Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

[William M.]

I have original Firestone 500 GR70-15 radials that I use only for judging on my '73. As most are aware, these tires were recalled long ago.

I happened to have one in my spare tire tub when I heard a loud pop from the back of my car. I didn't think much of it, figuring I just ran over something in the road. Well, the next time I dropped the spare, here's what I found ...






Needless to say, this is graphic evidence that it's not a good idea to drive on old tires. The darn thing exploded just laying in the carrier. Imagine if it was mounted on the car!

[Terry M.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

A friend who has (maybe had, it was up for sale) a 1974 with something like 400 miles on it found one tire that looked like that, but it was on the car. It expires while the car was in storage.

[Steve L.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

Two of mine split a sidewall back about 1974. One had the wires poke through the rubber something like the picture about 1980. Then, I ran over a lump of snow which caused a bulge in the sidewall. The last one I still have.

I had grief from the Firestone rep over the ones with the slits. He claimed someone slit the tires, but the slit was always on the inside and was near impossible to slit with a knife. They replaced those ones, pro-rated.

Never trusted Firestone after that and have never bought Firestone since.

[Duke W.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

Early Firetone and Goodyear radials were junk.

I never had any problems with European radials (Michelin and Pirelli) from 1964 to the eighties, including race track hot lapping, and Japanese radials since the nineties.

Brand doesn't mean much anymore. For example the Dunlop brand was owned by Sumitomo for a couple of decades beginning in the eighties I think, but is now owned by Goodyear.

If you buy high speed rated tires - H or above - failures are very rare. A high speed rated tire has to be manufactured with better materials and processes to pass the high speed tests.

I doesn't matter is you never plan on driving over 80 MPH, a high speed rated tire is just more durable and safe.

Duke

[William M.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

So I think I'm good on originality but I might be a little weak on condition

[Peter G.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

William..thanks for the pictures of the results of the Firestone 500 tire. I remember them well back in 1975. Had a set on my new '76 Corvette.

Also I see a new award for you and your beautiful '73! Congrats on the "Top Flight" Award at the NCRS 2010 Convention.

Also you have a PM.

[Stuart F.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

I once had a set of Firestone Radials that were white lettered. I took them off a friend's 75 because of the recall, but found the serial numbers were just out of the range of the recall, so I got stuck with them. When my son was trailering my 63 down to Arkansas to play with on his air base, he had the tires with him in the rental van. He got to talking with a fellow at a wayside who had a 75 or 76 Vette, and ended up selling them to him for $400.. I thought we'd be stuck with them for life. Go figure.

Stu Fox

[Glenn B.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

Bill,
Did this happen since Charlotte; hows the right front holding?

Glenn

[Brooks G.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

Guys, back in 1973 I worked for Firestone as a salesman in one of their retail stores. I still remember the "Steel Radial 500". There were lots of problems with those tires having the belts separate and the tire just disintergrating while driving down the road. I personally did a number of tire adjustments on Steel Radial 500's. At times I almost cringed when a customer drove in with a set on his or her car as I knew a tire adjustment was coming. I later had a friend who bought a new '77 Corvette. Unfortunately it came with Steel Radial 500's. One day while driving home from work the right rear tire disintegrated. The right rear quarter panel looked like an explosion had taken place and ripped it from the rest of the body. Unfortunately my friend had the passenger window rolled down and chunks of the tire came in and injured him. Luckily it was nothing serious. All of the tires were replaced and I believe (if my memory serves me right) that Firestone paid to have his car repaired. I do not own a 1973 to 1977 Corvette. If I did, I would have to take a hit on judging rather than run Firestone Steel Radial 500's that I consider unsafe. Brooks Glover (2141)

[Oliver B.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

I think, nobody here would reasonably be running tires THAT old other than onto/off the judging field.....

Still, I would love to have/get (SAFE!) repros of the 500 for my '77! They look plain cool.

[Peter G.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

I too have a set of the Firestone 500s, but just for NCRS judging purposes. They are on the car and on the ground from the trailer to the Judging Field and back to the trailer only. The rubber on the tires are as hard as cement!. And per one of the messages on the board demonstrates, the tires don't have to be on the ground and rolling. They can still blowup just sitting in a spare tire tub!

Because most the tires were probably retrieved by Firestone on the Recall, if you can find a set of these tires, that is going to make them more expensive to obtain.

The tire does judge perfect for originality. Zero deduct. Just condition to consider.

[Michael W.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

So I think I'm good on originality but I might be a little weak on condition

Use this as one of the road wheels and park the car with the bad spot at the bottom. Nobody will notice.

[Paul J.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

"Do you know what a kamakazi wagon is? It's a Pinto with Firestone 500 radials."

I don't remember the comedian, but it may have been Johnny Carson.

[William M.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

Bill,
Did this happen since Charlotte; hows the right front holding?

Glenn

No, I discovered this before Charlotte when we were doing some rear end work and had to drop the spare. I got a call from the corvette shop saying, "Bill, you don't seem to be the type that would carry a spare like this ... maybe you should come and look at it ...".

The right front held with the Fix-A-Flat. I will always remember Charlotte for getting 30 points out of 30 for my tires with one of them being flat. That and the 3 '73 Top Flight amigos (even if yours was upside down):

[Oliver B.]

Re: Firestone 500's - why they were recalled

"Do you know what a kamakazi wagon is? It's a Pinto with Firestone 500 radials."

Good.

I still have one of my original 500's - the spare... It's SO cool looking.......