tire expiration

Anyone ever hear that after 5 years of having a set of tires on a vehicle that they should be changed because the tires dry out. I am not talking about a stored vehicle but a vehicle being used regualrly.

Yes. I have definitely heard about this. Its not just the drying out part, its the overall breaking down of what makes a tire a solid reliable piece of rubber.

I believe 10 years is the absolute max safe length to wait.

maybe the theory of 5 years is never BUY a set of tires that are older than 5 years.


http://www.safetyresearch.net/safety-issues/tires/

Tires have a life of 6 years - check the code on the tire (the numbers are in an oval SHAPE) for the date if it says 3612 it was made in the 36 week of 2012 - I KNOW ABOUT THIS BECAUSE - I teach it in a classroom. the tire might be new meaning it was never used but it might be sitting on a shelf for 10 years - check your code it is on usually the back of the tire (inside) so nobody sees it or knows how to decipher it.

this is the abc news story I use in the classroom - all drivers should see this

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/video/...-code-10954213

Love an answer with some authority behind it!

Where on Long Island, neighbor?
-V

south shore - nassau

Cool. I've seen a Proton on my way into Long Beach from time to time. ;)
-V

Thanks for the great information...:bgwb::bwgy::smilewink:bgwo:

And what about tires that might have spent 3-5 years in a warehouse before they were installed? Or installed, but placed in a basement for a few years?

I think that some of those "safety rules" go overboard and no one wants to go on record defending more lenient rules...

i know thet if tires spent 2+ in the factory before being sold or installed last less than new tires. that happened with my motorcycle tires. they were cheaper cuz they were a bit old(but new). thy were ok but lasted less than a new pair.

The shop i work in will sell tires up to 4 years old. After that we sell them back to the manufacturer as scrap. The logic being that most people have tires no longer than 4 years on their vehicle.. With a 50% safety factor until the tires could potential be 10 years old on the road.

I've heard that tires that are actually being used on a vehicle over that period of time are not as susceptible to deterioration as tires that just sit around in storage because the heat cycles a tire goes through when it's driven on serve to keep the chemical composition of the rubber from breaking down as fast. The same principle behind a used car usually being better off in the long term even if it has higher mileage from being driven than one with lower mileage because it's sat stationary over an extended period of time.