Would you drive on these cracked tires? (1 Viewer)

[Jlager84]

I bought a 1975 volvo TGB11 truck on the east coast and I'm wanting to drive it across the country to the west coast. The tires are old Michelin XS tires with some tread left (can be regrooved I'm told) but they have some sidewall cracks. Now they have tubes in them so I'm wondering if I should be okay driving them across the country like this. Note that I will be doing 55mph max and driving in winter which I'm hoping should reduce them heating up too much. See attached photos of tires.

 

[PLROD]

Assuming you've already checked out the whole rig and everything else is good - that's a hard call although I'm sure you have your reasons for wanting to do it. Prudence would dictate you change them but...if you must, make sure none of the lugs are frozen and that you can get them off and back on with the tools you'll have with you first. Then with a good spare or two - give it a go.

If you haven't checked out the whole rig, at least check the brakes and the condition of the brake fluid. A frozen caliper or piston will add adventure, but I guess you already thought of that and you are likely into high adventure since you're buying it, it's a cool rig, have fun but not too much.

 

[Output Shaft]

When the front tire shreds apart at 55 mph on a downhill turn, the truck will go out of control, careen across the road to the crash barrier which will fail to prevent the vehicle and yourself from tumbling off the 500 ft high cliff to your death.

How's that?

 

[Jlager84]

Sounds aweful but what I'm asking if that is likely to happen given the cracks you see in the pictures and the fact that they have tubes in them. I was also under the impression that these military tires are pretty solid and thick.

Obviously replacing them would fix the problem but I only need them to make it home. After that the truck will be used almost exclusively for slow off road use where blowing a tire isn't an issue.

I would really like to avoid replacing them just to make the drive home but if the consensus is that they are too dangerous to risk it, then I will.

I would like some more opinions though as I don't know much about this kind of tires wear.

 

[Output Shaft]

I would really like to avoid replacing them just to CONTINUE LIVING

There. I fixed that for you. I can't believe you're even considering it. Yeah, sure they might make it. But when you crash at high speed you're putting other lives at risk. You could cause a multi-vehicle pile up with multiple deaths.

You may not value your life that much, but consider the safety of others. Driving across the country with those death tires is only asking for trouble and is INSANELY selfish. Those tires would never pass a safety inspection (if we had safety inspection).

 

[hj 60]

Michelin is a top brand and these are military bullet proof, I would drive them and a friend who does government inspections once denied such tires and the owner demanded a counter check and then the tires were checked fine
(and the friend redhot angry, fingernail cracks are allowed)

But I have bad experience with old tubes as they repeatedly somehow start leaking and there is no puncture.
old rubber:?

5 new tubes because I am cheap and stubborn but fixing splitrims 22x times is enough:

 

[White Stripe]

I would probably not run those. You can find good used military tires for cheap on ebay and Craigslist. The tubes just act as a blaster. The tires will still be stressed by the weight though. That's a awful lot of sidewall. If one blows it's going to be sketchy. Just the tire rubber blowing off can cause damage to a vehicle on the road near you.

 

[murf]

Not worth it. Don't look back and say. " I should of..."

 

[Jlager84]

Thanks for all the replies. Even the person basically calling me insane My point was that I didn't know if these were dangerous or not. Now it seems I should assume they are and will not be driving them.

 

[2canoe]

I would no problem but Thats me. Why not trailering it,

 

[doug720]

Have it shipped?

I would not drive on those tires.

 

[mep1811]

When you lose a tire on the trip you will be forced to spend a couple of days waiting on a new tire to be shipped to you. Add in the tow and the hotel expenses it will be a royal PIA. You need new tires anyway so change them before any trouble.

 

[mcgaskins]

I'd ship the truck instead of driving it, but that's just me!