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Should you replace car tyres that are 8 years old but still have ample tread left? The car has done a very low mileage, but are there any dangers associated with running tyres of this age?
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If the tyre walls have any cracks in them then they are subject to blow-out and are dangerous and so they need changing asap. If no cracks are present and there is plenty of trend on them they are still ok.
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Most people recomend 6 years. I had to change my tyre because although it had plenty of thread it was cracking. The DOT code indicated it was from 2000! Just change them it is not worth messing about with tyres at all, when you have been on the M62 when a tyre bursts you quickly learn that tyres are one of the things you cannot skimp on.
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Definitely yes. Posted this before but our old BX hardly wore its rear tyres at all. Over time however no less than four tyres, all over four years old, developed "bubbles" on the treaded surface. Likely cause was stress failure of the steel plies.
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I had (nearly) exactly the same experience Brompt. My first BX did over 100k on its rear tyres without any visible wear until one day I noticed a bubble on the sidewall/tread. Suddenly dawned that the tyres were about 7 years old - replaced them immediately. If it's of any relevance, caravan tyres also do not wear, and even though they are "reinforced" the caravan club recommends that they should be replaced every 5 years whether or not there is any sign of wear or cracks - wise words. Cracks are not always visible - I have an old spare in the shed, been sitting there for about ten years - no sign of wear or cracks - but I would never use it.
Don't skimp on tyres - they're your only contact with this world!
Phil
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Useful advice, guys. The tyres in question do not appear to have any cracks or bubbles but then the car has spent much of its life in the garage.
I have read about the glues inside the tyre deteriorating with age, is it really something to worry about when the tyres appear to be in good order?
Any other information about old tyres would be appreciate. I notice most people are of the attitude, 'don't chance your luck'.
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I replaced a 9 year old spare only after it had been subjected to 10k motorway wear to get it down to the markers. Yes it had cracking on the wall but then again it is rubber so the surface is bound to crack with age/sun.
No sign of bubbling/cuts/bulges otherwise it would have been replaced. Kept up to pressure and never lost any.
At the end of the day it's your call. But if there was a definite link between tyre age and tyre blow-out then I'd expect it to form part of the MoT, instead of silly things like BS markings on number plates!
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Marrow I am not sure I iwll be able to find a link but a few years back somebody was killed when he had just bought an MGB from 1980 which was in as new condition, it had been dry stored sadly the tyres were also original and in as new condition, the tyre had internal cracking and the coroner blamed that for his death.
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the tyre had internal cracking
I wouldn't be surprised after 20 years; and if you try to use something stored for that long in one position then I would expect some kind of external warning sign. Also, were they taken off, or just left to go flat? There's also a world of difference between those cross-plys and modern radials.
Edited by mfarrow on 14/12/2008 at 22:08
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I am trying to find the original evening news article but I can't however I have found this
www.motorbase.com/top/news/usnE013CE58-5D27-11DC-A...l
Also an article about it here
www.prestonmg.co.uk/Newsletters%202007/Nov%2007%20...f
[quote]
The letter concerned an accident which took place
last year in which the driver of an H registered MGB
lost his life when a rear tyre burst on the M56. The
driver was a skilled mechanic and a careful and
experienced driver who was not travelling
particularly fast at the time. The car was described
by police as being maintained in excellent condition.
The surviving passenger said that just before the
accident, the driver had commented that a tyre
'wobble' had developed and he was going to 'drive
through it'. The wobble went briefly, but then the
tyre burst, causing the car to spin, clip the kerb and
flip over.
Subsequent investigation showed that although
hardly used, the tyre was 25 years old. It was one of
a set of as-new tyres and wheels bought at an autojumble
the previous year for use for show purposes;
(at the time of the incident, the car was on its way
to an event at Oulton Park.)
The British Rubber Manufacturers Association
suggests that, in ideal conditions, a tyre may have a
life expectancy of 10 years. However, if a tyre is 6
years old and remains unused, it should not be put
into service.
[/quote]
Edited by Rattle on 14/12/2008 at 22:16
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Rattle, you can save space by reducing the size of URLs in your posts by using TinyURL ~ tinyurl.com/
{but the two links he's posted just above aren't long enough to require being tinyurl'd}
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 15/12/2008 at 10:29
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Hmm - I think our answer is there:
Replace all used tyres at 10 years or earlier - don't use newish tyres after 6.
Interesting. The spare on my Tino has never been used - and the car is now 6 years old....
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We had the same caravan for just over 13 years and during this time the tyres were replaced twice, not due to wear, just on the advice that they should be changed after 7 years.
The spare tyre was the original and it looked perfect. 'Looked perfect' was the operative expression, because when it was used (briefly, following a puncture) after 10-11 years of inactivity, it developed deep splits at the bottom of all the grooves in the tread, exposing the fabric.
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[crash of old car on old tyres]
The driver was a skilled mechanic and a careful and experienced driver
1)
The surviving passenger said that just before the accident the driver had commented that a tyre 'wobble' had developed and he was going to 'drive through it'.
2)
I cannot reconcile 1) & 2). They just don't go together.
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Yes, in general blanket terms I suppose one should. If you have bought an old(ish) car and can't be sure how it has been used, yes. But I would qualify that by adding that the decision depends on what driving you intend to do, what you know of a tyre's history, and what close inspection reveals.
As backroomers already know, I recently fitted the spare on my 1989 205 GTi, a P600 which had spent its entire life under the boot, and much of it indoors, judging by the rest of the car. There is no surface cracking whatever, which is mostly caused by use and sunlight. I asked my regular mechanic and MoT tester for his opinion, and he didn't suggest it was a bad idea. But I don't belt down the motorway on it ...
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I wouldn't be surprised if 6 year old+ tyres that are hardly worn end up at used-tyre dealers.
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It depends on the condition of the tyre, and how you intend to use it. I could not say "replace it, it's dangerous". If they look OK, personally I'd use them but keep an eye on them from time to time.
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I'd bin them, not worth the risk. They harden with age and end up with little grip. Any tyre with date code of three figures is at least 8 years old. From 2000, four figures are used. The first two are the week of the year, the second two are the year. So 2503 is week 23 in 2003.
I checked my old classics a while back. One had tyres from 1992 and 1995 but looked perfect with good tread. Another had tyres from 2000 and with lots of cracks. All will be replaced shortly.
Another old car I own came with 15 year-old tyres, perfect-looking Michelins barely run in. But they were rock hard and dangerous levels of grip. I replaced with cheapos and the ride and grip was hugely better. So a new ditchfinder is better than an ancient premuim brand in this case.
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"If they look OK, personally I'd use them but keep an eye on them from time to time."
The only problem with this is that the damage may be "internal" (like metal plies separating from the rubber inside the tyre) rather than visible from the outside.
I did a google on this and though there is not much on British sites, there are a fair few references to fatal accidents in the States because of "old" tyres disintegrating.
I just wonder whether it is worth gambling the cost of a new tyre against a tyre disintegrating at 70 mph on the motorway. (And I take your point about "how you intend to use it")
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Here are a few (useful?) references re the above
snipurl.com/8a8vv [www_conti-online_com]
snipurl.com/8a974 [www_chicagoaccidentlawblog_com]
snipurl.com/8a9ee [www_californiainjuryblog_com]
www.tiredefectslawyer.com/aged-tires.php
www.aa1car.com/library/tire_expire.htm
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