Perishing tyre innertubes?

Paul Bennett · Joined: 05 Mar 2014 Posts: 90

Does anyone have any experience of tyre innertubes perishing?

In low mileage cars, where it may take decades to wear down an outer cover, should innertubes be inspected or replaced at say, 10 year intervals?

I seek advice after finding a rear tyre completely flat on my R-Type yesterday, (that had been ok two days previously.) As on way to BDC do managed to inflate with electric pump connected to my modern car. (Have a good spare but original jack won't slide fully onto jacking spurs.) Went flat again during day but repeated re-inflation to get home thanks to power from kind W12 reg neighbour in the Bentley line-up, (and advice from Bob Zannetti.) Thanks to both.

Flat again this morning; re-inflated and took round corner to local little garage and tyre supplier thinking he would find and repair puncture. He changed wheel for me, however no evidence of any puncture in outer case nor valve leaking. The man wouldn't take the tyre off the rim to investigate as he "doesn't have the facility to repair tubes" but offered to fit a new tube for me if I obtained it. He opined that tube was probably perished. Fair enough. Couldn't source a 6.50 x 16 well-base one locally so ordered a couple from a specialist supplier, as now worried about my other rear tyre of similar age; will check out. (Fronts are fairly recent, ie. this decade!)

I seem to recall that in pre-tubeless days punctures were more frequent and most garages would mend punctures, (vulcanising or replacing tubes as necessary.)

Any wisdom appreciated.

Robert Craven · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 10:09 am Post subject:

I can't precisely answer your question, but I've twice decided to change a tube on my 3 Litre when I noticed slight cracks in the rubber of the extension containing the valve. These were the tubes which came with the car when I got it so I don't know how old they were. My local tyre fitter said one of his "old" employees still knew how to fit tubes. The man was probably in his 50s.

I then had new tyres and tubes in 2012 and when the tyres were replaced last year the tyre supplier said the tubes were still in good condition.

No doubt they're being over-cautious but I think tyre manufacturers tend to recommend changing tyres every six years or so regardless of wear because the rubber may deteriorate. Maybe they'd say the same about tubes, though of course tubes are not exposed to the elements.

Christopher Carnley · Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 1:29 pm Post subject:

The joint between valve and tube becomes detached.
The "get you home stuff" in an aerosol really works, and I have sent many an impecunious owners wreck home with it blown into umpteen year old tyres.

Paul Bennett · Joined: 05 Mar 2014 Posts: 90

Found a tyre workshop ten minutes away who tested and discovered a pinhole leak then repaired (vulcanised) tube and refitted. They did have a new tube the correct size but insisted there was nothing else wrong with my tube, especially no signs of deterioration.

Apparently numerous people still come in with tubed tyres and so there still are helpful places who give old-fashioned service, (even though the co-owner was only in his thirties.)

Stephen Blakey · Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2017 8:21 pm Post subject:

Dougal Cawley reckons the EU have banned some of the plasticizers used in the manufacture of rubber and have significantly reduced the life expectancy.

I have circumstantial evidence for this in my pile of build-wheels. The ancient Dunlop Gold Seal cross plies look fine to me whereas the early 21stC radials are in a shocking state with a surface that makes Mick Jagger's face look like a baby's bum.

I've a pal with the original inner tubes (red) in his pre-war BSA motorbike and he reckons they're as good as new. Conversely I've a pal who parks his car in the sun and complains of very rapid cracking in the tyres which catch the sun. So maybe there is something in this?

The fact that the inner tubes are protected from the elements must help preserve them. Not the valve stems, of course.

Christopher Carnley · Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 8:37 am Post subject:

Ozone plus solar radiation as UV degrades natural rubber,along with tacks. The "ozone" at the seaside is the smell of rotting sea weed.

Chris Card · Guest

A few years ago we rolled our Defender in Namibia. We had had a flat and I took the almost unused spare off the top of the bonnet and put that on the road. Not long afterwards it disintegrated and we were lucky to walk away with minor injuries. The car was a wreck.
That tyre had been in the sun for a couple of years. I now use tyre covers to keep the sun off my spare wheels and have had no trouble since.

Chris

Robert Craven · Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 9:30 am Post subject:

Probably about 30 years ago (so not because of modern ingredients?) I had a Mini (a proper one) which I'd bought new only a few years previously and which was on its original tyres. Though they had plenty of tread left I'd noticed a slight crack in the sidewall of one and took it to a tyre depot. When they deflated the tyre they were able to bend the sides to reveal a network of very worrying cracks and the other tyres were much the same. I changed the lot and the tyre people thought the tyres should be reported or returned to the maker. I let them do that and without admitting liability the makers gave me a fairly generous refund.
I don't know what the cause was. Maybe a faulty batch. But I suppose my and Chris's stories show tyres can degrade regardless of actual use. Should we be worried that most vintage cars have spare wheels exposed to the elements? Probably not enough sun in the UK.

John Robins · Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 3:11 pm Post subject:

My Mercedes was in for service in January 2016, the garage rang me and asked me to look at the e-mail they had sent, with a short piece of film attached. Both front tyres had cracked along the bottom of one of the treads, the cracks extending for the complete circumference of the tyre. Their recommendation was immediate replacement of both. Despite the pain in the wallet I changed all four, bringing the total cost of that service well into four figures of pounds.

The tyre supplier said they had seen such damage before, and that I would be unlikely to be successful in pursuing a claim as the tyres had done about ten thousand miles. No more Dunlops, ever.