How about just doing a test stop in the rain? If they seem to slide way to easily then its time to replace them. If they grip OK then they are OK.
How old is too old for tires?
- Thread starter PhillyJoe
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I drove the heck out of my Cav's 6 year old Goodyear tires, and they held up pretty well.
I could replace them (even though they look good), but the car only makes short trips at the moment. If I can hold out for a while, I could a nice tire like an X radial or a CS4.....
I could replace them (even though they look good), but the car only makes short trips at the moment. If I can hold out for a while, I could a nice tire like an X radial or a CS4.....
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I'd say, based on replies in this thread, that I'll go by the visual inspection rule. When I bought my Sentra used in '07, I put new tires on it. I only drive it a few thousand miles per year, and I keep the car in a dirt floor unheated garage most of the time when not using it. These tires may look great in 10 years or more. I'm not planning to replace them at 6 or 7 years because so and so says I should, if they're not dry rotted.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Spare tires in 2 of my cars are 10 years or older. '94 LS400 spare was used once or twice in 16 years, '00 E430 spare is never used. No hairline cracks I can see on either tire, should I dump both spares because of time limit ?
This.
I just talked with my Mom earlier tonight about something similar. Her 2002 Mercury GM is due for tires and she asked if she should get a new spare too. I honestly didn't know what to say, the car has a full size spare, and I don't think it's ever been used.
Spare tires in 2 of my cars are 10 years or older. '94 LS400 spare was used once or twice in 16 years, '00 E430 spare is never used. No hairline cracks I can see on either tire, should I dump both spares because of time limit ?
This.
I just talked with my Mom earlier tonight about something similar. Her 2002 Mercury GM is due for tires and she asked if she should get a new spare too. I honestly didn't know what to say, the car has a full size spare, and I don't think it's ever been used.
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Tires will tell you when they are failing.
The increase in vibration is unmistakable.
If the driver pays attention, there is usually ample warning.
I have had a couple of tires fail over the years, and it was never without prior notice.
My buddy's CS4 didn't.....
Tires will tell you when they are failing.
The increase in vibration is unmistakable.
If the driver pays attention, there is usually ample warning.
I have had a couple of tires fail over the years, and it was never without prior notice.
My buddy's CS4 didn't.....
For peace of mind, replace the 8-year old spares. I'd bought a used 1998 Honda and a few months later I had to use the spare. Within days, that spare tire blew itself out while traveling at 35 mph on a flat cement road. The tread had torn into a 2-inch trapdoor-like hole. I'd looked very carefully at that tire before putting it on, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. No hairline cracks. It looked like it had never been used. While buying a replacement, the tire tech said it probably exploded because it was 10 years old.
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Where can we buy spare tires? I think mine is 13 and 15 years old and although I don't use it often, I'm concerned.
Do you have compact spare tires ? What size ? Your car dealers have it for sure, junk yards may have it but look for later date stamped on the tire.
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Do you have compact spare tires ? What size ? Your car dealers have it for sure, junk yards may have it but look for later date stamped on the tire.
Yeah, compact like 155/70/14 or something like that.
Do you have compact spare tires ? What size ? Your car dealers have it for sure, junk yards may have it but look for later date stamped on the tire.
Yeah, compact like 155/70/14 or something like that.
The 17-year-old no-name snow tire on my old Corsica finally let go. It's been on the car for the past 7 years/65,000 miles. There's still about 3/32 of tread left on it, but I've been noticing an imbalance lately. This tire has grown a lump.
[censored] good service for I tire that I bought at a Goodwill store for $5, roughly 8-9 years ago. The similarly sized (but not the same) Bridgestone Potenza that I bought at the same time and for the same price is still holding up nicely. This car is rather front-heavy and doesn't put much wear at all on the rear tires.
[censored] good service for I tire that I bought at a Goodwill store for $5, roughly 8-9 years ago. The similarly sized (but not the same) Bridgestone Potenza that I bought at the same time and for the same price is still holding up nicely. This car is rather front-heavy and doesn't put much wear at all on the rear tires.
The BFG Radial T/A 50H's on my Chevelle were put on in 1989! The have maybe 4,000 miles on them are stored in the dark and look like new. They are scheduled for replacement only because I'm going a different direction on my wheel and tire size. The Comp T/A HR's on my wife's 87 Camaro where put on in the mid 90's. They have 26,000 miles on them and still look new. They do thump a little until they get back into round, as this car sits for months at a time. Anybody want to buy an 87' Sport Coupe V8 with 56,000 origianl miles?
+1 on the 6 year life (according to Kumho; Falken and Dunlop who I have asked as I have used their tire)
I guess if I couldn't afford to replace them I would use older ones if that's what I had but frankly tires are the thing that keep you glued to the tarmac or not; I don't like taking chances with tires or brakes.
UV is a culprit in breakdown of the material so if you stored them in a dark, cool and moisture free place and with no UV getting to them them probably you could use them when they were older (but I refer you to my earlier answer above for my opinion).
I guess if I couldn't afford to replace them I would use older ones if that's what I had but frankly tires are the thing that keep you glued to the tarmac or not; I don't like taking chances with tires or brakes.
UV is a culprit in breakdown of the material so if you stored them in a dark, cool and moisture free place and with no UV getting to them them probably you could use them when they were older (but I refer you to my earlier answer above for my opinion).
Assume that tires are stored in cool dark storage room, the shelf life is about 6 years then you can use it for several years.
Now that I am more conscious about such things, I looked at my mother's '94 Escort the other week. She bought it in 1998 and I remember the tires were relatively new looking. They are really starting to show their age, (DOT date is 1997) and I found a decent pair on craigslist that will serve her well, Cooper Trendsetters @ $25 each (DOT 4407). She's 91, drives to store, church, doctor's office; 300 miles a year.
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
I used to work in Livermore, CA and in the summer it is 110F with the desert sun 10 hours a day, my tires started exploding after 4 years with all the trend intact.
I'm calling Bovine Stuff on that one, unless of course, you were using some Chinese no-name junk.
Both sets of Michelins I have are over 4 years old and have spent more than four years in the hot Sacramento sun without any issues at all.
I used to work in Livermore, CA and in the summer it is 110F with the desert sun 10 hours a day, my tires started exploding after 4 years with all the trend intact.
I'm calling Bovine Stuff on that one, unless of course, you were using some Chinese no-name junk.
Both sets of Michelins I have are over 4 years old and have spent more than four years in the hot Sacramento sun without any issues at all.
I'm still mourning the loss of my 1993-vintage snow tire a couple weeks ago. I had that one for so long that I'd become emotionally attached to it.
Right now my ol' Corsica has the best set of tires it's had in years. Got some '03 Michelins up front- stored in a shed for years (I bought them a couple years ago from a guy on Craigslist). And some '01 Guardians out back- also stored in a shed for years (I bought them in '02 at a flea market).
I have approximately one full set of used tires left in the garage. By the time I use those up, the tires on the wife's Lumina should be ready to be replaced and passed down to the Corsica.
I know that not everybody can be a cheap [censored] of my caliber, but I've managed to drive this Corsica for the past 8 years/80,000 miles on about $100 worth of tires. Years ago when I was broke and the wife was in grad school, I welded up my own bead-breaker mostly out of scrap metal- it mounts in the receiver hitch of my truck. And I paid $18 on ebay for a bubble-balancer. They've served me well. Those flea market tires that I bought 8 years ago came with a set of wheels that fits the Corsica, so I usually keep at least two used tires set up and ready to bolt on in case I have problems- it happens on occasion.
The biggest problem that I've had over the years with used tires is that they tend to leak around the bead- I guess 'cause the rubber isn't as pliable as it used to be. I've solved that problem with my most recent set of tires that are on the car right now... some of ya'll are gonna hate on me for this, but here's the fix: lube the wheels and beads with GREASE. Just cheap Lithium grease. They slide on easy and seal perfectly. I got the idea from a guy who changed tractor tires for a living- that's how he mounted all of them, and for exactly the same reason (helps them go on easy, and helps the rubber seal). I know that oil and rubber don't necessarily mix well, but I don't think anything will come of it. When I wear out and remove the current tires, I'll see how the rubber held up. I don't expect that it'll cause any problems.
Right now my ol' Corsica has the best set of tires it's had in years. Got some '03 Michelins up front- stored in a shed for years (I bought them a couple years ago from a guy on Craigslist). And some '01 Guardians out back- also stored in a shed for years (I bought them in '02 at a flea market).
I have approximately one full set of used tires left in the garage. By the time I use those up, the tires on the wife's Lumina should be ready to be replaced and passed down to the Corsica.
I know that not everybody can be a cheap [censored] of my caliber, but I've managed to drive this Corsica for the past 8 years/80,000 miles on about $100 worth of tires. Years ago when I was broke and the wife was in grad school, I welded up my own bead-breaker mostly out of scrap metal- it mounts in the receiver hitch of my truck. And I paid $18 on ebay for a bubble-balancer. They've served me well. Those flea market tires that I bought 8 years ago came with a set of wheels that fits the Corsica, so I usually keep at least two used tires set up and ready to bolt on in case I have problems- it happens on occasion.
The biggest problem that I've had over the years with used tires is that they tend to leak around the bead- I guess 'cause the rubber isn't as pliable as it used to be. I've solved that problem with my most recent set of tires that are on the car right now... some of ya'll are gonna hate on me for this, but here's the fix: lube the wheels and beads with GREASE. Just cheap Lithium grease. They slide on easy and seal perfectly. I got the idea from a guy who changed tractor tires for a living- that's how he mounted all of them, and for exactly the same reason (helps them go on easy, and helps the rubber seal). I know that oil and rubber don't necessarily mix well, but I don't think anything will come of it. When I wear out and remove the current tires, I'll see how the rubber held up. I don't expect that it'll cause any problems.
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
I used to work in Livermore, CA and in the summer it is 110F with the desert sun 10 hours a day, my tires started exploding after 4 years with all the trend intact.
I'm calling Bovine Stuff on that one, unless of course, you were using some Chinese no-name junk.
Both sets of Michelins I have are over 4 years old and have spent more than four years in the hot Sacramento sun without any issues at all.
The tires that explode on me are US made Dunlop SP A2 in size 195 60 14, bought from Discount Tire Direct and mount by Big O Tire. The Chinese no name junk on the other car was in Livermore for only 1 year, and they work ok till the day it is worn out (2 years ago).
One thing I think might be a problem is I was using dish soap at work to wash the hub cap brake dust, so maybe the dish soap weakened the tires. There were also a lot of nails in that area (on average I got a nail every 6 months there).
You can keep the bovine stuff thank you very much. BTW, Livermore is a lot hotter and sunnier than Sac Town.
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
I used to work in Livermore, CA and in the summer it is 110F with the desert sun 10 hours a day, my tires started exploding after 4 years with all the trend intact.
I'm calling Bovine Stuff on that one, unless of course, you were using some Chinese no-name junk.
Both sets of Michelins I have are over 4 years old and have spent more than four years in the hot Sacramento sun without any issues at all.
The tires that explode on me are US made Dunlop SP A2 in size 195 60 14, bought from Discount Tire Direct and mount by Big O Tire. The Chinese no name junk on the other car was in Livermore for only 1 year, and they work ok till the day it is worn out (2 years ago).
One thing I think might be a problem is I was using dish soap at work to wash the hub cap brake dust, so maybe the dish soap weakened the tires. There were also a lot of nails in that area (on average I got a nail every 6 months there).
You can keep the bovine stuff thank you very much. BTW, Livermore is a lot hotter and sunnier than Sac Town.
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