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Tyre ageing: its effect on material properties and structural integrity



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adamlstr

ClioSport Club Member
It's frightening in general how much attention people give, to the only thing connecting their vehicle to the surface it travels on.

You don't have to look very far in a car park to find a car whose tyres are cracking, and perished. I'm not sure how far tyres are tested as part of an MOT though, and whether it's anything more than a tread depth check?
 

mart.z.s

ClioSport Club Member
  Audi A3 2.0T Quattro
Agree with the above.

As soon as I spot cracking now rightly or wrongly I get them changed for my own peace of mind. Probably overkill.

I had some Goodyear eagle F1 not long ago with a 2017 date stamp on them and they had started cracking after 2 years which I couldn’t believe as they still had 5mm tread.
 
It is frightening that theres no expiry date on passenger vehicle tyres. Tyre degradation has so many variables though. As above a 2 year old tyre can show signs yet the spare tyre in my 13 year old Skoda and 16 year old Toyota are in perfect looking condition. I've even driven on the Skoda spare.
 
I am wondering if the report was triggered by that crash the other year, where the coach(?) had (a) 20+ year old tyre(s) fitted to it o_O which highlighted how there are no time-limit standards related to tyres.

I've got some great condition (tread depth) 15" F1 GSD2s in the shed (which were astoundingly good in the wet) but as they are easily 5+ years old now, I don't think I want to fit them... lol
 
I've used 11 year old Toyo R888's on track without issue. Think it all depends on condition, if dry, hard and cracked then no chance.
 
Sounds like some action might be taken on old tyres being used on HGVs and Buses!


Older tyre ban in bid to improve road safety

New rules on tyres could come into force early 2020.

Published 23 June 2019

From: Department for Transport, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and Michael Ellis MP
  • government consulting on plans to ban old tyres for buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses
  • our priority is keeping people safe on our roads, and we are taking action to reduce the number of people killed or injured
  • new law could be introduced this year and come into force early 2020

New laws banning older tyres on large vehicles to improve road safety could be introduced later this year. Tyres aged 10 years and older would be banned from use on buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses in new proposals being consulted on from today (23 June 2019). If supported, the new rules could be in force by early 2020.

The consultation follows a passionate campaign by Frances Molloy, whose son Michael died in a coach crash caused by a 19-year-old tyre in 2012. Her work with the ‘Tyred’ campaign led to the consultation being launched today.

Road Safety Minister Michael Ellis said:
Our priority is keeping people safe on our roads, and we are taking action to reduce the number of people killed or injured.
There is increasing evidence that age affects the safety of tyres, which is why I think older tyres should not be used on large vehicles.
I would like to thank Frances Molloy and the Tyred campaign for their work raising this important issue – the changes we are consulting on could save lives.
The consultation, which runs for 10 weeks, asks whether older tyres should be banned on buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses as well as whether this ban should be extended to taxis and private hire vehicles. It follows other measures the government has put into place since 2012.

Bus operators have been advised not to use older tyres at the front of their vehicles. Inspections of 130,000 buses by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency since 2017 showed only 0.06 per cent were in breach of the guidance.

The DVSA also updated its guidance on maintaining roadworthiness to say tyres aged 10 years and older should not be used on the front axles of heavy goods vehicles, as well as buses and coaches.

A growing body of evidence includes research, commissioned by the Department for Transport and published last week, which shows ageing tyres suffer corrosion which could cause them to fail.

The evidence also includes reports from two fatal crashes – one involving a coach on the A3 in 2012, and another on the M5 in 2017, involving a heavy goods vehicle.

The consultation follows continued work to establish the impact of age on tyre performance. Today’s consultation comes ahead of a refreshed Road Safety Statement and two-year action plan, which will be published shortly.
 


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