Rubber Rot?

[kami240sx]

i just bought my '95 240 and the previous owner garaged their car for a few years before deciding to sell it. the tires are 205/65 R15 Goodyear Wingfoots (performance?)There are cracks all in the tread of the tires.

I've been driving the 240 around for about a month and the car just slips everywhere. In a drizzle, I can push the pedal all the way down on 3rd gear and kick the tires loose.

I asked a friend about it and he says the tires are rotted. I never heard of this before.

Is this normal for a 240 to loose traction this easily or is it the tires? should i even use these tires for anything?

[240_Keyy]

the wingfoots are about as good as driving on babana peels, but they make EXCELLENT beater tires on spare fims.

[C-Kwik]

Tires can harden with weather, heat, time. The harder the tires, generally the worse the traction. When roads are wet, more factors come into play. Tread depth and tread pattern determine largely how well a tire performs in the wet.

[Exar-Kun]

and tread compound. a silica tread compound will be far better at displacing water and gripping in the wet than carbon black...but thats a bit over kill for specifics..-chet

[kami240sx]

thanks guys. I guess thats a NO for using these in autocross :-p

anyone know how to prevent this dry rot?

[Exar-Kun]

you cant. the standard shelf life of any tire is 4 years, if its got a silica or "dura-black" compound in it, its 5, but they start cracking and showing cosmetic defects after 3 usually.-chetalso, you have the wrong tire size on your car, get a 205-60-15 or a 195-60-15 or even a 205-55-15 (all acceptable sizes listed in michelins MAST guide) that will help out a bit in the handling department too.