Tires and Paul Walker

[husker boxster]

So many random thoughts...

First, good article about the accident. 9 yr old tires were probably the leading factor to the accident, but that's not sexy enough for the media and lawyers won't win any suits against tire makers when the tires are that old, so they go after the manufacturer.

Cold tires... Both my Caymans came with PS2s that were a few yrs old. Both sets were not good DE tires and took almost a lap at my local track to warm up. Since I'd start in the back of my run group knowing the other guys would be going like a bat outta hell, it didn't take long for them to lap me. But I couldn't hit the track full blast with cold tires or I'd be doing some agricultural driving. Thstone, at least you only ended up with just a bruised ego. I saw someone pancake his 3 yr old CS on a cold, wet track (first session of the day). Those become expensive lessons.

Buying tires... Tires are so subjective and so plentiful, it can be difficult to know what to buy. Look at the comments on TireRack and one person says they're great tires and the next one says they're the worst tires ever. Start a thread and you'll get just as many divergent opinions. Since our tires run approx. $1K / set, you don't want to make a mistake. Bridgestone alone makes a half dozen tires for our cars. Add in the summer tire / all season decision and it becomes overwhelming. And technology changes quickly so the tires you bought last time may be outdated the next time you buy. Does anyone eliminate a tire based on its tread pattern? I have.

Original tires... With the current craze of older cars selling at auction in original condition, I wonder how many people then drive those cars with those old tires? Or buying low mileage 986s with their original tires? Do the seller or buyer know that's a problem or do they think it's cool? Does the seller buy a new set of tires or discount the price so the buyer can buy the set he / she needs (due to so many choices)?

OK, done scatter shooting.