So I have This New Theory On Why New Tires Are ALL JUNK, and What Might Help

[drizler]

I noticed in the last 15 years how tires mostly just seem to crack and rot . For a long time I thought it was Chinese tires as they are absolutely the worst. Then as time went on I found even US manufacturers made junk when it was manufactured in China. So the theory went until this year I noticed my daughters car has some really made in US tires buy a major manufacturer and they are beginning to crack, Yes the car drive daily.
Then a couple days ago I see a Yahoo article on how they are going to be using dandelions as a source of natural rubber . Something about the milk in the stems being nearly the same as natural rubber. It went on to say that there isn't many places you can get rubber and how it's a vital part of the mix and if you don't use enough of it in the synthetic mix you get cracking / weathering. So that's the probable cause for the cracking. Real rubber is expensive so like every other thing these days it gets bypassed or as in the case of tires cut back . wi I think good old cost , and cutting back on the content is the real culprit.
I have started using armor all on mine just recently. I used it on my cars for 30 years and it seems to work extremely well. Back in the 90's I began spraying under the hood of all my cars,(all very old) . I just sprayed it on when I changed the oil making sure to hit all the plastic and rubber surfaces. Eventually I quit wiping it too, just sprayed it on in a fine mist and let it sit there. All the cars looked nearly new under there and stayed that way, also I pretty much quit changing out hoses . They all pretty much hold up till it goes to the crusher at a very advanced age. The same goes for my boat plastics. Just spray and walk away. It's all gone next time you use it and everything is nice and soft / shiny.
So with this in mind I just decided to start spraying the tires on my new and old tractor. Not all the time but whenever I happen to think of it say every couple months. By the half gallon Armor all is fairly inexpensive compared to the specialty rubber treatments.

 

[bcp]

Sounds like it is too new a process to be causing the poor tires for the last many years.

Making rubber from dandelion juice -- ScienceDaily

Date: October 28, 2013
Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

Summary:
Rubber can be extracted from the juice of the dandelion. Yet the decisive breakthrough to industrial manufacturing is proving to be a tough step. Scientists are now building the first ever pilot system to extract vast quantities of dandelion rubber for making tires: an important milestone on the path to rubber procurement in Europe.


Bruce

 

[RDrancher]

I've slowly been switching all of my vehicle and trailer tires to Hankook. I've had very good luck with them over the past few years...especially trailer tires. They do have plants in China, but the ones I look for and use are manufactured in South Korea. I've read that they're also building a plant in Tennessee.

 

[Texasmark]

Some time ago I picked up on an advertising pointer from a tire mfgr that had to do with plasticizers. He described their using them and the reason. In the dialogue he mentioned that as the tire flexes the plasticizers move through the rubber compounds and keep them soft aka I would think, to not dry out and crack.

So here I read between the lines and see that a possible cause of tire cracking is sitting idle along with ozone exposure. However I too have had tires a couple of years old, premium tires from major tire mfgrs. in the US, that I drove on daily, with premature cracks.

On the flip side, my boat trailer and flatbed tandem trailer have Shield brand which are made in China; boat radials and tandem bias ply. Neither have any cracking that I can find. Both are Trailer Special types, are over 8 years old and sit most of the time .

I bought some more TS tires the other day from WW for my stock trailer, China mfgr'd. and noticed they were slick to the touch as compared to other tires I have purchased for other vehicles. I think it has to do with the plasticizers and possibly TS tires contain more as the mfgrs know they will usually spend long periods immobile. Just a SWAG.

Other thing is I learned that there are different rubber compounds in different areas of the tire. Where these dissimilar compounds meet seems to me to be the place for the onset of cracking; was for me.

I don't know. The Goodyear Eagle LS-2 tires on my 2011 Silverado have not a visible crack for the 3 1/2 years I have owned it.

Edit: My experience with known natural rubber products is that their lifetime is extremely short due to cracking. So I for one would prefer to have a synthetic rubber product.

Just some comments,
Mark

 

[oosik]

Hmmmm....... Sure makes me wonder. I had the same Goodyear tires on my previous tractor(purchased in '82) and no cracking or rotting in the 27 years I owned it. My new tractor(purchased in '09) has Goodyear and the same results, so far. IMHO it has a lot to do with where the tractor is housed. I keep mine under cover all the time - out of the sun. My big problem is the basaltic lava rock here chews up the tires like a kid eating black licorice. My big NO, NO is - don't spin the tires!! There was a real advantage with all steel tires/wheels on the old tractors - ha,ha.

 

[bcp]

There was a real advantage with all steel tires/wheels on the old tractors - ha,ha.

And in the old days everyone on internet tractor forums complained about their tires rusting.



Bruce

 

[texasjohn]

Well, now I've got a new get rich plan.... plow up everything and plant dandelions!!:thumbsup:

 

[Baby Grand]

Well, now I've got a new get rich plan.... plow up everything and plant dandelions!!:thumbsup:

I'm lucky - I don't even have to plant them!

 

[drizler]

I did notice in that article that they mentioned the higher end tires tended to have more natural rubber in their content.
The ones on my Massey (correct pronunciation Iseki) have "made in USA stamped on them. That sort of fugly looking Grizzly bear that for the life of me looks like a tiger makes me wonder a lot. I know most USA mfg stuff gets freightered over here and then assembled by some poor slob. That so they can say it's made here and avoid Customs Duties . With a tire though I just can't figure how you could do that. Oh well my Hyundai Sonata speaks with an Alabama drawl so I guess we are getting something out of the products we buy. It's just too bad they don't make them with a bit more quality.

 

[oosik]

Brother, I sure don't need a neighbor PLANTING any dandelions.

bcp - in the day's of the tractors I'm talking about - the only "internet" was the common fence line between neighbors. Lean on it and chat with your neighbor. Ha,ha,ha

And yes, I'm old enough to remember that.