krisfl Posted January 22, 2022 Share Posted January 22, 2022 Hi all, My CR500s are about 7yrs old. Loads of tread on all 4 corners. But at what point do you think the rubber would start to be a bit hard and not as grippy as new? They're a great tyre, So not desperate to spend, but given they're the main thing between me and the hedges... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 22, 2022 Member Share Posted January 22, 2022 The typical answer in these parts is 5 or 6y, unless you know that they've been kept in the most protective conditions.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted January 22, 2022 Leadership Team Share Posted January 22, 2022 I've run CR500s well past 7 years, they're a good tire and the car still felt sweet. Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisfl Posted January 22, 2022 Author Share Posted January 22, 2022 Thanks gents. good to know you've run them past 7 years Stu. Mine also still feel good. I was out today. The temp was only about 4' but they still gripped well after the first few miles. Such a shame they're not made now! I've have to go to ZZS at some point, but... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Geoff Brown Posted January 23, 2022 Area Representative Share Posted January 23, 2022 With tyres of that age - 6+ always check what cannot be seen - the inside face, especially on the rears. Cracking has been known & gone unnoticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 Cracking has been known...Oh so true: JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Kingsley Young Posted January 23, 2022 Area Representative Share Posted January 23, 2022 Be very careful with CR500s These tyres had not done many miles only about 5000 if that , admittedly 8 years old but please check yours !! Kingsley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 To be fair to Avon, one of their design engineers did explain that the cracks were "largely cosmetic", but he also acknowledged that visible cords would very likely result in an MOT fail.JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisfl Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 Some cracking pictures there... BaDum Tss... Joking aside, Thanks for sharing. My fronts are fine, but I'll wedge my head in the rear arch with a torch and have a good look at the inside of the rears. Appriciate the warning! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Toughie Posted January 25, 2022 Leadership Team Share Posted January 25, 2022 If you do get sidewall cracking, it's most likely to be on the front tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Geoff Brown Posted January 25, 2022 Area Representative Share Posted January 25, 2022 Historically cracking has generally occurred to the inside of rear tyres, especially R500s.Irrespective of where on the car this is an obvious safety issue requiring replacement. Definitely an MoT fail & if stopped by Plod who was inquisitive enough to look that would be at least £2000 & three points per corner. If side wall cracks were defined as cosmetic by an Avon 'design engineer' then they must have had some sort of decorative embellishment. I think the term 'engineer' in this case could be very loose in the meaning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SM25T Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 Inside walls of rears on mine. Apparently due to the temperature differential across the tyre. Led me to abandon CR500 tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted January 25, 2022 Leadership Team Share Posted January 25, 2022 The cracking issues were quite some years ago and I suspect the problem tyres are now long gone. I'm running mine quite old because I swap between wheels, mostly a set with the CR500s and a set with ZZSs. Each time the wheels are swapped the tyres get a detailed inspection and cracking simply hasn't been an issue.Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krisfl Posted January 26, 2022 Author Share Posted January 26, 2022 Interesting. Thanks Stu.Mine are all "looking" fine. But I may venture out onto the track this year. So thinking I may just replace them for piece of mind/safety before I do.My car was garaged stored with just 280miles under the wheels in 2016 on the CR500s till May 2021 when I bought it. They have no miles and little UV exposure in that time - perhaps they're OK. Perhaps not! The date stamps are mid 2014 and I've put 4k on them since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkeywood Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 Slightly off topic but the thought of taking my set of 021Rs that have been stored (abandoned?) on rims in an insulated garage for 15 years with less than 100 miles on them to the tip is rather upsetting. And they'll charge me £12 to dump them...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 26, 2022 Member Share Posted January 26, 2022 I can understand that. Might anyone be interested in them for use that doesn't involve public roads?Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkeywood Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 Mine's primarily a track car so could use them but they are probably just too old. My thinking was that if I'm questioning whether I should use them when at least I have some control over how they are used I wouldn't want to pass them on when they could be used in any way, and potentially be party to someone's accident. Maybe find a skid pan and burn the life out of them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerobod - near CYYC Posted January 26, 2022 Share Posted January 26, 2022 Anything older than 10 years can be a bit iffy, even if stored unused inside, due to ozone attack on the rubber bonds. Outside storage can cause surface cracking in less time if the tyres are always in direct sunlight - probably the limiting factor in manufacturers generally suggesting a six year tyre life. If the tyres have been in sealed plastic bags in a room temperature environment, then they may still be in good condition beyond 10 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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