I just bought a really nice 94 f-250 yesterday, I was looking at the tires(goodyear wranglers) , and I noticed that the sidewalls have quite a few hairline cracks in them from age. The tread is great, looks almost new. I hate to get rid of tires if there is lots of life left in them, but are the sidewalls going to be any problem? I don't tow anything heavy and its 2wd...Thanks

 

I would change them when you can, tires do have a definite shelf life and the sidewall damage often shows up on old tires that have not been driven for long periods. That is why you need to be careful about some of the "Tire Sales", since they are often trying to move tires that are past or about to past their expiration date.

I got the following from this website:

http://www.driveandstayalive.com/art...-equipment.htm

November 8, 2004: Safety group seeks tire expiration date

Older tires with very little wear are called an 'invisible hazard' and blamed for 37 deaths.

WASHINGTON - A consumer safety group is petitioning the federal government to require easy-to-read "born-on" dates for car and truck tires, citing 50 crashes resulting in 37 fatalities caused by older tires with very little wear and tear....

According to Sean Kane, president of SRS, tire performance can start to degrade after six years - even if the tires have not been used - because of the rubber's age.

"It's an invisible hazard," Kane said. "The industry knows a lot about it, and they have recommendations that they've hidden from the public for years. Just about every other product, from food to paint, has an expiration date on it."

In many of the accidents documented by SRS, tires with little wear in the tread suddenly failed....

The Tyre Industry Council, a nonprofit organization in the United Kingdom that is funded by the tire industry and tire retailers to promote tire safety among consumers, warned in 2003 that motorists should replace tires that were more than 10 years old, regardless of wear.

The council said tire components dry with age and can separate. Anti-aging chemicals in tires are active only when a tire is in use, the council said. The council went on to say that spare tires, tires in storage or on a shelf, or tires that spend a long time on a trailer or a recreational vehicle run the risk of premature aging.

In the United States, consumers and tire dealers must decipher part of a serial number engraved on one side of a tire to determine the date it was manufactured. But there are no set recommendations on how old is too old for a tire....

http://www.rma.org/tire_safety/tire_...wall_story.cfm

THE SIDEWALL STORY
Your tire has very useful information molded into the sidewall. It shows the name of the tire, its size, whether it is tubeless or tube type, the maximum load and maximum inflation, the important safety warning and much other information.

Passenger Tires
Shown below is the sidewall of a popular "P-metric," speed-rated auto tire. "P" stands for passenger; "215" represents the width of the tire in millimeters; "65" is the ratio of height to width; "R" means radial; "15" is the nominal rim diameter code; and "95H" is the optional service description that consists of the load index (95) and the speed symbol (H). Some older speed-rated tires may include the speed symbol immediately before the "R" instead of showing a service description.

A "B" in place of the "R" means the tire is belted bias construction. A "D" in place of the "R" means diagonal bias construction. "M+S" with the mountain/snowflake symbol is the designation that the tire meets the RMA definitions for use in severe snow conditions. (See page 17).

The maximum load is shown in kg (kilograms) and in lbs (pounds), and maximum pressure in kPa (kilopascals) and in psi (pounds per square inch).

The letters "DOT" certify compliance with all applicable safety standards established by the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Adjacent to this is a tire identification or serial number. This serial number is a code with up to 12 digits that are a combination of numbers and letters. The last characters are numbers identifying the week and year of manufacture. (Example: "1501" means fifteenth week of the year 2001.)

The sidewall also shows the type of cord and number of plies in the sidewall and under the tread.

The DOT requires tire manufacturers to grade passenger car tires based on three performance factors: treadwear, traction and temperature resistance.

 

well you learn something new everyday, I guess I'll start shopping for tires. Thanks for the info