TIL My tires are original!

[Blue 92]

Since we are talking about replacement tires, I found some Hankook Kinergy 215/70R14 96T tires both locally and on the big A. Have some similar on the Toyota that are 205/75R14 that I have been pretty happy with.
Anybody have experience with them?

 

[100Timelord]

Since we are talking about replacement tires, I found some Hankook Kinergy 215/70R14 96T tires both locally and on the big A. Have some similar on the Toyota that are 205/75R14 that I have been pretty happy with.
Anybody have experience with them?

I bought four Kinergy's in 225/70R14. They have the best reviews on Discount tire for the Ranger specifically. I will report back.

 

[Bgunner]

The Hankook Kinergy wear well but are a hard compound limiting there traction but aren't a bad 70k mile tire.

 

[Blue 92]

I bought four Kinergy's in 225/70R14. They have the best reviews on Discount tire for the Ranger specifically. I will report back.

Thanks - I'll probably go with them anyway as the choices are rather limited and I really like the look of my stock rims. The Hankooks I put on the Toy were Optimo so they may be very different from the Kinergy, but I had intermittent tire skid during breaking and spin during acceleration that went away when I put them on.

 

[RangerBilly]

I am responding to this thread kind of late, but my experience with the Hankooks should still be valid.

I have a set of TWO of the Hankook Kinergy 225/70-R14 on the rear of our 2wd long-bed. This was the size specified on the doorjamb plate, so I thought it would be a good idea to stick with that. They were ordered through, and installed by, my neighborhood tire shop, since my go-to source, Tire Rack, was out of stock. I DO concur, the 14 inch tires ARE getting harder to find, but for me, the Hankooks are worth the hassle.

I have two smaller Hankook Optimas on the front, don't remember what size, though. They were bought and installed under emergency conditions (TWO flats in one day!) so we had to buy what was in stock.

And there is a Hankook 215/75-R14 as a spare. I try to match them so the rolling diameters are within 2 or 3 percent of each other.

Overall, the Hankooks were replacing a full set of Firestone Destination A/T's, that we had installed soon after we bought the truck 12 years ago, by a local dealer in Kankakee. They had to order them, of course, same reason: no stock. Those were good tires, but they were noisy on the highway and showed a measurable hit in gas mileage: about 1 mpg on the highway.

The Hankooks are quieter and handle better on dry pavement than the Firestones, with a slightly harsher ride. But traction in the snow is horrible. Overall, I am very satisfied with them.

I am ordering two more of the Hankooks to replace the nearly worn out Optimas on the front. If their stated mileage of 70k is legit, they will probably outlast our truck. I highly recommend them for a light truck such as the Ranger!

 

[Lefty]

I have the original spare from my 93, has about 100 miles or less. very weather cracked though even though it spends time out of the direct sunlight. The problem with older tires (even if they look good) is that something breaks down with the rubber over time, They wont be as grippy and can blow on you for no apparent reason. 2 cases in point:
(1) many years ago I bought a mint 93 taurus, only had 20K miles on it, original firestones. in wet weather you couldnt hardly get stopped without sliding tires and it didnt take much to lose traction from a stop. Absolutely horrible in winter, couldnt get a grip. after that first winter I put new tires on, made all the difference in the world.
(2) I had bought a used ranger for $500, at the time I was driving a ‘92 2wd with wheels that looked absolutely horrid, alloys that had seen a lot of salt and little to no care took of them, this 97 I had bought had decent deer-hoof rims, had been told it was vandalized once and the guy put junkyard tires on it. I didnt give it much thought as they held air and the tread looked good. I swapped the deer hoofs onto the 92 and a week or so later I was on the outskirts of town on a interstate, normally a 65 mph road. I was going around a semi when the left front let go- at about 65/70. Some how I completed the pass, got over to the side to change the tire (very little left ) Both fronts were the same so I took a good look at the date code, I knew they were old, hadnt seen uniroyal tiger paws in years. Turns out those fronts were new in 1986. Very old.
So be cautious about running old tires, I know my winter tires for the ranger are about 10 years old now but slip easily on wet pavement. tread looks ok, not weather cracked, decent brand too (bridgestone blizzacks) But I feel the rubber is hardning with age and they just dont grip like they used too.

Yes. Rubber "dries out" after 5 years. And when it does, it loses its stickiness.

 

[Lefty]

Yes! I entertained the idea of buying 17" wheels for my Ranger, but I gave it up when I noticed that there were fewer choices. So I bought 15" wheels and put on old school Cooper "balloon" tires, extra wide and just under 31". BTW I found that anything larger than 31 will not fit inside the spare tire compartment. The "balloon" style may feel a little spongier than lower profiles with bigger wheels, but so what? A truck is not a sports car. I could be wrong but balloons seem to work like "cushions," especially on pot-holed roads...which are common here in Minnesota. Balloons hold their pressure well and do not require adjustments especially at temperature extremes. They seem to be right for off road and working around the farm and tend to protect the rims.

I drove a friend's low profile tire car for a while and found it nice and sporty. The handling was very tight, but they were also a little fussy. The temperature shot up to 104 degrees and i had to adjust the air pressure.

Another friend just bought a sporty used Dodge Challenger with a V8, big wheels and low profile tires. Two of them appear to have been badly abraded by curbs or potholes. He tends to agree with me about big wheels and low profiles. So he may change them. Before we do, I am all ears on this subject.

 

[Curious Hound]

Yes. Rubber "dries out" after 5 years. And when it does, it loses its stickiness.

Rubber never stops “curing” or aging. When I worked for Michelin, I learned a few things about it. The liquid rubber harvested from trees is dried and pressed into sheets which are then formed into bales to be shipped to the industries that use it. It’s an almost white color.

In the tire industry, these bales are chopped up and put in a mixer along with other chemicals, including carbon black that gives the rubber its black color.Different mixes are used for different parts of the tire. Butyl rubber mix for the innermost layer because it does not allow air to permeate. Things are added to sidewall rubbers to try to mitigate the effects of violet radiation from the sun. Tread mixes have different chemicals to affect traction and also electrical conductivity to reduce static buildup on the vehicle.

Anyway. The rubber, at this point can be heated and made pliable. Some is made into thin sheets in rolling mills. These sheets are then pressed together in pairs with steel wires or nylon or Kevlar chords sandwiched between them. Some rubber is heated and extruded to make thicker profiled shapes, such as the tread layer or the layer that forms the bead.

These various layers are then assembled around a form to produce the raw tire Carcass. The carcass is then put into a segmented mold that closes in around it. A bladder in the interior of the mold inflates with steam/hot water and the outer segments are also heated. After a period of time, the tire is considered to be”cured”. Then it is cooled, tested, inspected and sent to shipping.

the rubber starts a natural curing process as soon as it comes out of the tree. Curing in the manufacturer’s plant accelerates that process and accomplishes probably 90% or more of the curing/aging process. The rest just continues on from there at a much, much slower rate.
So, what most people call “dry rot” is just the normal aging process of the rubber, with some added effects from ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
So, just keep your tires in a cool dark place and they’ll last 10 times longer.

 

[Lefty]

Rubber never stops “curing” or aging. When I worked for Michelin, I learned a few things about it. The liquid rubber harvested from trees is dried and pressed into sheets which are then formed into bales to be shipped to the industries that use it. It’s an almost white color.

In the tire industry, these bales are chopped up and put in a mixer along with other chemicals, including carbon black that gives the rubber its black color.Different mixes are used for different parts of the tire. Butyl rubber mix for the innermost layer because it does not allow air to permeate. Things are added to sidewall rubbers to try to mitigate the effects of violet radiation from the sun. Tread mixes have different chemicals to affect traction and also electrical conductivity to reduce static buildup on the vehicle.

Anyway. The rubber, at this point can be heated and made pliable. Some is made into thin sheets in rolling mills. These sheets are then pressed together in pairs with steel wires or nylon or Kevlar chords sandwiched between them. Some rubber is heated and extruded to make thicker profiled shapes, such as the tread layer or the layer that forms the bead.

These various layers are then assembled around a form to produce the raw tire Carcass. The carcass is then put into a segmented mold that closes in around it. A bladder in the interior of the mold inflates with steam/hot water and the outer segments are also heated. After a period of time, the tire is considered to be”cured”. Then it is cooled, tested, inspected and sent to shipping.

the rubber starts a natural curing process as soon as it comes out of the tree. Curing in the manufacturer’s plant accelerates that process and accomplishes probably 90% or more of the curing/aging process. The rest just continues on from there at a much, much slower rate.
So, what most people call “dry rot” is just the normal aging process of the rubber, with some added effects from ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
So, just keep your tires in a cool dark place and they’ll last 10 times longer.

Wow! Factual! Lucid! Cogent!

 

[sgtsandman]

Wow! Factual! Lucid! Cogent!

Watch that potty mouth!

 

[Lefty]

Watch that potty mouth!

I thought all those dirty words were 4 letters long

 

[Curious Hound]

I thought all those dirty words were 4 letters long

Some are longer such as;
Labor
Overtime
We’reoutofbeer

 

[Lefty]

Some are longer such as;
Labor
Overtime
We’reoutofbeer

Oh, those are very bad words, especially the third.

 

[Bgunner]

@ericbphoto do you know more about the tests they perform? I have seen videos on how tires are made but this step is always missed in them.

DO they mount them on a rim or what?

 

[Curious Hound]

@ericbphoto do you know more about the tests they perform? I have seen videos on how tires are made but this step is always missed in them.

DO they mount them on a rim or what?

In the plant where I worked, the tire would be stood up on 2 rollers. Then 2 flanges would move in and seat on the bead and the tire would be inflated. Then it would spin. I believe cameras were looking for imperfections. I think this is also where a sanding drum could move in and lightly remove high spots while the tire was spinning. The tires were alos checked for balance while spinning. I left that job back in 96. So, some of the details are getting foggy. I might be thinking of 2 different stations performing duties like this.

I didn't go to that part of the plant very often. I mainly worked in the areas where the tire carcasses were assembled. I also worked in the "prep" area of our plant where semifinished blocks of rubber compounds were used to make the extruded layers (sidewalls, treads snd fillers) and the sheet materials (nylon belt layers, butyl layer and steel belt layers). The semi-finished rubber compounds were made at a different plant and sent to us by truck.

It's a fascinating process. I enjoyed watching the machines. Cutting big jammed up gobs of soft rubber out of conveyors was not my favorite thing, though.