I have a set of Blizzak snow tires purchased in November 2004, mounted on OEM rims, that I rarely use. They have been stored in my garage, or my den since new, and show no signs of cracking. I only added a couple pounds of air to them in January before taking a trip to Pennsylvania. I had absolutely no problems, and plan to use them whenever necessary. Am I taking chances? Well, yes, but I felt a LOT safer on these tires in the snow packed highways than I would have felt on my Khumos under the same conditions. I trust these tires!

FWIW - The Michelin TRX tires on my '82 Mustang (no longer in production), and reproduction Goodyear Polyglas tires on my Cobra were purchased in 2003. I have no plans on replacing them any time soon. Reproduction TRX tires are $500 EACH!!