3 + 1 different tire

[John105]

Just to allow for a reality check...I've never used a spare tire in a very long time (I'm hesitant to say how long it shows age lol). I do swap snow tires on 2/3 cars, and it's the 8 rim/8 tires scenario.

My 2006 Lexus has the original full sized spare and alloy rim (was a nice touch back then to get an alloy not steel) with grease markings from the factory and the red and yellow dots on the tire sidewall. I don't really want to spend $205 on a new tire to have it sit the rest of the car's life in the trunk.

It's against the law to change a tire on most of the roadways that I drive on.

My 2007 car doesn't even have a spare, it never came with one.

We're probably overthinking it and it truly boils down to money. If you have it, by all means, just change it out. If you don't have that much money to spend on something that may never be used, then imho you'll be ok as well. my .02

Going back to me saying how long, just from what I've told that's 16 years. But, you could add another 19 to that number hahahahahaha and over that span I have never needed a spare tire. That's why car cos do a calculation and remove it from many vehicles today, cost.

 

[IndyIan]

Would you be fine if a tire shop sold you a set of 5 year old tires from their basement?

They degrade over time wether they're used or not. Keep it as a spare and replace 4 or replace it with them and work it into the rotation.

I actually bought a set of new Xice tires from the local GM dealer that were 6 years old, unmounted, and had been sitting in the back corner of their warehouse the whole time. Someone set them aside for somebody way back when and nobody could remember anything about them, so they sold them. They did advertise them through kijiji(better version of craigslist), but they also mounted and balanced for me and I paid at the regular till? Anyways I was kind of hoping they hardened up a bit over the years as I was just running them year round on my 03 Tracker, but they were still pretty soft and wore fairly fast in the couple summers they were used before the vehicle was taken off the road.
I think I paid $250 for the set all in, which was around 1/2 price of the tires alone, so it was a decent deal.
From that experience, I would buy all my tires that way if I could!

 

[John105]

I actually bought a set of new Xice tires from the local GM dealer that were 6 years old, unmounted, and had been sitting in the back corner of their warehouse the whole time. Someone set them aside for somebody way back when and nobody could remember anything about them, so they sold them. They did advertise them through kijiji(better version of craigslist), but they also mounted and balanced for me and I paid at the regular till? Anyways I was kind of hoping they hardened up a bit over the years as I was just running them year round on my 03 Tracker, but they were still pretty soft and wore fairly fast in the couple summers they were used before the vehicle was taken off the road.
I think I paid $250 for the set all in, which was around 1/2 price of the tires alone, so it was a decent deal.
From that experience, I would buy all my tires that way if I could!

Do you know people say to throw away baby seats after 6 years? Can you imagine? Some of these cost upwards of $300 new. It's pretty unlikely that a baby would be harmed after 6 years and 1 day. why do car mfgs say 6 years on tires and tire mfgs 10 years, it sounds a bit arbitrary? Then, when a tire has dry rot in 2 years, Michelin states that's fine? It's cosmetic? It's like a EPA mileage estimate (self-reported) or a fox in a hen house if you ask me.

My snow tires on my garage queen are from 2008. 4 years beyond 10. I'm not gonna just get new tires at $300+ each when my treads are barely worn and they don't see much duty (try to avoid driving in snow, but I do want snows for temps below 38F as well. Where I live, we can go into the city and get tires for cheap ($20-$50) if we want to, those I'm a bit afraid of (say it were driven on flat). But for tires I got new, I'm ok. Just like I'm ok with food beyond expiration (I've been told food shelters will take some stuff 2 years beyond expiration (like dry pasta)). We waste so much here because we can, so again, it's nice to be able to simply throw things away, but it's up to the individual.

 

[atikovi]

Do you know people say to throw away baby seats after 6 years? Can you imagine? Some of these cost upwards of $300 new.

If your 6 year old kid still rides in his baby seat, you've got other kinds of problems.

 

[John105]

The idea is a couple could have more than one child, or want to pass the seat down to a friend or relative. Anyway just pointing out sometimes the entity who says something expires in exactly x years, may have some reason for doing so, and to each his own.

 

[Astro14]

The idea is a couple could have more than one child, or want to pass the seat down to a friend or relative. Anyway just pointing out sometimes the entity who says something expires in exactly x years, may have some reason for doing so, and to each his own.

Like expiration dates on food, medicine, and other perishables, there is risk in going past the date. The manufacturer of the item in question knows that the materials degrade with time, and degrade faster with exposure to heat, ozone, chemicals, or hard use.

You might be perfectly OK with going past those dates.

I am not.

Particularly when it comes to the safety of my family.

 

[RooflessVW]

If your 6 year old kid still rides in his baby seat, you've got other kinds of problems.

My kids have all had lifetime seats, which go from 6 months and eventually convert to a booster until they're ready to come out of it.

 

[DuckRyder]

Car seats same as mc helmets, foam degrades and may lose its ability to perform.

Is it really worth the risk.

 

[John105]

Car seats same as mc helmets, foam degrades and may lose its ability to perform.

Is it really worth the risk.

We're a first world country, we have plenty of people who can throw away a tire based on a date, and a car seat. that doesn't mean they are no longer useful or unsafe, especially to those who don't have the ability to throw things away as freely. Again, I'll point out the DOT and the tire mfg being off by 4 years on a tire. %-wise, that's 66.667%, not close at all. We need to use our best judgement and pocketbook when we make these decisions, imho. Is there any data regarding the risk?