tyres

We have been playing with this tyre Ultra Violet crazing for ten years... I have BFG's that are six - seven years old. If they have been looked after it does not seem to be a problem. The 285/75 R-16 that I have on my Effie, are about four or five years old. The rubber actually gets harder after the first couple of years...

There is a reasonable point where they are not good, but good tyres last quite a long while. The problem is more caused when they are stored and do not get rotated, they actually deform internally a bit. The ones on trailers that I do not use, get jacked up and rotated about half way around once a year. This seems to be more important than UV exposure. You do not want them sitting and developing a "flat spot" sort of a thing. They are radials, and there seems to be some internal give in the cord if left too long on in one position. Some are also sensitive to direction, and if moved from one van or vehicle to another, you have to have the rotating in the same direction. These problems seem to be much greater than a little weather checking on the outer rubber. It is a core issue that seems to be the cause of the older tyre major failures.

Mind you, if on inspection you see any larger cracks in the sidewall, or where the sidewall meets the tread, that should be condemned as that seems to be an indicator that the tyre has had one of the problems mentioned above. Minor minute crazing that happens about 5-6 years out does not seem to be as big of an issue, but two inch larger cracks, particularly perpendicular to the tread, is a big problem. Those tyres could have come off of something else and be rotating in the wrong direction or have sit with a flat spot in storage too long... The core should never be exposed, as that is the strength of the tyre...

Extended long term storage? Put it up on blocks under the suspension arms so the tyres can free wheel..

Happy Trail from the Lone Ranger...