Interesting article.

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WASHINGTON - A consumer safety group is petitioning the federal
government to require easy-to-read "born-on" dates for car and truck
tires, citing 50 crashes resulting in 37 fatalities caused by older
tires with very little wear and tear.

As part of a petition sent Friday to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, SRS Inc., a Massachusetts auto-safety research
firm, provided analysis from crashes that involved different makes of
tires by most leading manufacturers, including Continental, Dunlop,
Firestone, General, Goodyear, Goodrich, Kelley, Michelin, Pirelli and
Uniroyal.

According to Sean Kane, president of SRS, tire performance can start
to degrade after six years - even if the tires have not been used -
because of the rubber's age.

"It's an invisible hazard," Kane said. "The industry knows a lot about
it, and they have recommendations that they've hidden from the public
for years. Just about every other product, from food to paint, has an
expiration date on it."

In many of the accidents documented by SRS, tires with little wear in
the tread suddenly failed.

The petition cites a July 2003 crash involving a 1997 Toyota 4Runner
in San Bernardino, Calif.

Three weeks after a Toyota dealer performed service on the vehicle,
rotating an original spare tire onto the right rear wheel, the tread
separated at highway speed, resulting in a rollover. A young mother
died from head injuries in that incident.

In a September 1999 crash in Michigan's Ingham County, a Geo Tracker
rolled after a separation in the tread, leaving a man with a severe
head injury and permanently unable to work.

The driver was on his way to the tire store after putting his son's
original unused spare tire on the SUV to replace a flat tire.

In formal comments filed with the agency last year, Kane noted
warnings issued by a tire industry group to consumers about the
likelihood of older tires losing their strength.

The Tyre Industry Council, a nonprofit organization in the United
Kingdom that is funded by the tire industry and tire retailers to
promote tire safety among consumers, warned in 2003 that motorists
should replace tires that were more than 10 years old, regardless of
wear.

The council said tire components dry with age and can separate.
Anti-aging chemicals in tires are active only when a tire is in use,
the council said. The council went on to say that spare tires, tires
in storage or on a shelf, or tires that spend a long time on a trailer
or a recreational vehicle run the risk of premature aging.

In the United States, consumers and tire dealers must decipher part of
a serial number engraved on one side of a tire to determine the date
it was manufactured. But there are no set recommendations on how old
is too old for a tire.

Donald Shea, president of the Rubber Manufacturers Association, a
Washington lobbying group, said the tire industry was conducting
research on tire aging, but there is no data to suggest any specific
age makes a tire less sturdy.

Tire makers are concerned that putting an expiration date on tires
would give consumers a false sense of security that younger tires are
safe, regardless of driving conditions, maintenance or wear.

"We've got safety concerns," Shea said. "But we would like to make a
decision based on data."

Kane urged NHTSA administrator Jeffrey Runge to issue an advisory to
consumers as the agency considers the petition.

NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said the agency had not yet had a chance to
review the petition and could not comment. By law, NHTSA officials
have 120 days to reject or accept it.

Tyson said NHTSA is conducting research on tire aging at its testing
facility in Ohio. Researchers are trying to come up with procedures to
replicate the natural aging process. When its research is complete,
NHTSA expects to include some kind of aging test in its tire
manufacturing standards.

Four years ago, NHTSA turned its attention to tires when 271 people
died and more than 700 were injured when Firestone tires on Ford SUVs
failed. After two recalls of Firestone tires, federal officials have
advised consumers to pay closer attention to tire wear and
maintenance, including proper air pressure.

"We've done a great deal to make consumers aware of tire issues
because of the failures we've seen over the past few years," Tyson
said.

Kane is not alone in considering tire aging an important safety issue.

Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator who heads Public Citizen,
a consumer group based in Washington, said Congress called for tougher
tire-aging improvements in the TREAD Act, the legislation passed
following the recall of Firestone tires.

Claybrook said it was clear that tire materials degrade over long
periods of time. NHTSA should consider consumer advisories and
improved labeling, as well as limits on how old a tire can be when it
is sold.

"I just don't think people should be selling older tires," Claybrook
said.

Although U.S. consumers have paid little attention to the age of
tires, overseas tire manufacturers and auto companies have tried to
warn consumers about the dangers of older tires.

The British Rubber Manufacturers Association in 2001 issued a
recommendation that "unused tyres should not be put into service if
they are over 6 years old and that all tyres should be replaced after
10 years from the date of their manufacture."

Volkswagen AG, BMW AG, Toyota Motor Co.p. and Mercedes-Benz warn U.S.
consumers about aging tires.

In its owner's manuals, Volkswagen warns motorists that old tires can
fail in use, causing loss of vehicle control and personal injury. They
are advised to replace tires after six years, regardless of wear.

Kane faults the U.S. tire industry for not following up on research
highlighting the aging tire issue. Industry guidelines would help
ensure consumers receive a warning when they buy a car.

"Tire dealers are at the front line of this, and they have been
abandoned by the manufacturers," Kane said. "There are no guidelines."
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Makes you wonder about storing tires a set of tires for a couple
years, remounting them back up, and then zipping down the highway on
them, doesn't it?

Patrick
'93 Cobra
'83 LTD