Evidence of tire life

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Steve Jelf
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Evidence of tire life

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Sep 23, 2022 6:06 pm

IMG_1562 copy 2.JPG
September 2, 2018: Setting out for Michigan, about 40 miles from home, on new Wards Riversides installed a couple of weeks earlier.


IMG_9694.JPG
September 5, 2022: The tires have worn through the tread to the cords, and this one has died in a blowout.

How many miles from new to defunct? I have never had a speedometer that survived an OCF trip, so most of the following is an estimate figured from Google maps and from adding up miles in a road atlas.

2018 OCF trip: ... 2800 miles
between trips: ... 1000 miles
2019 OCF trip: ... 1800 miles
between trips: ... 1200 miles
2021 OCF trip: ... 1800 miles
between trips: ... 1000 miles
2022 until blowout: 475 miles

Total tire life: ... 10,075 miles

I think my guess on between-trip miles (3200) is probably too high.
I think 2000 may be more realistic.
That would put total miles around 9000.

One of my fall or winter projects this year will be new Blockleys all around. It will be interesting to see how they do.
Last edited by Steve Jelf on Tue Sep 27, 2022 2:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by TXGOAT2 » Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:04 pm

That may be close to right. Motorcyle rear tires wear quite rapidly. Narrow, bias ply tires would probably wear very rapidly on a small front-drive car with no rear brakes.


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Joe Reid » Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:43 pm

I don’t think you are going to get big mileage out of these tires. I have zero faith in anything that comes out of Viet Nam. Quality control???? Show me and I’m not from Missouri.


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Joe Reid » Fri Sep 23, 2022 9:50 pm

I am running five sets, 1 white set of Firestones, 3 black sets of Firestones and 1 set of Wards Riversides and they all seem to be wearing ok. I try to keep them at 60 psi.


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by TXGOAT2 » Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:15 pm

"Ajax Tires: Guaranteed 5,000 miles! (See pic)

As I recall, 1950s bias ply tires on Fords and Chevys, typically 6.70 X 15 4 ply, would last about 20,000 miles WITH careful driving. Most people got less. 1940s 6.00 X 16 tires would probably do about 15,000 miles under good conditions. Non-belted 1960s tires wore rapidly, especially on V-8 full size cars. Belted tires were a little better, and radial tires much better.

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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Sep 23, 2022 10:57 pm

I have zero faith in anything that comes out of Viet Nam.

I believe the location of the factory is much less important to the quality of a product than what the suits demand from it. With many people now buying Blockleys, we'll find out in a few years whether they live up to the hype.
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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Allan » Sat Sep 24, 2022 7:47 am

It is not the factory which sets the specifications for the products they produce for the market. That rests with the marketers who order the product. Until Blockley tyres became available, we got the rubbish the marketers ordered.

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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by otrcman » Sat Sep 24, 2022 8:37 pm

My paternal grandfather, Martin Fischer, loved to recount the story of his epic drive from Fillmore, California to Paris, Arkansas and return with his wife and six children. The time was summer, 1923, and the car was a 1921 Sheridan touring.

Preparations for the trip included the purchase of two brand new front tires. At the end of their first day on the road found them in Bishop, CA, a distance of about 300 miles. The two brand new red rubber tires were completely shot in 300 miles ! Grandpa related that he drove off the pavement about 20 miles from their starting point and never saw pavement again until he drove back onto the same stretch on the way home. So most of the wear and tear came from rocky, unpaved roads.

They bought two new tires and held a financial council that nite. Counting their money, it was clear that they couldn't afford even tires if the wear continued at this rate.

The decision was made to continue eastward for one more day to see how well the next tires lasted. At the end of the second day the new tires had held up well and they continued on. I queried him on how long the subsequent tires lasted, but he did not remember. I think his reply was that the number of tires consumed on the rest of the trip was "about normal".

So tire life could be awfully short back in the good old days.

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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by WayneJ » Sun Sep 25, 2022 3:38 am

I think 8,000 to 10,000 miles seems pretty good, comparable to how long many tires lasted on 1950's cars when those cars were new. In another thread the following photo was posted.
CC0F2AE5-D5B1-4DD3-9ACD-309CA579A475.jpeg.jpg
CC0F2AE5-D5B1-4DD3-9ACD-309CA579A475.jpeg.jpg (63.54 KiB) Viewed 2077 times
These period tires were guaranteed for 5,000 miles. Presumably, lesser brands had a shorter life.
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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by John Codman » Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:49 pm

I go along with those who remember that the OE bias-ply tires of the '50s and especially '60s were terrible. The car manufacturers during that period bought the cheapest ragmasters that they could find from the major tire manufacturers manufacturers the wiser customers would often have the dealers install good quality tires before they would take delivery of their new car. The dealer or tire store would then sell the OE tires as "takeoffs" for short money. There were good bias-ply tires available if you wanted to pay for them. 40,000 miles was not uncommon on a good bias-belted set of tires, and I have twice gone 100,000 miles on a good set of radials (one set was Goodyear, the other Michelin).


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by TXGOAT2 » Sun Sep 25, 2022 3:40 pm

Those 2 ply Tiger Paws would really ride smooth under a big GM car. I think they recommended something like 24 PSI for an 8.55 X 14.


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by jab35 » Tue Sep 27, 2022 12:20 pm

'Total tire life: ... 9075 miles'. Added up miles = 10,075, did you trail the car for 1,000 miles during part of those trips? 10K seems reasonable tire life for those clinchers, doesn't it? jb

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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Sep 27, 2022 2:09 pm

...did you trail the car for 1,000 miles...

No, I stayed inside it and drove. :D

Addition corrected.
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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Charlie B in N.J. » Tue Sep 27, 2022 6:38 pm

Check your rear axle. Make sure it’s square with the frame. That’s what those radius rod threads are for. As to toe: one way to properly set It is to roll the car back and forth after changing the setting. Personally I much prefer four small metal plates. Grease two on one side and put the others on the greased sides. Put them under the front wheels. This allows them to move easily. Works great and allows for a VERY exact setting. New tires are worth the work.
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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by John kuehn » Tue Sep 27, 2022 6:56 pm

The companies aren’t going to make 30-40 thousand mile tires that don’t sell in large quantities. T tires could be made with much better materials but money wise it’s not worth it to them.


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by TXGOAT2 » Tue Sep 27, 2022 7:07 pm

A couple of sections of newspaper over concrete under front tires will allow them to move easily when making adjustments. To make a final check of toe in, roll the car straight forward with the wheels straight ahead on a slightly cambered or level surface. Stop it without letting it roll back ANY, then check toe in.


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by TXGOAT2 » Tue Sep 27, 2022 7:10 pm

To assure that the front and rear axles are straight with the frame, the frame must be straight, and the motor mounts need to be set up the way Henry did it.


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by TXGOAT2 » Wed Sep 28, 2022 9:19 am

The excellent Cimorelli wesbsite includes a 1920s Western Auto catalog with a variety of tire ads. Warranties range from 3,000 to 12,000 miles depending on tire grade. The cheapest tire carried no warranty, but the copy indicated that the tire would last for "a few thousand miles". There is also an amazing variety of items for patching and repairing tires in the catalog, and a wide range of parts and general accessories.


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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Rich P. Bingham » Wed Sep 28, 2022 11:26 am

Perhaps I'm wrong about this - seems to me pavement wears out tires faster than dirt roads and lanes. "Back in the day" that may have added significant mileage to the tires in use. Another factor may have been the fact that "a few thousand miles" could equate to several years of use. Are there any statistics on "average" annual miles driven in 1920 ?

Imagining a scenario a hundred years ago, I could see a farm family making a weekly trip to town (say 20 miles) and church (another 6-8) with infrequent shorter hops to visit neighbors. That would amount to around two thousand miles per year.

Another question that I've always wondered, how long did people keep their Model Ts ? By the early 1920s you don't see brass cars in street scenes. A person may well have traded in their 1913 Lizzie with its original (though worn out) tires !
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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Steve Jelf » Wed Sep 28, 2022 2:36 pm

I don't know how typical this is or isn't, but the first car here on the farm was a used 1916 Chevrolet touring bought in 1919. In 1928 it was replaced by a new Chebby sedan.


LP & HB 3.jpg
Uncle Lester Parker with his stepson Herman Roach about to take their crop to town in the old Chev.
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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by Rich P. Bingham » Wed Sep 28, 2022 3:15 pm

Thanks for that, Steve. I think a few family anecdotes like that would give us a generalized idea of how updates progressed.

At the age of 38 my grandpa moved from horses into the motor age with a four year old 1925 Model T roadster pickup. In 1933 he traded it for a 1928 Model A which became a 1928 Dodge sedan two years later. The sedan became a 1936 Dodge pickup in 1939. He bought a new Buick in 1942 which he drove until 1954.
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Re: Evidence of tire life

Post by TXGOAT2 » Wed Sep 28, 2022 5:16 pm

I'd guess that '42 Buick felt like a magic carpet. Those things would move pretty good. I'd love to own a '41-'42 Buick Century coupe with the twin carburetors.

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