How much tread? I'd still run them, maybe not autocross. Is this your DD?
4.5 years and tires shot?
- Thread starter BMW Dom
- Start date
Shame on the tire companies for the poor life engineered into expensive life dependant products.
JHZR2
Staff member
Interesting I have nearly a decade on my cs-5 on my 1982 300cd and similar with the cs-4 on my 1981 240D, and will have to replace them due to age not mileage.
I’m a growing believer in Walmart USA made tires, believe it or not. At least for certain use cases. The Douglas and Goodyear branded tires have been excellent, roll very smooth with minimal weight, and hold air exceptionally well over time and seasonal changes.
My 6 yr old continentals:
These are Continental PureContact LS tires on our 2007 Honda Accord.
The tires were manufactured in mid 2019 and have been in-service since Dec 2019. Current mileage is 32K. Up until 6 months ago, this car lived inside of a garage.
There is no cracking on the tread blocks or anywhere near the tread itself. However, these cracks have just shown up on 2 of the tires.
Do these tires warrant immediate replacement or can they remain in service?
The tires were manufactured in mid 2019 and have been in-service since Dec 2019. Current mileage is 32K. Up until 6 months ago, this car lived inside of a garage.
There is no cracking on the tread blocks or anywhere near the tread itself. However, these cracks have just shown up on 2 of the tires.
Do these tires warrant immediate replacement or can they remain in service?
I think 4.5 years is about done for a tire. Surface cracks themselves aren’t necessarily an indicator of anything bad. I’ve had many, many tires with surface cracks.
Depending on the temperature extremes your tires face, 5 years could be aging out anyway. I spent a decade in DC, which has greater extremes than one would think. The winters are will have 6+ weeks where the ambient temp never goes above freezing, highs in the upper 20s, lows in the teens or tens. Summers, especially on the beltway, are over 100. I learned with t-shirt membership that any tire up there over 5 years old can blow out, and the car guys and mechanics I met up there didnt even bat an eye - replace after 5 years.
It’s not as cold where I am now, but the summers are brutal and traffic is getting worse with longer commutes in that heat. I expect to follow the same rule here.
I don’t think you got an inferior tire. It’s probably just time. Continental makes IMO some of the best tires.
Depending on the temperature extremes your tires face, 5 years could be aging out anyway. I spent a decade in DC, which has greater extremes than one would think. The winters are will have 6+ weeks where the ambient temp never goes above freezing, highs in the upper 20s, lows in the teens or tens. Summers, especially on the beltway, are over 100. I learned with t-shirt membership that any tire up there over 5 years old can blow out, and the car guys and mechanics I met up there didnt even bat an eye - replace after 5 years.
It’s not as cold where I am now, but the summers are brutal and traffic is getting worse with longer commutes in that heat. I expect to follow the same rule here.
I don’t think you got an inferior tire. It’s probably just time. Continental makes IMO some of the best tires.
I've said here; If I had to choose A SINGLE tire company forever, I'd choose Continental.
This kind of thing intrigues me, but we all get very few shots at getting tires right. i.e., The tires Mavis Tires (a chain in my region) has a tire with a 100k UTQG rating. Can it be true?
However it's done, I need a tire which can stand up to a 3,700 pound car.
JHZR2
Staff member
My 350SD cars are nearly 3600 lbs running 205/65-15 94H/V.
Here are my Barum Bravuris tires (made in Germany), nearly 10 years old (43rd week of 2016). In service for 7 years. No cracking, yet. Tread is still over 50% at 25K miles. Structurally perfect. Dry traction is still very good. Wet traction is OK, not as good as when they were new but not bad. Car is a daily driver, parked in the sun in a corporate parking lot 4x per week in brutal Texas sun and heat. It is kept in the garage on Fridays+weekends. Car weighs 2,800 lbs.
I will keep on driving on these until a problem develops. I've had cheap Chinese tires that cracked and blew out at 6 years old. I've also had Michelins (made in France) that were perfectly fine at 15 years. Country of origin matters more than brand, IMO. Lifetime can vary greatly.
What brand of rubber do you grind?
I'd go to 65 series tires if I knew they'd clear.
JHZR2
Staff member
One 350SD has coopers like my 300cd and 240d, and the other just got those Walmart Goodyear reliant Black Friday specials. They roadforce balanced with minimal weight (none on the outer rim lip) and are extremely smooth.
That doesn’t look terrible by any means. I’d keep an eye on it though. Looks like surface cracking only. Didn’t go to the cords does it? If so, then yes replace now. If it’s just surface cracking it’s fine.
I think of tires along the lines of oil changes. Once in service for a certain period of time, regardless of the mileage, maybe it's just time to replace them, especially on a performance vehicle where they may have a bit more "experience" with lateral g's.
Sun will destroy it in high UV full sun area.
All 4 of my Dunlop SPA2 got sidewall cracked and blew within 3 years despite lowish miles in high sun near desert climate workplace parking lot.
Had them on the Audi. They are definitely a tire which instills confidence in the car's ability to do what you ask of it.
I'd have to think long and hard whether they are worth putting on the Pilot, as opposed to a longer-lasting tire like the Continental TerrainContact H/T. The DWS06+, or their latest version of the same at that time, will definitely be in the running. Unfortunately for me, the Bridgestones which came on it show little wear after ~12k miles of use.
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2020
- Messages
- 2,533
Yup, the DWS06+ seem like a good tire, but on a Pilot, I doubt they will turn it into a supercar
Those are an awesome tire. I had to sell mine though. They make a lowly Prius handle on rails, but the MPG - I took a big hit switching to heavier 17s wasn’t worth it. They made a Lexus LS almost kitten-like playful.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
The issue I have with DWS06 are soft sidewalls.
Sliding through the curve just before school zone doesn’t instill confidence at all.
Sliding through the curve just before school zone doesn’t instill confidence at all.
