Tires WEATHER CRACKING TIRES

[coveredbridge]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( BrettW,

Armor All has been the death of many vinyl dashboards in cars. That stuff is a good example of a poor product that has had outstanding marketing. Having been a used car dealer for years I won't let Armor All near anything I own.

Many petroleum based products will damage rubber and plastic. For instance, the instructions for the dump valves on my RV specifically states not to use petroleum jelly on the rubber seals because it can cause them to swell. I am supposed to use silicone only to lubricate them. However, I don't think silicone is good for plastics.

There is product called 303 Aerospace Protectant that is pretty highly rated. I use it and have had no ill effects so far but it is $60 a gallon. It is recommended by several suppliers of RV parts for rubber seals, for example, Fantastic Fan Company makes powered vents for RV's and includes a small sample of 303 with each vent for use on the seal.

Michelin, at Miichelin Warranty states:

"Tires which become unserviceable due to alterations
such as truing, whitewall inlays, addition of balancing or sealant liquids, or the use of tire dressings containing petroleum distillates, are excluded from warranty coverage."

Appears that Michelin considers petroleum distillates so bad for tires they will not honor the warranty if you use them.

I checked BF Goodrich's site and they say the same thing. Oddly, their wording is exactly the same so BFG may be owned by Michelin.

Bill Tolle )</font>

You know, that kind of surprises me. I don't know about tires, hoses or PVC boots, but I do know that the care instructions for my pro-line rubber hip boots stated, among other things, to apply Armor-all to the boots after each use to preserve the rubber and help prevent it from cracking. It sure seems to be working so far, and I had several pairs rot and crack in a few months time before I started using the Armor-all.

I wonder what Michelin knows that Pro-line doesn't? Or is it a different rubber compound? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[BrettW]

OK,
can someone set me straight on this Armor-All issue? How can it be bad for rubber / plastic when it is made for the very purpose of protecting it. Doesn't make sense to me.
bw

 

[Junkman]

It is simple.. it is called advertising. You don't have to prove your advertising claim, and for the most part, there is only a grain of truth in most advertising claims, as compared to the true value of the product. Do you actually believe that if you use XYZ shampoo that your hair will actually be thicker? In the old days they were known as Snake Oyl salesmen.... Today, the charlatans have taken on a new title...... Advertising Executives.... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Tom_H]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( On RV's the tires have to be changed after 7 years regardless of tread depth due to sidewall cracking.

"....tires must be replaced after seven years, even if the tread looks good."

"Michelin recommends that they be inspected yearly

a Michelin dealer) said my motorhome tires looked OK. I blew 2 of them out within the next 2,500 miles,)</font>

I had an '80 VW diesel pickup with a shell on back that we used to camp in. In the summer of '91 we headed out with 8 y.o. Michelins that had good tread & looked in great shape. After crossing the Mojave Desert, we pulled in to the motel in Needles, CA, got out, and saw huge bubble gum like bubbles all over the sidewalls of all 4 tires, like aneurysms on a worn out aorta. Now Needles ain't no metropolitan place: a million miles from nowhere in the desert and two places that sell tires. Neither of 'um ever heard of this idea called competition either. Almost could'a bought another vehicle for what those 4 tires cost. Salesmen were nice enough though. One explained that the polymers in the synthetic rubber simply break down into smaller and weaker molecules over time, and tires just can't take heat after they're 7 y.o. ' got the idea they'd made this sale a pretty good number of times before. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Moral of this story: never venture into the desert with old tires.