Re: Tire width

Posted by Packard Newbie On 2019/12/2 20:26:51

Re: Tire width

Rubber quality varies greatly from one manufacturer to another. I spent the majority of my working life in the rubber manufacturing/distribution business and GENERALLY SPEAKING, North American made rubber tends to be superior in quality and service life to 'offshore' products, offshore generally referring to Asian-made elastomers. Other than abrasion wear and the heat associated with it, the biggest enemy of rubber is sunlight and UV, which can degrade even the highest quality rubber in prolonged exposure. When I first got my car, it had nylon bias-ply tires that had virtually no wear on the treads, but were severely cracked all over the sidewalls. Even with tubes, these tires presented a significant safety hazard. I took the car to several garages to see if they could figure out what was wrong with it and while none of them wanted to work on the car, they ALL advised me to 'lose' the tires due to the cracking. Tim, I do 'get it' when you say 'quality has gone down the toilet', but I also think if a guy looks long and hard enough, there are still excellent products out there. And, like the president of my company used to say: 'make no mistake about it, gentlemen - quality costs'; and I think that is where a lot of mistakes and concessions are made, we opt for the less expensive product option and then decry the lack of quality. One can't have it both ways, and at the end of the day, its a 'get what you pay for world'. I go to great lengths to find and buy products made in the US or Canada, in everything I buy. There was a time when I would ask a store clerk if they had anything made in this country and they would look at me like goats stare at thunder; they don't anymore. There has been a real resurgence of bringing our manufacturing home and I think it will continue. Makes good sense for our economies, keeps people here in jobs and, at the end of the day, the product quality is superior. Chris