Peter Schauss wrote:
>
> I have a set of Michelin 165-14 XZXs on my MGB.
>
Sheesh, I almost forgot that I had 165's on my 'B when I bought it.
They would look like bicycle tires to me now. Must be easy to find the
old four-wheel drift with those!
> The tires have been on the car about 8 1/2 years and 40k miles.
>
I would suggest that the 8.5 years would be the deciding factor, unless
they have been stored in ideal conditions and treated regular with a
rubber conditioner (it seems that probably neither of these factors
apply here).
> minimal evidence of dry rot or cracking on the side walls.
>
ooops, there goes the storage in "ideal conditions"
>
> So my question is, should I replace these tires for safety reasons
> because of their age?
>
To my mind the "evidence of cracking" would mean that they are probably
getting pretty brittle, at least in the top few layers (down to tread
depth) and would not perform well. I have lots of confience in my
Yokohama A509s because of the softer compound flexibility.
I reckon these things would be a terror in the wet and, personally
(again), I would feel unsafe on them and would worry about their
behaviour under extreme conditions (like having to brake or corner hard
to avoid an accident) and would replace them.
Of course YMMV ;-)
Eric
'68MGB MkII
(hanging out to put at least 195s on his non-wire wheels)
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