31 LaSalle Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 HI there just a question on tyres probably been posted before but just for my piece of mind I have 5 firestone 6.00/6.50 x18 firestone deluxe champion gum dipped white wall tyres these are mounted on wood rims. they are at least 10 years old but have never been used or been exposed to sunlight showing no perishing would they be ok for my car which would not have a lot of miles per year. also what does gum dipped mean thank you John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne sheldon Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 A lot of people, and for good reasons, do not believe tires that old should be used. I, and many other people, tend to believe (for very good reasons) that tires used to be better made than they are today. Personally, and this is my "opinion", I would prefer to use twenty to thirty years old tires than anything manufactured in the recent ten years. Take that for what it is worth? (But I would use them!) As for the "Gum Dipped"? I am not certain, however, fairly sure, that the "Gum Dipped" on reproduction Firestone tires is meaningless anymore. The "Firestone" antique automobile tires for the past fifty years are reproductions of what Firestone manufactured decades before. The "Gum Dipped" was a Firestone patented process, and more of a marketing ploy than anything else. It was supposed to improve the tire's wearing and ride qualities. However, on the reproduction tires, it is mostly a symbol of what tires used to be. I like the reproduction firestone tires because they look very much like they did when our cars were new! (Even if they are no longer actually "Gum Dipped"?) Are these for your Chrysler? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31 LaSalle Posted June 9, 2022 Author Share Posted June 9, 2022 yes wayne these are on my Chrysler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikefit Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 Gum Dipped is like when Chrysler used the word Corinthian leather sounds good but ????? 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryankazmer Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 while "gum dipped" implies dunking them in natural rubber latex, I'm pretty certain your tires were made in the currently normal way by laying up SBR 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted June 9, 2022 Share Posted June 9, 2022 (edited) I just took a look at pricing for 6.50/7.00 x 18 tires. They are about $300 each and about the same price as my 15's. I get 10-12 years out of my tires and around 12,000 miles or a little more, just put the third set on my 1960 Buick Electra. I figure my average cost is $100 per year to always have tires I don't question at any time I want to go for any distance. As an afterthought I remembered my spare is one of the first set I bought back at the turn of the century. It's new and still hard with air, but I figure I will replace it now. It has served its purpose standing by for the big nonevent. It would be nice to meter it out at the $100 per year but I pay it in a lump. The Buick, which I bought in 2002 had 67,000 miles on it. Now it is just short of 90,000 with 30,000 miles and 20 years, just about $2,000 in tires. Set number three has been rolling for 6 days. Mission: don't let them dry rot. Edited June 9, 2022 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterc9 Posted June 10, 2022 Share Posted June 10, 2022 How old is "at least ten years" ? What is the build date on the tires ? To me a ten year old bias tire with no cracks would be fine . Twenty plus years might be another story. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFordGuy Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 On 6/9/2022 at 4:50 AM, wayne sheldon said: A lot of people, and for good reasons, do not believe tires that old should be used. I, and many other people, tend to believe (for very good reasons) that tires used to be better made than they are today. Well, this seems to be the crux of the issue. So, what are these good and very good reasons on each side of the argument? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 (edited) The speed you will be driving and the distance of each trip would be my deciding factor. An old bias ply tire will last longer than a radial due to less flexing and heat generation. My tractor has bias front tires more than 60 years old and I won't change them until they go flat. Edited June 11, 2022 by JFranklin (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twisted Shifter Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrspeedyt Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 Bias tires ain't radials Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan G Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 I would run those Firestones without reservation. They are newer than most of the bias plies I've driven; if they were radials, I'd be nervous about driving the car to the tire shop to buy new ones. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31 LaSalle Posted June 14, 2022 Author Share Posted June 14, 2022 3 hours ago, Bryan G said: I would run those Firestones without reservation. They are newer than most of the bias plies I've driven; if they were radials, I'd be nervous about driving the car to the tire shop to buy new ones. thanks Bryan G after careful consideration and taking on board other peoples advice I have decided to use the car with the firestone tyres as i will not be doing a lot of miles and no high speeds 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 I tend to agree with Bryan especially because they are tubed tires. Tubeless might be a different story. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Mereness Posted June 17, 2022 Share Posted June 17, 2022 Put them on and enjoy your car as you wish to enjoy it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Mead Posted June 18, 2022 Share Posted June 18, 2022 Pretty car….. Enjoy ! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor's Pontiac Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 On 6/9/2022 at 2:20 AM, 31 LaSalle said: HI there just a question on tyres probably been posted before but just for my piece of mind I have 5 firestone 6.00/6.50 x18 firestone deluxe champion gum dipped white wall tyres these are mounted on wood rims. they are at least 10 years old but have never been used or been exposed to sunlight showing no perishing would they be ok for my car which would not have a lot of miles per year. also what does gum dipped mean thank you John. I have same dilemma with my 41 Oldsmobile. Tires are 6.50 R16 and they were installed during restoration in 1989 and driven just a few hundred miles since then because car went to storage until Feb 2021 when I purchased it. Tires look perfect, no cracks, no deformities, tubes hold air so well that they never went flat despite 30 years. The only issue I noticed happens when driving on the Freeway which is concrete surface. Interstates are built with concrete that has numerous parallel lines every few inches. When reaching about 50 mph those channels seem to force the tires to be aligned with them and the car develops a bit of a lateral swinging due to the fact that the tires are designed with same parallel lines and no cross section threads. It was a bit scary initially. Nothing like this happens when driving on a regular asphalt paved road. These Firestone tires are 30 years old now and just about everyone tells me I should replace them for safety reasons. I received my new Coker tires yesterday after waiting for many months due to the recent national shortage. Since I already got them, will put them on the car but no urgency. I drive may be 30-40 miles per month only and always near my home. Any brave driver who says just keep driving until they disintegrate? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAKerry Posted June 19, 2022 Share Posted June 19, 2022 Doc, if I were you I would put the new cokers on. You got them so use them, otherwise they are still deteriorating whether on the car or not. You should try riding a motorcycle on one of those grooved roads! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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