[DeTomaso] FW: Old tires sold as New Tires

[Christopher Kimball]

What I did was purchase, from Griot's Garage, these nifty little tire valve caps with LEDs in them.  After pumping each tire to the correct pressure, one only needs to screw them on the valve stem and they automatically adjust to that tire's correct pressure.  If the pressure drops below a few pounds of where it started, the little LEDs start blinking.  At $25 per set they are more expensive than the cheaper ones out there, but they are more precise.  

I used them on both our daily drivers, but for the Pantera I still prefer the cool aluminum caps with the DeTomaso logo (I bought those at the Fun rally).

Chris
#3846

> From: MikeLDrew at aol.com
> Date: Fri, 4 Jul 2008 23:50:59 -0400
> To: mbefthomas at comcast.net; DeTomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] FW: Old tires sold as New Tires
> 
> 
> In a message dated 7/4/08 17 57 18, mbefthomas at comcast.net writes:
> 
> 
> > Since every Pantera has tires, I figured that was the Pantera content.  I
> > had no idea that old tires were this big a problem.  Makes us all stop and
> > think.
> > 
> 
> What I think is that the failures of these tires are almost assuredly 
> attributed to underinflation, not age.   An astounding percentage of Americans cruise 
> around without sufficient air in their tires; many people don't even know how 
> to check the air or add any!
> 
> >From the Tire Rack website:
> 
> Disadvantages of Underinflation
> An underinflated tire can't maintain its shape and becomes flatter than 
> intended while in contact with the road. If a vehicle's tires are underinflated by 
> only 6 psi it could weaken the tire's internal structure and eventually lead 
> to tire failure. Lower inflation pressures will allow more deflection as the 
> tire rolls. This will build up more internal heat, increase rolling resistance 
> (causing a reduction in fuel economy of up to 5%) and reduce the tire's tread 
> life by as much as 25% while increasing the probability of irregular treadwear. 
> Drivers would also find a noteworthy loss of steering precision and cornering 
> stability. While 6 psi doesn't seem excessively low, it typically represents 
> about 20% of a passenger car tire's recommended pressure.
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
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