Is there a way to soften tires. Novolaris comment on another thread, made sense to me http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/206-246/360556-xwx-michelins-other.html I have a set of 20 year old xwxs that have newer rolled I've heard of old motorcycle tires being softened with turpentine.
Any petroleum based solvent will soften rubber, but will NOT make any tire with such treatment safe to be used as intended, actually opposite. Timo
Sorry but there is no way of bringing the tires either partially or fully back to where they were new. There are tire softening liquids out there used mainly in racing but they have no use to a street tire. Once a street tire hardens with age, UV exposure, and heat cycles the only solution is to replace the tire.
DO NOT put twenty year-old tires on your car under any circumstances! Hardening of the rubber is only one consequence of aging. Most importantly, the internal bonding that holds the carcass together dries out breaks down over time, leading to a high probability of catastrophic failure. Depending on variables such as construction, frequency of use, etc., tires should be used no more than 7-10 years. How much are your life and car worth versus trying to resuscitate 20 year-old tires?
Most tire manufacturers stand behind product up to 6 (or so ?) years from the date of MANUFACTURING, not when they were first purchased or installed. Beyond that, how lucky do you feel ... ?
it was a generic question really. At first I though ok the walls on these things will crack the moment I use them. That won't work. Looks like I will need new wheels soon, so will probably keep this set on the old wheels in the corner somewhere.
