When are tires too old?

[Rustyrodknocker]

As I sit here waiting for my new tires to be mounted on the wheels I dropped off 9 hours ago. I started to ponder some things. I also dropped an old tire for my nephews pickup to get a flat repair.
The tire is over ten years old so they will not touch it. Even after I told them its for a field truck.
My nephew is only 15 and does not even have as permit yet due to covid.
So he only drives in the pasture and picked up a nail or something.

Anyhow. Antique car guys buy antique tires and actually run them I was thinking and they pay more than what new tires cost to do so.

I have a set of new tires that don't have one mile on them as of yet and they were $250 a piece back then. I dont know if ill ever run those ones because they are on a truck I just don't drive.

Now I did have an experience with some basically nos tires I bought several years ago in that before they wore out they all grew a blister in the tread from delamination.

Regardless, there was a time when I never thought about how old a tire was and we ran old tires all the time without issue.
Are modern tires more susceptible to to decay?

It does seem like they weather check and crack way worse. I have 15 year old tires that are all cracked all over but I have 40 year old tires that are not.

I can remember 10 or 15 years ago when my father inlaw was racing he would say I go a 100 miles an hour on 20 year old tires every weekend.
They probably had 100's of passes but only a 100 miles on them so he just ran them!

Anyhow what are the experiences and opinions on what is too old? or what has changed, if anything?

I just dont think if I had a car that I put a 1000 miles or less a year on that I would even think about new tires.

 

[Davea Lux]

A lot of things effect tire longevity. If the vehicle is parked in a garage with a concrete floor most of the time the degradation of the tires will be less than if it is parked on the dirt someplace. Moisture is the great enemy of tires, it rots the rubber and corrodes the steel belts, road salt and ice melting chemicals also enter into the equation. UV light also degrades the synthetic rubber compounds used on modern tires. Tire shops, like every other repair business, buy insurance coverage with certain limits built into the policy. Insurance companies hate paying claims for liability. So some genius in the underwriting department figured ten years was the useful life expectancy of a tire. And it is a one size fits all policy.

I do not think older tires were necessarily more durable. I can remember driving on new tires back in the day (Polyglass) and having to replace at least on every time I took the performance auto over 100mph.

Dave

 

[1978 NYB]

NHTSA says 6-10 years.


www.nhtsa.gov

 

[ayilar]

Tires I change every 6 years or less if not yet worn, brake fluid I change every 2 years (sports cars) or 2-3 years (other cars). Those are two things I do pretty religiously.

 

[LocuMob]

I'm running on old *** biased ply tires on one car. I don't recommend it, but in over ten years I've had no issues. The rest of my cars on the road have new tires.

 

[CBODY67]

Back when the "tire age" issue started to arise, in another forum back then, it was mentioned that BFG would not warranty any tire for more than 6 yrs after its production date (stamped onto the tire's inner sidewall), even if it had spent all of that time in a tire warehouse. So 6 yrs became the default time frame.

Which is why you need to check that date code! AND why it might not be a good idea to purchase "repro" tires before they will see service on a car, no matter what they might cost. FWIW

In February, 2018, I purchased a used car that had some Sears/Weatherwise Michelins on it. There was plenty of tread, too, but the ride had a bit of a chop on the Interstate, which I suspected was tire-related. In March, 2018, when I pulled it out of the building to see what I'd bought, I discovered the date code on the tires was March, 2008. So, a call to my tire store operative for a fresh set of Michelins for it. I winced at the price, but felt it might make it sell better in a few years. Which is why the whitewall Hankook Kinergy STs are now so attractive to me.

Back in the '60s, tires usually lasted about 30K miles or so, so "age" was's not an issue for most tires. On the farm, when a tire with some tread left on it was removed, it went onto a grain drill or similar and seemed to last 10 years more, or as long as it would hold air (tubeless).

I seem to recall, in the 2019 Hankook Master Sales Catalog, that their current-production tires would last a bit longer than 6 years. Which might be 90K miles for many people's driving, if the tires will last that long.

Enjoy, carefully!
CBODY67

 

[Davea Lux]

If the tire on your nephew's pasture beater just picked up a nail, why not just plug it? Auto parts stores sell the plug kits with a rasp and the shoehorn to install the plug.

Dave

 

[bigmoparjeff]

Depends on the brand of tire. Depends a lot on how the tires have been treated. A tire that has been stored in a cool basement, sealed up in a plastic bag, is going to last way longer than a tire that's installed on a car and exposed to the elements.

I put a set of 15 year old Coopers on my father's car and only got 2 1/2 years out of them before one tire shifted a belt and blew out on a 95 degree day. Though, many here will say that a brand new set of Coopers might do the same thing. Those tires had been stored in an attic, subject to temps from 0 degrees F to 130 degrees F during that time.

At some point in time the tire manufacturers started adding silicone to the rubber to decrease rolling resistance for better fuel mileage, and that's why they dry rot so fast now.

I have tires that are approaching 30 years old on some of my cars, and they don't concern me driving local roads, but I wouldn't take a long highway trip with them

The 1976 Grand Prix in this video is still rolling on it's original tires, which were 38 years old when the show was recorded.


Jeff

 

[Rustyrodknocker]

If the tire on your nephew's pasture beater just picked up a nail, why not just plug it? Auto parts stores sell the plug kits with a rasp and the shoehorn to install the plug.

Dave

I may do this I have tire plug gear for my motorcycles. I may try a local used tire slinger though They sell tires of all vintages I'm sure so they may be willing to patch it.

I have tire patch too but no way to mount or dismount.
The last one I did in the driveway with a bumper jack was the last one.

 

[Rustyrodknocker]

Well I learned a lot, and they got my tires mounted up finally. Give them all day and they do it right before close. Its what I get for not sticking around I guess.
These ones will not last 10 years

they are going on the road warrior. No white walls for this one but if I drive good and fast they will look like white walls!

 

[Big_John]

The last tires I bought for my 300, some Goodrich T/A tires, were already a year old when they mounted them... I didn't pick up on it until I had them home and was putting them on the car.

Oh well... I mount tires myself most of the time anyway. It's not that hard. I was taking them to Walmart for balancing, but they seemed to have doubled the price, so I have to find some tire shop that just will balance the tires and not want to empty my wallet.

 

[cbarge]

I have been in the tire biz for almost 25 years.
At my shop we treat each questionable tire issue individually.
We do not have an old tire policy per se but do have safety and liability policies.
All supplied used tires are inspected before we bring them into the shop.
Tires can be old yet still be in great condition. We will mount em up but no guarantee.
Sidewall weathercracking is deemed unsafe when you can see exposed cords or simply not hold air.
Ripped beads we refuse to mount.
Any tires for field or farm use we get the customer to sign off as we are not responsible or liable for tire failure and/or related damages.
Rotten trailer tire for a spare? No problem...just dont come back when it blows and destroys the side of the trailer.
As a business, we do proper plug and patch repair that is vulcanized. We will never use cord plugs ( ok in a atv tire in the middle of the woods but not in a H or V rated tire).
We never and refused to put tubes in tubeless truck and passenger tires that are deemed unrepairable.
For vintage tube type tires we never offer any warranty .
I always look out for my clients best interest and I have many classic car clients too. If the tires are no good I will not put them on.

As for waiting all day, I always ask if they can leave it with me and I will call when done.
The pandemic has not helped matters with reduced staff and business hours.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
Leaburn

 

[1970FuryConv]

When I was in tech school, the rule for radials was replace after a max time of 10 years.
For cars made 2000 and later, look for the 4-digit DOT code, Month/Year. 4020 below means 40th week of 2020 is date of production.

For tires made prior to 2000, DOT code is 3 digits, 2 digits for week, 1 digit for last digit of year, so 202 may be 20th week 1992. 3 digit tires are double max allowable age. Replace.
Rubber ages even if sitting on a shelf. NOS tires (40 to 50 years old) should take a 1-way trip to the county dumpster, IMHO.

 

[CBODY67]

One other tidbit I discovered in the fine print of a BFG pamphlet years ago. If a speed-rated tire has ever had a flat repair, the tire manufacturer's speed rating (on that particular repaired tire) goes away.

A tire can look good (lots of tread) and still be dry-rotted internally (unseen), even if it still holds air and does not lose air. Those internal issues might vary with the tire cords used, but can still exist, whether in cord deterioration OR the lamination of the rubber to the cords. Think of it in a similar manner to which ethanol deteriorates rubber fuel lines hoses, from the inside out.

Take care,
CBODY67

 

[BigblueC]

Oh well... I mount tires myself most of the time anyway. It's not that hard.

I have to ask, why? And are you doing it with hand tools or do you have a machine?
Just curious as I use to change tires on tractor-trailers and ag tractors with hand tools. That was fun. Doing a whole rig in under an hour would probably kill me now.

As to the original topic, the tires on my Jeep (Keystone Sport King) are dated 06/07. This Jeep has spent most of it's life since 07 living in garages with concrete floors. I get her out every week or two for a drive and the tires take a solid 15 minutes to soften up. I'm not worried about them separating, but the ride is getting worse, so I'll be replacing them as soon as BFG gets the tires I want back in stock.

When I got my Chrysler back on the road in '15 she had tires that were bought sometime '90-95. I put three short (about 5 miles) trips on them before two let loose, one front, one rear, and I limped back on round things that felt like basketballs.

So in my experience, tires can last sometime between 15 and 30 years living on concrete.

 

[rapidtrans]

I would suspect liability is the main issue. People will sue for anything. Like, “You didn't tell me the tires I bought ten years ago were old!” I’m suing you. Tried to get the girlfriend’s slow leak tire repaired at a major tire store. They found a DIY plug in the tire and wouldn’t touch the tire. I didn’t think they were even gonna put the thing back on the car!

 

[patrick66]

I've had "new" tires evaporate at 75 mph, and have had 40-year-old tires last a 400-mile drive home. Care and storage matter a LOT, as stated above. All of my vehicles are inside a windowless garage or shop when not driven, never stored outside. With that, I've had tires last 15 years or more in the past without issue. When you buy a tire, ALWAYS ask to see the date codes before they put them on a wheel!!! If they won't do that, move on to the next store. About three years ago, I needed a pair of 235-75R15 tires. Found some, priced the tire plus m/b, and bought them. The tires had date codes showing they were already TWO years old! And who knows how they were stored over that period. I demanded my money back, or a set of fresh tires. They had two that were just a month old, and got those more expensive tires at the same price as the old tires. Be careful. What is a "new" tire, might not be new at all.

 

[azblackhemi]

The extreme heat here in AZ makes old tires very dangerous. I've had quite a few parts car tires blow apart just sitting in the back yard on a 110 plus day. I'd hear a loud pop and go out and find a tire flat with a piece of tread flapping in the breeze. Only on steel belted radials, never on an old bias ply tire. For that reason I used bias ply tires on parts cars whenever I could.

 

[CBODY67]

Back in the 1990s, before the tire age issues came to be an issue, one of my observations was that when recommending tires for a low-mileage driver, was that they should plan on replacing tires about every 4 years and NOT usually buy tires that had a really high mileage rating, but still quality tires.

I'd seen ozone checking on the sidewalls of M-brand of tires, which I felt was not good. But the typical buyer of these tires was of a generation where they wanted "the best" and M-brand tires were considered to be that, back then. One co-worker unabashedly recommended that brand as "the best" to an elderly lady for her Buick Regal. To me, that recommendation was a bit "off" for several reasons. One that the low mileage she drove did not warrant an expensive tire, just one that would give good service and not cost a lot of money. Knowing that if, after about 4 years of driving, if she went out find a flat tire (for no good reason), then his advice "would be mud", so best to be concerned more about that not being a potential to happen. "Wear-out" would be a better alternative.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67

 

[bronze turbine]

I've heard that unmounted tires should not be used if they are over 6 years old. However, tires that have been mounted and driven on can last way longer because of the flexing of the rubber. I needed a replacement tire for an old work car several years ago so I went digging around my dad's garage. He had lots of used tires laying around because he used to own company cars for his business. I found a good looking Firestone 721 tire, had it mounted, drove for 6 months and probably close to 6k miles, no problems at all. The tire was 30 years old. On my work van I had a tire that was less than 10 years old come apart on the interstate. Seems to me there are no hard fast rules, just the luck of the draw and the original quality of the tire.