How long do tires last (age) and how?

Good call. I like the Michelin Pilot Power One tire not too expensive, soft, and handle well.
Appreciate the tip.
I went with Continental ContiRoad Attack 3 CR rear (I believe the CR stands for Classic Race made for oddball older sport bikes) and 3 front.
I have a ‘93 Yamaha FZR600 and the tire sizes are a pain. Stock rear is 140/60r18. Currently have a 150/60r18 on it and the new one is 150/65r18, front is 110/70r17. Rears are a pain to find tires currently in production in my size options.
An old favorite of FZR riders is the Bridgestone Battleax BT-014 which is long out of production :(
 
Appreciate the tip.
I went with Continental ContiRoad Attack 3 CR rear (I believe the CR stands for Classic Race made for oddball older sport bikes) and 3 front.
I have a ‘93 Yamaha FZR600 and the tire sizes are a pain. Stock rear is 140/60r18. Currently have a 150/60r18 on it and the new one is 150/65r18, front is 110/70r17. Rears are a pain to find tires currently in production in my size options.
An old favorite of FZR riders is the Bridgestone Battleax BT-014 which is long out of production :(
Your welcome. My bike is an 2002 FZ1 blue and silver. I was shopping for tires and the dealer told me the Pilot Power 1's were not a long tread wear tire as they were soft. Just what I wanted to hear, a soft riding tire. Surprisingly, I've put about 5000 on 'em with not too much wear. They turn well and ride smoothly. I'm not an aggressive rider, I just like bikes Stay safe.
 
10 years is the official number that is often listed as the age you should replace your tires. It's UV light exposure that really kills tires from old age so if you have a garage queen car that you only take out a few times a month in the summer you can have 25 year old tires that are absolutely fine.
 
10 years is the official number that is often listed as the age you should replace your tires. It's UV light exposure that really kills tires from old age so if you have a garage queen car that you only take out a few times a month in the summer you can have 25 year old tires that are absolutely fine.
At 25, protected from UV, the oxidation will be still a problem. IMHO.

Krzyś
 
..... It's UV light exposure that really kills tires from old age so if you have a garage queen car that you only take out a few times a month in the summer you can have 25 year old tires that are absolutely fine.
Sorry, but when we test tires, we use oxygen and ovens, and NOT UV lights. 25 year old tires will only be good if they are stored in a bag filled with Nitrogen.
 
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10 years is the official number that is often listed as the age you should replace your tires. It's UV light exposure that really kills tires from old age so if you have a garage queen car that you only take out a few times a month in the summer you can have 25 year old tires that are absolutely fine.
Lol. Not really.
 
Lol. Not really.

My 83 300D has it's original factory Michelin 39 year old full size spare in the trunk and it is absolutely in great shape and I would not hesitate to use it. The car also spends a lot of time in the garage and it's circa 2006 tires are in great shape and I don't lose any sleep over their safety.
 
Changing tires is recommended every 6 years or sooner...........is there an expiration date on tires?
 
My 83 300D has it's original factory Michelin 39 year old full size spare in the trunk and it is absolutely in great shape and I would not hesitate to use it. The car also spends a lot of time in the garage and it's circa 2006 tires are in great shape and I don't lose any sleep over their safety.
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From a 2019 technical article in Rubber and Plastic News:


some excerpts:

...From the time of the initiation of the NHTSA rule making process, no hard “removal from service field data” has been presented to the tire industry scientific community supporting the current six-year and 10-year removal recommendations...

...Quoting from a chemical analysis peer reviewed report by J. Rancourt of Polymer Solutions: “Based upon the objective science-based testing, the null hypothesis has been shown to be true (that old worn tires retain antidegradants) and the alternative hypothesis (that old tires do not retain antidegradants) has been shown to be false.”...

...In an attempt to support or dispute the legitimacy of the current chronological age removal recommendations, this report initiated an independent, self financed study of aged tread/belt durability (endurance reserve). Aged tires were subjected to high strain extended DOT 139 under 50 percent oxidative and 95 percent inert nitrogen inflation conditions...

...This “aged/oxidized durability reserve” study validates the RMA field study of 14,271 tires where the vast majority of end- of-service removal events were not tread/ belt detachment anomalies related to age...

...No scientific data has been presented to the tire industry scientific community that supports the current OE (six year) or the tire industry (10 year) removal recommendations. The current six or 10 year chronological tire removal age recommendations do not meet scientific standards...

...Based on these results, it is my recommendation that chronological age alone should not be presented as a tire safety issue...
 
I've always thought the 6 year rule to be marketing propaganda and wasteful. There's way more safety factor in tires than we give them credit for, and more factors at play than time alone.
 
I made four AutoX runs in my Vette over the weekend. The tires did ok, but the concrete was wet and dirty, so I wasn't expecting much. After the event, there was no cracking, discoloration, or odd wear. I will run them in another event and report back...hopefully the next one is dry.
 
At 8 years I had some slippage on some Yokahama Avids. Still had 5-6/32 of tread, and no sidewall cracking. Car was garage kept. I assumed the rubber had become hard. I replaced them with Bridgestone Weatherpeak tires. Sold the Yokahamas on FB Marketplace. Told the guy all about them. He didn't care as his car was hard on tires and he replaced them frequently with cheap used tires. He asked if it was $40 a tire, and he about ripped his wallet out of his pants when I told him $40 for all 4.
 
I have heard anything from a tire is starting to get "old" after anything from 3-6 years. I have a couple questions about how tires age...

#1 - does the mold release compound help slow aging?
I have a older set of tires that came with a motorcycle (my Guzzi). They were about 10 years old (or more), but still brand new in a cardboard box, stored in a climate controlled garage. I went ahead and had them installed on my bike. I have about 2000 miles on those tires, including a trip to The Tail of the Dragon where fun peg scraping times were had. The tires look like brand new, and are performing great! The seem to grip just as well as a brand new tire should.

#2 - is it just the outer layer of rubber that is effected?
I recently purchased a C5 for AutoX duty and weekend cruiser. She has older rubber...guessing at least10+ years old, but was stored again inside in climate controlled environment. There is no cracking, no vibrations, and they seem to ride good (and seem brand new visually). The first couple of times I could tell the rubber was hard...but as I drive it, it seems to be wearing that old layer off, and the grip is improving...a lot. Does rubber age from the outside in? I plan on AutoX'ing this weekend...I know they will be old crappy tires, but could they improve throughout the day? I'm actually ok with bad rubber as I learn the limits of the car, and will get better rubber when I can start being competitive with this car.

#3 - Both of the examples above are currently in my garage, and in use today. Am I sitting on a timebomb?
How much is your doctor, hospital, etc. deductible and co-payment? How much are new tires?
 
Tires, at least black ones, contain carbon black. Carbon black is a very effective and commonly used UV blocker. I would expect that by the time UV causes superficial damage to the tire, oxidative and mechanical stress has already caused more damage than UV will ever have a chance to cause. On a rarely driven vehicle like my Rabbit I replace the tires after 10 years. On all my other vehicles tires don't last more than 2 or 3 years because I wear them out.
 
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