Tire age?

daves87rs · May 2, 2009

I had to listen to a long lecture today...telling how I should replace my 5 year old tires on my car. I'm not seeing a need to get rid of them. They still have decent amount of tread left...so as long the tires look good, it just seems like a waste.

So, what do you guys feel about that? Worried about the age? Or not?

I'm hanging out way too much here lately...

Quest · May 2, 2009

Regardless of thread left, if your rubber compound already went south (hardens) and lost it's grip, you still have to replace them regardless of age.

The Critic · May 2, 2009

The recommended interval for tire replacement is six years, regardless of mileage.

tom slick · May 2, 2009

Anyone got some documentation on the replace at ___ age recommendation?

I'm just curious and would like to read up on it. I wear tires out before they are 6 years old.

HTSS_TR · May 2, 2009

If the tread of 5-6 year old is hardened and if there are a lot of hairline cracks on sidewall then it's time to replace, regardless of how much tread remaining.

Quest · May 2, 2009

There's never a definitive "deadline" for tire replacement interval (e.g. every x years), citing the following:

(a) some rubber compounds age more quickly than others, thus lead to shorter service life

(b) certain operational areas may have more UV, ground-level Ozone and air pollution,etc. that will deteriorate the rubber compounds faster than others

Q.

I have some Pirellis (Brazillian cast)P-500 hardened after 5 yrs of service that despite that they still have 40% thread left, they do not grip/bite the road and I ended up replacing them with some Kumhos.

rpn453 · May 2, 2009

I would never replace tires based on age alone, but I would be willing to replace tires if the rubber has deteriorated enough to affect grip or safety.

If my babied tires are good for six years, what is the recommended replacement interval for someone who regularly drives at high speed in hot weather and leaves his car parked in the sun all day? Two years? One? If his tires are good for six, then are mine good for twenty?

JHZR2 · May 2, 2009

I drive as gently as possible, and tend to get 70k+ out of a set of tires. They generally show degradation before I even get them to 50% tread, however...

I find that by year 4, there are signs of browning and cracks to the sidewall and tread area. In gentle, careful driving, no real difference can be felt when it comes to traction and breaking qualities, though hardened compounds surely do show those effects.

Ive found that by year 6, the tires look degraded enough to warrant replacement. Ive found that good tires will just look lousy, cheap tires will actually show dryrot and leakage.

tom slick · May 2, 2009

Is there a shadetree method for measuring "hardened tread" or is it just the ol' eye-o-meter and finger-poke-durometer? Certainly they'd need replacing if they are cracked or damaged.

Where does the "6 years max" come from? I've seen it mentioned several times in previous threads.

crazyoildude · May 2, 2009

Im sure i am wayyyy overdue i have the original michelins on my 95 seville with 39,000 miles they still look new on the outside but unsure what they look like on the inside but im sure i should replace them... 14 years old!

The Critic · May 2, 2009

Originally Posted By: tom slick
Anyone got some documentation on the replace at ___ age recommendation?

I'm just curious and would like to read up on it. I wear tires out before they are 6 years old.

It's more of a recommendation to replace them at six years, at least according to Ford. The truth is, there isn't any solid method of determining tire service life, according to the RMA.

Here's some reading for you:

http://www.ford.com/our-values/education/safety-education/tire-safety/tire-maintenance-500p

http://www.safetyresearch.net/Library/SRS046.pdf

Ross · May 2, 2009

So does this mean that my 1988 Fiero GT with two thousand orginal miles is due for a tire change?

Rumble · May 2, 2009

I kept the original tires on my '91 Trans Am for 14 years (Goodyear 245/50-16). The car was always garaged/covered, and had very low mileage. Rubber was still ok when I replaced them. Sold the set on ebay for $80.00! I wouldn't go that long on something kept outdoors and driven regularly.

tom slick · May 2, 2009

Thanks Critic

HTSS_TR · May 3, 2009

Quoted from http://www.safetyresearch.net/Library/SRS046.pdf
"Annual inspections by a qualified tire specialist once a tire reaches 5 years old, including unused spares and tires that have experienced little use."

The question is, who is "qualified tire specialist" ?

My 1994 LS400 has full size spare, it had been used once 5 years ago for less than 50 miles, it shows no crack of any size on sidewall and tread compound is not harden, should I replace 15.5 years old tire with 50 miles ?

eljefino · May 3, 2009

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Im sure i am wayyyy overdue i have the original michelins on my 95 seville with 39,000 miles they still look new on the outside but unsure what they look like on the inside but im sure i should replace them... 14 years old!

They will look perfect inside, unless you unmounted them and stored them in a mosquito breeding backyard for a while...

The bead seating surface also does well, practically glued to the rim, it's out of the elements...

daves87rs · May 3, 2009

Well, they are goodyear tires, and they still look good on the outside. In the next few days I plan to sit down and take a good look anyways....

The car in question is not driven as much, and the tires still seem to handle well. It might also help that they are donut sized, at 195/70/14s........

daves87rs · May 3, 2009

Originally Posted By: Quest
There's never a definitive "deadline" for tire replacement interval (e.g. every x years), citing the following:

(a) some rubber compounds age more quickly than others, thus lead to shorter service life

(b) certain operational areas may have more UV, ground-level Ozone and air pollution,etc. that will deteriorate the rubber compounds faster than others

Q.

I have some Pirellis (Brazillian cast)P-500 hardened after 5 yrs of service that despite that they still have 40% thread left, they do not grip/bite the road and I ended up replacing them with some Kumhos.

So I guess it does depend on where you live...

Papa Bear · May 3, 2009

CapriRacer has posted some great info on when old tires should be replaced..... see some of his threads.

Carzzz · May 3, 2009

Replace the tires 6 years or so after the manufactured date (the xth week of year)! If the tires have excessive cracklines and losses the grip excessively, replace the tires immediately!

*Edit
Here is a sad story and some detail about tires
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897

Tire age?

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