How long do tyres last?

This depends on various factors. A modern summer tyre can last an average of 5-6 years and reach between 40,000 and 50,000 km. However, it depends on driving style, power output, car weight and environment. The ageing of vintage car tyres is primarily due to environmental influences and the natural drying out of the rubber. As a rule you should consider changing your tyres after aprox. 10 years.

When should a tyre be changed?

As a rule, when the tread depth is at the minimum 1.6 millimetres. Vintage cars included. However, vintage cars are not driven as often as modern cars. This means that your tyre can easily be ten years old and still have a tread that is like new. When you go for your MOT test, however, the tester won't pass you - and quite rightly so. The rubber ages, hardens and loses it's grip. Over the years cracks also form and these could cause a puncture.

Can I reuse the old tyre tubes?

As a matter of principle it is adviseable to use a new tube in a new tyre. A used tube shows pressure marks from the previous tyre. These marks will later become weak points which can lead to a sudden loss of pressure that could completely destroy the new tyre.

What does the writing on my tyre mean?

There is a whole lot of information on the tyre flanks. You are informed about size, load, maximum air pressure and the age of the tyre.

The measurements may look like the following: 205/70R15 90 W. When broken down this means:

• Tread width 205 mm.
• Profile 70% (and not 70 mm, as is often assumed) in relationship to the tread.
• Wheel rim diameter 15 inches.
• The "R" stands for radial construction.
• The "90" refers to the load and can be deciphered using a table in Kilograms (in this case 90 = 600 kg).
• "W" stands for the speed limit (in this case "W" = 270 km/h).
• For diagonal tyres all measurements are in inches, for example 5.60-15 P.
  Here even the tyre width is given only in inches.  A low profile did not yet exist.