Re:Was NCT's in Concours Now Safety

["jtrealty@xxxx " <jtrealty@xxxx>]

In concours safety is not the primary issue, origionality and 
authenticity is. If safety was important then why are the rules 
looking for the origional fan circuit breakers, door module, fan fail 
relay, plastic coolant bottle and on and on. Some cars have burnt to 
death because of some of these "origional" parts. Tires should be the 
least of your safety concerns. I know of no posts to this list or any 
owner complaints because their 20 year old NCT's failed them a la 
firestone-bridgestone. If ANYONE can say that they had an NCT tire 
fail them please post to the list.(Not just a flat or hitting a curb).
As far as tires in a concours with all things being equal the car with 
the NCT's should get more points.In some concours for other makes if 
you have the "recalled" rims on your car you get more points and it is 
really hard to get those rims and they are EXPENSIVE, let safety be 
dammed. In other concours there are no point deductions for safety 
related items such as seat belts, safety glass, or turn signals. This 
all comes down to "He who has the GOLD writes the rules". If you don't 
agree with the rules as they exist either accept them the way they are 
or if enough people care then we can change them. I for one would like 
to see more standardization with other associations like the AACA so 
that we will be able to compete in their concours without rebuilding 
the car or comprimising safety.
David Teitelbaum
vin 10757




--- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx, kkoncelik@xxxx wrote:
> Tires break down in various ways. The most common is UV degredation 
which 
> takes its toll on rubber. The cracking and crazing is a result of 
that and 
> if you keep the car outside in sunlight it will deteriorate faster. 
There are 
> dressings you can put on your tires that will block UV and help 
preserve the 
> tires and keep them from "Dry Rot". I also cover the tires when not 
in use 
> further blocking UV light.
> I have a friend at Firestone ( He is looking for another job) and he 
> indicated that if properly stored the tires can last many many years 
(beyond 
> 20). But no matter what you do the tires will still deteriorate at 
some rate.
> 
> I have a car with 5,000 miles on it and the NCT's are original. 
They are in 
> excellent shape and I have no problem driving them. They are not 
that stiff 
> either. I did go 900 miles to the Nashville show and do about 200 
miles a 
> year although my car now is more of a trailer queen. 
> 
> I have however seen NCT tires that have cracks and are stiff. Those 
tires I 
> would not feel safe on. Overall if you are not showing the car in 
concourse 
> events and if it were mine I would put on a set of Yokahama tires 
and enjoy a 
> smoother ride. 
> 
> Just my opinion
> 
> Ken
> <A HREF="http://deloreancarshow.com";>DeLorean Car Show</A>