Old RA1s, worth a gamble?

Well, i need a very specific size of tire for the MX6 that isn't really "common" anymore.

Found a set of RA1s already mounted to a set of wheels i wanted anyways. They were heat cycled, then never used. Still have stickers on them.

The bad news? The date code looks like 4204. (42nd week of 2004, right?)

Are these even worth a damn? I'm not necessarily looking to compete with them, at most, they might see the GRM Challenge + one other event. Mostly just street driving to and from work.

The big advantage here is that it could potentially save me a good $600-$700 vs. buying brand new tires. (After i subtract the price i'd be willing to pay for the wheels alone.)

How were they stored? UV and air cause the most damage, if they were packed away in the dark then they might be okay for a couple of events. If not, then make sure you have spares with you at the event and use them up.

It's 2013. That is 7yrs and a bunch of weeks old. It's a crap shoot at this point. I would not add anything over the cost of the wheels to buy them but... I would try to run them before I paid to unmount them if they are still soft to a fingernail poke and we are talking auto-x or other parking lot sports... if I was going to be cornering on them near armco at race speeds I might do it with a little less enthusiasm. Old tires sometimes de-laminate (read: come flying apart) when hot.

In reply to turboswede:

"Somewhat climate controlled(never below 55 and in a garage)"

Picture of said tires.....

berkeley it, run 'em

Are those more FD five-spokes? Awesome wheels!

Do it!!

I would run them

Ok, i'll offer him what i'd pay for the wheels, then, and if i get 'em, cool!

Last summer i ran an old set of RS2s that were probably 5 years old at that point, and decidedly not round. They seemed to be fine. Not as grippy as they once were, but still pretty damn grippy. Stored outside on a car for years, all year round.

These couldn't possibly be worse, right?

That's really freaking old, although the tires look almost new...being worth nothing, they might be worth a try. It wouldn't be dangerous at least to use them for autocross. If they're crusty, make a burnout video.

pres589 wrote: Are those more FD five-spokes? Awesome wheels!

Yep!

I'd recommend a good heat cycling before you really lean on 'em. I have a set of RA1s that were starting to get wooden; couple good laps of Thunderhill brought 'em right back.

Swank Force One wrote:

pres589 wrote: Are those more FD five-spokes? Awesome wheels!

Yep!

Ben, as you may recall , I have a set of those as well...that I don't much need...

Those look like full tread, I'd shave them, run them not expecting much and see what happens.

I know my Nitto NT01's weren't all that grippy after sitting around for 2 seasons.

As with any older tires, I would inspect them very carefully for age cracks, both in the sidewalls and in the tread grooves. Cracks would be an indicator that the rubber is deteriorating, and they also can let the water from the road seep into the structure of the tire. That said, I have tires much older than those that are still fine. And tires much newer than those that started cracking.

I autocross on RA1s that other people throw away. In fact I just took my car to the dragstrip on a crusty old set. If they're cheap enough, I'd run the piss out of them. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the first to know, then remove them and move on with life.

If it were me I'd run me so long as there wasn't any dry rotting and the tread is still soft.

Ok thanks guys, i made my offer. Hopefully he's not insulted.

Just to add what I know I bought a set of RA1 a number of years ago and they had production dates of 2004. I think this was in 2006. They were for the car that I was just getting started building. The car was for road racing in IT. The build took longer then expected and it wasn't until 2010 that I actually ran the car on those tires. I didn't go through drivers school until 2011 and still have those tires! I do have a set of BFG's for actually racing but the RA1 will be used for testing and open track days to save the race tires.

The tries are still holding air, no cracks, and when heated up still give good grip. They also wear quite well.

I bought a set from the classifieds here 4+ years ago. They are still freakin awesome. They ignore physics of getting old.

Last year I asked the Hoosier engineers how long the A6s should last if stored indoors. They thought it would be several years before there was any significant performance degradation.

RA1s only get better the worse you abuse them, For hard use I'd have 'em shaved to 6/32 - My tire guy, Paul at Radial Tire in Silver Spring MD (shameless and thoroughly deserved plug) swears RA1s last longer in the dry if they start out shaved. I believe him.

Shaving would also get you back down to rubber that hadn't gassed out all the volatile deliciousness that makes them so grippy and gives your car that intoxicating stench when you leave a set in the car for a week in July when you're too lazy to unload when you get home from VIR exhausted and with mild heat stroke.

i have a set of RA1's on my e30 M3 that i mounted up this last spring and autocrossed all season. i got mine for free from a bmw clubracer who used them to drive to the track and as a backup rain tire... like 6 years ago, and they sat in my mother's basement out of the sun the whole time. run em!

The RA1s I bought to prep for the first Targa in 2007 or so are still seeing regular track use on another car. So I'd rock 'em.

A note about shaving. Most places won't shave a tire that's been driven for a fear of embedded debris. Not a problem with these guys, as they appear to be undriven. But FYI.

I've had good luck with Formula V Traction treatment reviving old R-comps. I kept my last set in the garage, never below 45 degrees, wrapped in black garbage bags, and they were still working reasonably well when they were (gulp) 9 years old. These were Kumho V700s. No visible cracking or other deterioration indications. So keep 'em out of the UV and that will help a lot.

I'd run 'em.