The Importance of Tire Maintenance

Frank recently retired and was excited to take his 1970 Plymouth Cuda out more often during his newfound free time. Frank loved his car but during his later working years he didn’t get many opportunities to drive his prized auto. Over the previous decade, Frank frequently tended to his Cuda and kept up with basic maintenance to avoid any issues with his vehicle. Frank never really thought to check were the tires since he rarely took the vehicle out on the road.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Frank took his Cuda out for a ride on the highway. As he was gaining speed, the front right tire blew and the tread flew off. The distraction caused Frank to lose control of his vehicle striking a median on the highway. Luckily Frank was not hurt and no other vehicles were involved, but the freed tread damaged the fender and door area.

After having his vehicle towed to the body shop, Frank immediately reported the incident to Condon Skelly’s claims handling team. After completing the investigation and appraisal, it was determined that the failure was due to the age of the tire. Our claims team quickly completed the appraisal and issued payment to the body shop. Frank’s collector car was road ready in no time!

Frank thought his tires were perfectly fine to be on the road. The tread depth was in good condition as was the tire pressure. Frank did not even think about the fact that his tires were nearly 12 years old. As hard as it may be to dispose of an old tire with a healthy looking tread, that is exactly what Frank should have done. Studies show that a tire older than 7 years, regardless of use, poses an increased risk of failure. The chance of a failure increases significantly after 10 years.

Proper maintenance is key to protecting your collector vehicle and avoiding accidents. It is also important to clean up after an afternoon in the garage with your vehicle. Click here to read about the dangers of spontaneous combustion and how to prevent it.