Paul Walker was killed by old tires.

That Porsche is widely known as a vicious car. The car he was in just purchased used. It had very low miles. They didn’t change the tires. The treadwear looked great. But that’s not all that matters. After a few years the delicate chemical composition breaks down. A supercar tire is a complex thing. It’s not just tread that gives you grip. It’s formulated specifically for that car, certain formula. Most super cars have tires that you are supposed to buy every time, that are made just for that car.

They drove that car thinking it would handle the way it should. The turn could have been taken at an enormous rate of speed in good tires. Both were skilled drivers. They were deceived and were on tires that looked good. But they were not. Might as well have been Prius commuter tires.

The tires broke free when they shouldn’t have, was not expected by the driver at that speed, and they crashed. The driver wasn’t expecting it, as a guy that knows when to expect tires to begin to break free. It’s like dancing once you race enough. It makes sounds. It has a feel. This time it broke free way too soon.

A simple mistake. But fatal. You don’t always get a second chance. They should have swapped fresh tires on that car immediately, knowing that tread life isn’t the only factor in tire health. It’s a chemical product that breaks down like anything else and loses the magic that makes a super car adhere to the ground.

I leaned this myself putting old unused tires from storage on a car and taking it to the track. They looked great. Barely any wear. But they behaved like butter. Went off the track twice in places that people don’t go off, because the tires behaved 100% differently than I expected. They had no grip. Zero. Even worse, they got hot, chunks of tire were being pulled off. Falling apart. Took the car in and talked to a Hoosier Tire rep who was on site selling tires, and he knew why in an instant.

More to a tire than tread depth and appearance. Don’t use old ones. They don’t work.