on the rims but I have to transport them to do so.

Thanks in advance,
Erik

[His Royal Ghostliness]

Let all the air out (you can remove the valve core for that), your worries will be gone. Think about it, that's exactly what the tire place will do anyways when they get to dismounting them, so no harm done if you beat them to it.

[knucklehead0202]

^^^What ghosty said. I surely wouldn't drive on them, as the potential for that to go VERY badly is strong.

[Bobcat]

Burn em off.

That's what I expected to see in this thread.

Now I'm disappointed.

[pantera77]

Yes, burn them off, and watch the belts rip apart and destroy your quarter's, very sound advice.

[knucklehead0202]

Lol. All about burnouts but would prefer my shit didn't destroy the car. Here's the way to do it right. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5IRSwXt_Gw

[DerekTheGreat]

My old Michelins are up for replacement, this will be their last year. I've started doing 180's and hard launches from lights now.

[Tiggie]

Due to having piles of nonmobile junk crap around my house, I have vast experience with this.

95% of the time they'll just get a pinhole leak in one of the cracks. Usually sidewall on the outside.

5% of the time they blow the tread cap. Its loud but I can't see it hurting you unless you are standing right by it.

You could let the air out but then your car is on the ground and you get to replace floors after a few years.

[Bobcat]

Yes, burn them off, and watch the belts rip apart and destroy your quarter's, very sound advice.

Aye now, maybe they're not THAT dry rotted.

[Lincolnmania]

i have blown dryrotted tires (in CT. on the left side of interstate, on a sharp curve) with the motorhome. made a mess of the fiberglass finish.
will make more of a mess on an automobile. i have seen it dozens of times (oh i'm not going far, it will be ok) usually blows on a hot summer day on the way home from a car show.

[His Royal Ghostliness]

Aye now, maybe they're not THAT dry rotted.

Them tires being older than many of our GMN members, yeah there's a good chance they're exactly THAT dryrotted, lol. Joke aside, I'm with Lincolmania and Pantera on this one, burnouts are fun and all but I've seen first-hand the sheetmetal carnage that happens when a tire lets go in just the right way, and IMHO it's really not worth the risk.

[slack]

Let all the air out (you can remove the valve core for that), your worries will be gone. Think about it, that's exactly what the tire place will do anyways when they get to dismounting them, so no harm done if you beat them to it.

Thanks. This is what I'll do. I planned on taking them off and driving down to the tire store with them in the trunk/backseat. Letting the air out before hand makes the most sense.

Due to having piles of nonmobile junk crap around my house, I have vast experience with this.

95% of the time they'll just get a pinhole leak in one of the cracks. Usually sidewall on the outside.

5% of the time they blow the tread cap. Its loud but I can't see it hurting you unless you are standing right by it.

You could let the air out but then your car is on the ground and you get to replace floors after a few years.

Yeah, the 5% is what I'm afraid of. I'm in the middle of rebuilding all the brake system on the car so I have to get close to these things. The problem is, I'm not 100% ready for new tires this moment so I guess I'll deflate them to half pressure before I go putting my face anywhere near them. I don't want them sitting completely flat as the car is sitting in my driveway visible to everyone that passes by.

Them tires being older than many of our GMN members, yeah there's a good chance they're exactly THAT dryrotted, lol. Joke aside, I'm with Lincolmania and Pantera on this one, burnouts are fun and all but I've seen first-hand the sheetmetal carnage that happens when a tire lets go in just the right way, and IMHO it's really not worth the risk.

These tires are that dry rotted. I think they're the original tires on my '78... so they're about 38 years old now and have been sitting for 25 years.

[GM_Guy]

If you need them to look okay, do not let air out. If they are that bad, the extra bend in the sidewall from letting half the air out may be just enough flex to crack it to the point it loses air and you'll be sitting on a flat tire(s).

Try this old farmers trick; take a small screw driver, and use it to "pull" away the rubber from a crack. If the rubber peels off the tire, she is toast, if the rubber snaps back, don't worry (too much about it). You are up in the snow belt, not the sun belt, so the rot we get isn't anything like a sunbaked tire that crumbles to nothing.

Alex.