[Shop-talk] suv tires and oil question

[Bob Spidell]

I inherited a '96 Ranger and 2000 Lincoln LS; the Ranger gets farm 
duties and the Lincoln is the designated grocery-getter. The Great State 
of California is kind enough to send me a reminder every two years to 
change their oil, top them up with fresh gas--sometimes I throw a bottle 
of Techron in the tank--clean/replace air filters and get them smogged. 
Oh, and send the state a check for their helpfulness.

Costco now sells 5W-30 full synthetic in 5qt. containers cheaper than 
they used to sell mineral oils, and they ship for free! The Ranger, 
Lincoln, Honda ATV, zero-turn mower, edger, rototiller and squirrel 
gasser all get the syn (eventually, when some old 10W-30 gets used up). 
The old Ford tractors (2) get the cheapest 10W-40 I can find with free 
shipping and the Healeys get Valvoline 20W-50 Racing Oil loaded with 
ZDDP (stocking up before the State bans it; I got about a 15-year supply 
plus filters). The Mustang GT/Bullitt gets 'free oil changes for life' 
from the dealer--good thing, the Coyote takes 10qts!--and I have a 
gallon or two of Ford's ubiquitous 5W-20  Semi-Syn for top-ups.  My 
'collection' sits on the shelf for a while; I have to remember to shake 
the bottles before using as some of the additives will settle to the bottom.

The biggest PITA? Properly disposing of the used oil.


On 8/29/2022 12:43 PM, PJ McGarvey wrote:
> Side note: Recently bought a Ford Cobra 8.8 diff that was a NOS piece 
> from a closed dealership. Date tag was 1997. I opened it up and the 
> diff oil had turned to white paste, it smelled awful but had a 
> definite gear oil aroma. These had the Trak-Lok "limited slip" so it's 
> possible the modifier additive had separated, but I checked with a few 
> experts and all agreed it was safe to run after cleaning it out.
>
> So after 25 years, I can confirm that oil does "go bad".
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Shop-talk <shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of Gene 
> Garrison <gene at garrison-grafixx.com>
> *Sent:* Monday, August 29, 2022 11:54 AM
> *To:* shop-talk at autox.team.net <shop-talk at autox.team.net>
> *Subject:* Re: [Shop-talk] suv tires and oil question
>
> I'm glad you brought that up.  I've always wondered about changing oil.
>
> So oil sitting in bottles on the shelf doesn't "go bad". Right?
>
> Then why does oil sitting in a rarely used engine need to be changed?  
> I know it now has contaminants and such in it, but those aren't going 
> to cause it to degrade, are they?
>
> - GeneG
>
> On 8/29/22 03:59, Jeff Scarbrough wrote:
>> I just replaced a set of trailer tires that had less than 2500 miles 
>> on them because they were ten years old and definitely showing it.
>>
>> I consider tires to be like oil - they should be changed at a mileage 
>> or time interval, whichever comes first.  It's just something you 
>> have to budget for.
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 29, 2022, 02:04 Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net 
>> <mailto:bspidell at comcast.net>> wrote:
>>
>>     re: "How many years can a set of tires go ..."
>>
>>     Subject to debate, and how the tires are maintained. Some--often
>>     people who make and sell tires--insist six years is the limit,
>>     regardless of mileage, and if the tires are constantly exposed to
>>     extreme weather and mileage that's not unreasonable. OTOH, if the
>>     tires are kept in a garage not subject to temperature extremes
>>     and are only used 'around town' you can usually go more, 7 or 8
>>     years wouldn't be too risky. At any rate, going beyond 10 years
>>     is pushing your luck.
>>
>>     BUT ... for an SUV I'd be more cautious and probably observe the
>>     6-year 'rule.' SUVs and other trucks are top heavy and a
>>     catastrophic failure--i.e. a blowout--esp. on a front tire can
>>     cause the vehicle to roll over. Ford just got slapped with a $1B+
>>     liability charge for an old truck that had a blowout, rolled, and
>>     the cab squashed the elderly occupants. A couple decades ago Ford
>>     got slammed when some incorrect, improperly inflated Firestone
>>     tires--Ford and Firestone go WAY back--caused some fatal rollover
>>     accidents with some Explorers.
>>
>>     My rule of thumb: If I find myself worrying about my tires, it's
>>     time for new. Your tires are only three years (+/-) old and,
>>     unless they're showing 'checking'--cracking--or other damage they
>>     should be good for at least a couple more years. Check your tire
>>     pressures regularly (at least once a month).
>>
>>
>>
>>     On 8/28/2022 9:19 PM, Shannah Miller wrote:
>>>     Thank you, Ian, for commenting to the group.  I will
>>>     need tires at some point, and that's good to know.
>>>
>>>     That said, my car is the spare car of the family, and
>>>     has had the same tires since 2019.  How many years
>>>     can a set of tires go if they are just mostly used to
>>>     putt around town?  (My car has not quite 10,000 miles
>>>     on it.)
>>>
>>>     Thanks,
>>>     Shannah
>>>
>>>     On Sun, Aug 28, 2022 at 7:20 PM Ian McFetridge
>>>     <shop-talk2 at mcfetridge.org <mailto:shop-talk2 at mcfetridge.org>>
>>>     wrote:
>>>
>>>         I have had the Michelin Defender LTX on my pickup since fall
>>>         2020 and they are wearing well, ride smooth and quiet.  I’ve
>>>         used Michelins on trucks since I worked in the tire dept at
>>>         Sam’s in college.  They always took the least amount of
>>>         weights to balance and had the least returns for issues or
>>>         to rebalance.  The manager at Costco said that is all still
>>>         true when I bought the last set.  YMMV :)
>>>
>>>         Best
>>>         Ian
>>>
>>>         On Sun, Aug 28, 2022 at 8:03 PM john niolon <jniolon at att.net
>>>         <mailto:jniolon at att.net>> wrote:
>>>
>>>             shop content... I drive my suburban into my shop
>>>             time for tires... always used Michelin for the last 20
>>>             years with good service... Vehicle is 2008 Suburban 1500
>>>             with 95% highway or town ...no off road
>>>             occasional towing my hobby truck to shows on 20' car
>>>             hauler (once or twice a year with load equalizing
>>>             hitch...)  Looking at reviews on my first choice
>>>             Michelin Defender LTX/MS
>>>             275/55-20. The reviews talk a lot about road noise and
>>>             rough ride..... My current Michelin Defenders  (bought
>>>             in Jan 2016 ride smooth and wear well.. 76K miles on
>>>             them so far)
>>>             I just turned 75 and this might be my last set of tires
>>>             Grinning Face with Smiling Eyes … so I'm looking for
>>>             your thoughts on Michelin or others afa mileage, ride,
>>>             noise etc.
>>>             thanks
>>>             john
>>>
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