Are these tires worth saving?

[SPL311-29938]

I'm getting ready to dispose of the rusty old wire wheels that came on my car when I bought it.

First off, if anyone in Northern California wants them they are yours for free if you will come and get them but I think I will pop the tires off before I take the wheels out to the curb:
Goodyear Integrity P175 65 R14

The tires on the car now came on the stock wheels I got from the PO:
Nankang NE 826 185 70 R14

The Nankang are wider by about 1/2" but the Goodyears have a lower profile.

Any opinions about which ones are better suited for my stock rims?

Both have a good amount of rubber left on them.

Rich

[datsunrides]

I say the Goodyears for 2 reasons. 1- they will probably fit the stock wheels better, width wise. (the profile may not look right?) 2- I'm pretty sure Goodyears will have better construction/grip than the Nankangs. Unrelated, but I bought a set of Nankangs for one of my motorcycles many years ago based only on price and will never make that mistake again. My old bald Metzlers had more grip than those new Nankangs, and I won't even comment on their "performance" in the wet.

Mark

[Kevin Desirello]

Did you know that Rubber has a life span?

I found this great article on the internet:
DETERMINING TIRE DATE CODES
How old are the tires on your vehicle? The date of
manufacture is indicated by the last group of digits
in the DOT manufacture code on the sidewall of
the tire. The number is often stamped in a recessed
rectangle. The DOT code tells who manufactured
the tire, where it was made and when. The last
group of digits in the code is the date code that
tells when the tire was made.
Before 2000, the date code had three digits. Since
2000, it has had four. The first two digits are the
week of the year (01 = the first week of January).
The third digit (for tires made before 2000) is the
year (1 = 1991). For most tires made after 2000,
the third and fourth digits are the year (04 = 2004).

The date of manufacture is essential information
for car owners and tire buyers because tires
deteriorate even if they are not used. European
automobile manufacturers recommend replacing
ANY tire that is more than six (6) years old,
including the spare tire. No such recommendations
have yet been made by domestic vehicle
manufacturers.
In one such incident, the owner of a 1964
Sunbeam Tiger was returning from an antique
car show. The tires only had 4,000 miles on
them and looked good as new on the outside,
but the tires were 11 years old. On the way
home, one of the tires blew out causing the car
to crash. The passenger suffered permanent
brain injuries as a result of the accident.
CHECK THOSE TIRES!

[SPL311-29938]

Thanks for the GREAT information!

I am ashamed to say that I work in the seal industry and I know something about "Shelf Life" of seal materials but I honestly didn't know what tires are made of. I would have thought EPDM or Buna/Nitrile but I just looked it up on Wikipedia and most are made from natural rubber (something we don't make seals from).

I checked both sets of tires. Three of the Goodyears have date codes from early 1999. The fourth has the numbers ground off. That tire doesn't hold air...Hmmmmmm.

The Nankangs have no DOT markings.

I think I need new tires.

Any suggestions? I plan to stick with the stock rims and hub caps. I would love to get white walls.

Thanks Mark and Kevin!

Rich

[datsunrides]

White wall tires http://store.coker.com/?__utma=1.396146 ... =251752969

Mark

[ppeters914]

I think I need new tires.

Any suggestions? I plan to stick with the stock rims and hub caps. I would love to get white walls.

Simple as clicking Search, entering stock white wall, and reviewing the results:

http://www.311s.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=3134

http://www.311s.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5344

http://www.311s.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=7620

[Linda]

Otherwise Tire Rack has a number of tires that will fit. Also they have reviews by buyers so you can get an idea on performance etc.
http://www.tirerack.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Also regarding the wheels, someone always wants stuff. You can try putting them up on EBAY
Linda

[FoxyRoadster]

http://www.311s.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9608" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Alvin has the right idea on what to do with older tires.