How old are my tyres?

[Templedog]

Did a track day at Bedford today. Brilliant fun, great group of lads, lots of laughs. Car was great in a straight line but so tail happy it was a joke. I know it was cold, but dry. The rear tyres were just not gripping at all. I just couldn't seem to get them warm despite being on the edge of traction in most of the slow corners.

How old do tyres have to be before they go 'off', ie hard and slippery? And can you tell from the markings on a tyre how old it is. They are Toyo T1Rs and have been on the car since I bought it in April 2010. They have about 6 mm of tread left on them.

Thanks in advance,

Sam

[5.0ltr]

Presume you checked the tyre pressures? Anyway this may help you on the age question.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.js...

[Cooper Green]

In , and this is my opinion, Toyo T1 R's do not suit the light weight nature of TVR's. I have run a set of T1 R's on my previous pre cat 4.0 Griffith and found them wanting for grip in all but the warmest conditions. The fact that they would break traction even with the estimated 240 bhp of a factory fresh unit, ( 17 year old engine at this point)) is a little worrying for a modern tyre.

My current 4.0 Tuscan is wearing a set of the same, less than two years old with around 6mm of tread, and is verging on the dangerous in anything other than dry warm conditions. Yes its more powerful, and yes others may say that the suspension, shocks, and geometry are to blame, but i can spin the rears at will in the lower 3 gears.

Do Ferrari, maserati, ginetta or Lamborghini use these as OE equipment ? i think not , nissan on the GTR use Bridgestone. It is just a case that these are available in all the correct sizes for the few wheel combos found on our TVR's.

Used in my opinion by most as they are readily available, reasonable price , and a good all rounder.

I find my 03 model with Koni suspension works better with these tyres if i have the weight of a full tank of fuel over the rear axle.
My opinion of course, but will be looking to another brand in the future.

[Ant.]

There should be a "date" on the tyres....

it should end in a year .

http://slurplog.blogsome.com/2007/11/14/life-type-...

[Alexdaredevilz]

I got TR1's and there completely useless when cold, but Im sure mine are well out of date aswell

[500 kim]

If it helps the tyres will be best part of 2 years old this April (2012)!!

[Laser Sag]

Do need to bear in mind that the tyres you have are almost certainly summer tyres and as such are not designed to work well at less than 7 degrees centigrade which it was all day today so you were probably on a loser before you started. If you are going to use your Tiv during the winter and especially if you are going to use it hard would recommend winter tyres. Hope you had a good time even with the reduced grip level.

[Templedog]

Thanks Guys, much appreciated, will check them in the morning. Had a great day thanks Kev, lots of sideways fun :0) Realise the tyres are better in the warm but was surprised just how much less grip there was. Have Goodyear Eagle Assyms on the front and the car was fine under braking and turning in, just couldn't get any drive out of the corners.

Hope all good with you. Can recommend Dom's 4.3 for the Sag if and when the mood takes you ;0)

[Laser Sag]

There are so many different compounds of tyre that one version will work much differently to another as the compound can harden off more at lower temps.

have tried Doms 4.3 and 4.5 and as and when it is necessary or the funds are available it will be on the cards, liked the extra torque, Dom has looked after my cars for years so never misses a dig about upgrading.

Glad you had a good time and didnt fall foul of the opressive noise police at Bedford.

[lestershaw]

its recommended that you dont use tyres older than 6 years , even if they are new and unused, apparently they deteriorate from the inside which means you may not be able to tell.
to tell the age, on the tyre wall there is usually a "DOT" number and the digits refer to day/month/year of manufacturer

[Templedog]

No problem at all with the noise levels. Have to say everyone at Bedford was top drawer. Really nice atmosphere, great facility, staff couldn't have been more helpful.

Just checked the tyres, manufactured 37th week of 2005! Think it's time for a freshen up! See Camskills have an offer on R1R's at the moment.

[Barry Ashcroft]

T1R's go very hard after a couple of years,
New rubber will transform your car I can recommed the R1R had them on my Tamora

[Wicker Man]

Some tyre manufacturers have been recommending that we all switch to winter compounds when the temperature drops below about 7 degC. It was dammed cold on saturday!

[madmover]

Personally I think if the weather is below 10 degrees you will notice a huge difference to your normal tyres compared with what your used too, I think the only real cure would be 'winter tyres' Ive had this problem in the past and put it down to the ambient temperature as on the right days the tyres have performed much better.

[Templedog]

OK, have just taken delivery of some R1R's from a well known online supplier. Date of manufacture 27 09! So the tyres are 2 and a half years old before they even go on the car! What to do?

[FlipFlopGriff]

Templedog said:

OK, have just taken delivery of some R1R's from a well known online supplier. Date of manufacture 27 09! So the tyres are 2 and a half years old before they even go on the car! What to do?

Send them back.
FFG

[Geoff Ashcroft]

Defo fire them back- its a high performance tyre thats been sitting around.

[Magic919]

I'd advise the tyre place you are picky about freshness when you order. I find it saves wasted time. Two-eight months old is fairly normal I find. Was offered six year old tyres once.