How old are your tires?

[tcolby]

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897

[Eric]

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897

This is a big issue for people who own lightly used cars (and motorcycles). The tires may literally take 20 years to show significant tread wear. However, they may no longer be safe to drive/ride on long before then.

I'm as guilty as anyone here. My '76 Trans-Am has Radial T/As on it that are at least eight years old. I drive this car less than 1,000 miles each year - so it'd take me 20-30 years to put 30,000 miles on them.

But replacing tires with five or six thousand miles on them every six years or so is not something most people will do (me included).

Instead, I keep a watchful eye out for signs of deterioration (cracks in the sidewall, bulges, etc.) and don't subject the tires to high load driving. I figure I'm ok if the car doesn't see the high side of 80 or 90 mph (and when it does, it's just for a moment) and I don't "push it" in the corners, etc.

A failure is still possible of course but I'm betting the risk is relatively low. And if it does happen so long as you're not driving fast or aggressively, it probably just means you'll need to pull over and deal with it. It's not likely to result in violent loss of control, etc.

[tcolby]

A failure is still possible of course but I'm betting the risk is relatively low. And if it does happen so long as you're not driving fast or aggressively, it probably just means you'll need to pull over and deal with it. It's not likely to result in violent loss of control, etc.

I think one cannot be surprised at anything that happens where tires are concerned.
In 1956 while driving in England at 50 mph on a two lane road, my left front tire blew out. It was all I could do to keep the car on the road and stop it from going into a ditch.
The car didn't have power steering of course and I had to hold on to the steering wheel with all my might.

[Eric]

I think one cannot be surprised at anything that happens where tires are concerned.
In 1956 while driving in England at 50 mph on a two lane road, my left front tire blew out. It was all I could do to keep the car on the road and stop it from going into a ditch.
The car didn't have power steering of course and I had to hold on to the steering wheel with all my might.

Agreed.

I would not drive (or ride) on old tires on a vehicle that is used normally/regularly. But if it's an antique vehicle that's only operated occasionally and when it is used, only for puttering around (no sustained higher speed driving/loads) I would guess the risk of a catastrophic failure is very low.

[DonTom]

Instead, I keep a watchful eye out for signs of deterioration (cracks in the sidewall, bulges, etc.) and don't subject the tires to high load driving. I figure I'm ok if the car doesn't see the high side of 80 or 90 mph (and when it does, it's just for a moment) and I don't "push it" in the corners, etc.

A failure is still possible of course but I'm betting the risk is relatively low. And if it does happen so long as you're not driving fast or aggressively, it probably just means you'll need to pull over and deal with it. It's not likely to result in violent loss of control, etc.

Looking on the outside of the tire tells you nothing about what's happening on the inside. Tires should be replaced every seven years from date of tire (the four digit code) regardless of mileage.

It's extremely important in heavy vehicles such as RVs where a blowout can total out the vehicle. I have seen the damage a steel belted tire can do to a RV when it blows.

A tire can be inspected from the inside to see if the tire is still safe after seven years, if one knows what to look for. But it's usually easier to simply replace them all every seven years, because it's unlikely you will safely get much more out of them. And look at the date on the tire when you buy "new" tires. They start to age even before they are ever used.

Now that I have said that, I am as guilty as anybody else. I am careful about the age of RV tires only. I think my Venture motorcycle tires are at least ten years old. But I ride it like an old lady, not like an Eric.

-Don- (in Sha Tin, Hong Kong)

[Eric]

Looking on the outside of the tire tells you nothing about what's happening on the inside. Tires should be replaced every seven years from date of tire (the four digit code) regardless of mileage.

It's extremely important in heavy vehicles such as RVs where a blowout can total out the vehicle. I have seen the damage a steel belted tire can do to a RV when it blows.

A tire can be inspected from the inside to see if the tire is still safe after seven years, if one knows what to look for. But it's usually easier to simply replace them all every seven years, because it's unlikely you will safely get much more out of them. And look at the date on the tire when you buy "new" tires. They start to age even before they are ever used.

Now that I have said that, I am as guilty as anybody else. I am careful about the age of RV tires only. I think my Venture motorcycle tires are at least ten years old. But I ride it like an old lady, not like an Eric.

-Don- (in Sha Tin, Hong Kong)

All true - and if I had an RV or a car I intended to drive long distances at highway speeds, etc. - I would also swap tires every 6-7 years, regardless of tread depth.

But I won't do that on a car like my Trans-Am. The tires on it are about 8-9 years old and still virtually new as far as tread depth. The car is indoor stored (limits UV damage) and I don't drive it on the highway, or at high speeds for extended periods of time.

I doubt there is much, if any real risk given this.

[J. ZIMM]

I don't know what the make up of tires are anymore. If you used them day in and day out, I suppose you can get the mileage out of them. Me, on the other hand, will wring ever rotation I can out of them. When Lincolns' head starts to get a hair cut I will get new ones. A lot depends on where the vehicle is parked. Inside a building, or out in the driveway or yard. How hot does it get during the Summer, how cold in the Winter, the type of rain do you get. That sounds funny, but different parts of the country does have more chemicals that the rain picks up on the way down. What kind of compounds does the Road Department use, if any, in your area during the Winter. They all can play a part on your tires. I have tires that have been on a car for over Ten Years, and show no cracking, or adverse wear of any kind. This car is driven every year, and has been for 13 Years now. But only in the Summer time. Any time it isn't driven, it is parked under a cover or in a building. My wifes car has a 144k on it, and I just put her third set on last year. The Alignment Shop screwed up the second set by misajusting the front end. They replaced them. No charge. My pick-up has 61k on it, with the original tires on it. Of course, I do swap out Winter tires and Summer tires each year on the pick-up. The cars are put away for the Winter. All these vehicles do get their tires rotated when needed, and the pressures maintained. Would you believe that the newest rig is Ten years old, and the oldest is 45? I believe that one of the main reasons of this recommendation is people DO NOT check air pressures, nor do they rotate them as they should. Remember when Ford had tire failures on their SUV's? The main reason was under inflation. That caused the sidewalls to fail, resulting in a blowout, or the tread to separate from the casings. So far, knock on wood, I have not had a major tire problem in a long time. Now just watch, I'll have three flats, all on the Left side. . .on one rig..

[Eric]

I don't know what the make up of tires are anymore. If you used them day in and day out, I suppose you can get the mileage out of them. Me, on the other hand, will wring ever rotation I can out of them. When Lincolns' head starts to get a hair cut I will get new ones. A lot depends on where the vehicle is parked. Inside a building, or out in the driveway or yard. How hot does it get during the Summer, how cold in the Winter, the type of rain do you get. That sounds funny, but different parts of the country does have more chemicals that the rain picks up on the way down. What kind of compounds does the Road Department use, if any, in your area during the Winter. They all can play a part on your tires. I have tires that have been on a car for over Ten Years, and show no cracking, or adverse wear of any kind. This car is driven every year, and has been for 13 Years now. But only in the Summer time. Any time it isn't driven, it is parked under a cover or in a building. My wifes car has a 144k on it, and I just put her third set on last year. The Alignment Shop screwed up the second set by misajusting the front end. They replaced them. No charge. My pick-up has 61k on it, with the original tires on it. Of course, I do swap out Winter tires and Summer tires each year on the pick-up. The cars are put away for the Winter. All these vehicles do get their tires rotated when needed, and the pressures maintained. Would you believe that the newest rig is Ten years old, and the oldest is 45? I believe that one of the main reasons of this recommendation is people DO NOT check air pressures, nor do they rotate them as they should. Remember when Ford had tire failures on their SUV's? The main reason was under inflation. That caused the sidewalls to fail, resulting in a blowout, or the tread to separate from the casings. So far, knock on wood, I have not had a major tire problem in a long time. Now just watch, I'll have three flats, all on the Left side. . .on one rig..

Very good points about environmental factors. I doubt a tire subjected to outside storage for ten years would be in anywhere near the condition a tire stored inside, away from sun, rain and extremes of temperature.

This may be why the tires on a lightly used vehicle such as an antique car that mostly sits in a climate controlled garage seem to be ok even after 10-plus years on the car.

It'd be interesting to see just how much environment affects degradation and the rate of degradation....