Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire those silly brits - tyre groover

I bet this was completely safe on those bias ply tires

The only way that could have been worse is if it was powered by electricity and made by Lucas. Then, it would have been dangerous AND non-functional.

They made tires differently back then.

They were thicker in the tread pattern.

When did the Brits ever make a car that would run long enough to wear out a tire?

A kid I know just bought a couple sets of “Remolded” mud grips for a couple old 1 ton Chevys they use for moving hay. Got a heck of a deal at $60 a tire. Took them to the COOP and had them mounted up. Had the first one separate and swell a big banana right in the middle of the tread in less than 3 miles, never got over 30mph. Heck of a bargain!

50 years ago I bought a set of 'blem' snow tires for the back of my car, no warranty, no returns. Turned out that they were blems because they were out of round and couldn't be balanced. They bounced badly over 30 mph.

+1 with reference to Lucas.

The Brits were the best mechanics going - they sure got a lot of practice!

I couldn't estimate the number of tires that I have grooved or siped in my lifetime, by hand. Electric groovers and cold siper. Probably 5000 or more (o.k. I guess I just estimated.)

The ad seems dated, which would put it in the period of bias ply tires vs. the relatively modern radial tire. Bias tires have more tread depth than do radial tires and are more receptive to "home" grooving. Nothing wrong with it. Plus, it's doubtful that the autos of the day ever reached the performance limit, or speed rating as it's now understood, of the tires.

Bespoke tires.

IIRC Alan Kulwicki grooved his own tires on dirt tracks.

On dirt tracks, everybody grooves their own tires.

Four and six?

Four shillings and six pence, or a half crown and two shillings.

Prob’ly about 1966.

At which time on Saturdays I was standing outside the North Shore Train Station with my brother and a wooden “trolley” (cart made with baby carriage wheels).

As the holidaymakers emerged from the station with their bags we’d ask “Carry your bags, mister?” and walk them to their B&B pulling their bags on our trolley.

On a good day you could make five bob, which of course was four and six plus two tanners 😎)

I have seen that done 40 some years ago.

There have been times when the Brits have been doing it pretty tough, and where stretching the life of tyres by regrooving them might have made a deal of sense. The Great Depression, followed by WWII, followed by a rather lengthy period following the war where was struggling with the aftermath of a protracted war, peacetime industry was struggling to get back on its feet and the country was having to pay enormous debts incurred during WWII (and substantial amounts still being paid off from WWI. There was rationing of various commodities until the 1950s, though I'm not sure when tyre rationing stopped.

Besides, as has been said, regrooving is not uncommon outside the UK. There was a time when racing "wets" were made by hand-cutting slicks, for example, and I've seen regrooved truck tyres too.

Manufacturers today still make tyres that are deemed (by the manufacturer) as suitable for re-grooving.

There are federal regulations in place for the process of regrooving.

Here's one of the many options available.

https://www.amazon.com/Ideal-902-000-Tire-Groover/dp/B004AW7XYU

P


Find a guy who's ever raced on dirt that hasn't used one of them and you've found something!
I like to have a dollar for every time I used one.
7mm

I ain't grooving no bald-ass road tire.