nsxt2000
04-26-2008, 01:24 AM
Suspose your Uncle George buys a new vehicle but dosen't like the OEM wheels & tires and goes for a set of Ron Jon rims with oversize tires. Let's say that he then gives you his OEM tires. As it happened, you just put a new set on your car and do so little driving that they will last you for years.
Is it O.K. to just store the OEM set in your garage for several years until they are needed? Well according to the guys at "Car Talk", it is fine to keep them in your garage - provided you have a hyperbaric nitrogen chamber there. They say that rubber can dry out and crack, due mostly to the ozone that's in the air.
A number of manufacturers now suggest that we all put expiration dates on our tires. (Hey, it works for beer). Ford, for instance, suggests that you get rid of a set of tires after six years of use, due to atmospheric degradation of the rubber.
While cynics say they're just trying to sell more tires, there is a good body of evidence to back up their recommendation.
I, like most drivers, don't have to worry about the problem since we drive so much that we go thru a set fairly quickly.
Speaking of tires, do you remember the situation with our beloved NSX when it was introduced with the OEM Yokohama AO22's - a soft rubber tire? At the time the allignment was set very agressive and we were lucky to get 5,000 miles on the rear tires. To add insult to injury, if I remember correctly, the AO22's were more expensive then than they are now and tire wear was a significant part of NSX ownership.
Eventually Honda gave us coupons good for three sets of tires as a settlement as well as modifying the allignment.
-Mike S.
Is it O.K. to just store the OEM set in your garage for several years until they are needed? Well according to the guys at "Car Talk", it is fine to keep them in your garage - provided you have a hyperbaric nitrogen chamber there. They say that rubber can dry out and crack, due mostly to the ozone that's in the air.
A number of manufacturers now suggest that we all put expiration dates on our tires. (Hey, it works for beer). Ford, for instance, suggests that you get rid of a set of tires after six years of use, due to atmospheric degradation of the rubber.
While cynics say they're just trying to sell more tires, there is a good body of evidence to back up their recommendation.
I, like most drivers, don't have to worry about the problem since we drive so much that we go thru a set fairly quickly.
Speaking of tires, do you remember the situation with our beloved NSX when it was introduced with the OEM Yokohama AO22's - a soft rubber tire? At the time the allignment was set very agressive and we were lucky to get 5,000 miles on the rear tires. To add insult to injury, if I remember correctly, the AO22's were more expensive then than they are now and tire wear was a significant part of NSX ownership.
Eventually Honda gave us coupons good for three sets of tires as a settlement as well as modifying the allignment.
-Mike S.