What Did You Do to Your 911 Today?

[Kris Clewell]

I wonder if theres a process for bringing older tires back a little. like a super humid room or something. I just cant stand the tread pattern of new tires....

[CidTito]

I wonder if there is a process for bringing older tires back a little. like a super humid room or something. I just cant stand the tread pattern of new tires....

I am sure the following procedure is certainly not something the tire companies want to be responsible for. I also don't think any of the following procedures are outside of products you can buy at your local auto shop to make tires look better.

Start with a large metal garbage can to hold 4 tires. Make sure tires are not cracked. Have available a way to warm the fluids in the containers.. and have a thermometer available. I would also carefully measure the tires before starting. Place tires inside metal garbage can.


Instructions

OPTION 1 - Restoring Rubber With Ammonia

1 Use ammonia to restore natural rubber. Ammonia is often used to wash bathroom fixtures and can be used for laundry as well. Ensure that the ammonia is pure, and doesn't contain any detergents or other chemicals.

2 Clean the rubber item you are restoring. Scrub it thoroughly with a wire brush and wash it with water until the water dripping from it is perfectly clear.

3 Pour some ammonia into a pot of warm water and immerse the rubber article in the water for 1 to 2 hours. This will be enough time for the ammonia to evaporate. Follow the directions on the ammonia bottle for guidelines as to how much ammonia to add to the water.

4 Restore thicker pieces of tubing by filling them with ammonia water, plugging their ends, and boiling them in a pot of water set to a low boil for 1-2 hours.

OPTION 2 - Restoring Rubber With Glycerine

1 Wash and scrub the rubber item until it is clean.

2 Wrap a wad of cotton in stiff wire that can serve as a handle. A bent coat hanger works well.

3 Heat up the rubber piece in a pot of boiling water.

4 Pull the rubber out of the boiling water, then dip the cotton wad into some glycerine, and wipe down the rubber item with it. Let it dry for 24 hours, then heat the rubber again and wipe it down with more glycerine.

OPTION 3 - Restoring Rubber With Lye

1 Mix up a solution of 95 percent water and 5 percent lye.

2 Heat the lye solution to between 86 and 104 degrees.

3 Immerse the rubber piece in the lye solution for 10 days. You will need to replace the lye regularly, as it will dissolve away.

4 Rinse off the caustic soda that forms on the rubber with water, then scrape the rubber piece with a knife to remove any crusty outer layer. The remaining rubber will be soft and pliable again.


Take out tires.. let dry thoroughly. Carefully rub any Mothers Tire restoration product on the tires. Measure the tires and match to make sure nothing changed. Rubber should look beautiful.

If you are like most people.. you just simply buy new tires and make everyone else live with the tread patterns.

[Kris Clewell]

good grief. that sounds like a nightmare!

[CidTito]

good grief. that sounds like a nightmare!

exactly

hence why Firestone and those guys make such a fortune.

[Kris Clewell]

exactly

hence why Firestone and those guys make such a fortune.

you'd have no idea what your treadwear rating would be, or if they were just going to be slimy tires...or if you'd DIE.

[kentf14]

I'm with DigiK here. Tito's resto process sounds uber dangerous for anything other than a show car. There is no way in h-e-double hockey sticks that I'd drive on "restored" tires. Delamination seems guaranteed.

new tires, or expensive retro looking race tires only.

[CidTito]

I'm with DigiK here. Tito's resto process sounds uber dangerous for anything other than a show car. There is no way in h-e-double hockey sticks that I'd drive on "restored" tires. Delamination seems guaranteed.

new tires, or expensive retro looking race tires only.

Definitely restoring tires is an "IFFY" process. It says on the tire manufacturers booklet to rid the things. Dying, or killing others is a likelihood.
I hope Serge you can find a nice place to get your used tires recycled into something else, like playground material. Sort of like using old rock climbing gear, highly never recommended.

[Veronica87911]

Tito,
I just left them at the tire shop...they have a company that picks them up and recycles them. So far, one thing I noticed is that the Bridgestones are quieter and feel smoother. I need to get them on the highway and do a bit of heat cycling.

[Jack]

I did nothing to my cars today, because it's freezing in Switzerland. Look at my neighbor's 996! Not a nice day to drive. But a good day to watch all the threads on my favorite website…

[Esposito]

I installed a turbo torsion tube in my SCRS re-creation
Next will be the front suspension pick-up points for the anti-dive.