How old is too old for tyres. The tyres on my NC have 0713 marked on them, so guessing that dates them to July 2013. They still have plenty of tread on them, but I realise that rubber deteriorates with age
Most tyre firms say about 5 years is the limit but that depends on usage as well. If you use them on a regular basis then they can last longer, if the car has been parked up they will have dried out.
Friend works at the Michelin factory and they recommend that, after five years or more on your vehicle tyres should be inspected at least once a year by a professional.
Then, if they’re still on your car ten years after they were manufactured then they should be replaced anyway, as a precaution. Note the word precaution.
Check out their web site or google life of a Tyre.
John
I once had a 10 year old caravan tyre blow out at when doing about 60 in the middle lane of the M1. Thankfully the cars on the inside lane realised what had happened and allowed me to get onto the hard shoulder. Not something I would ever want to happen again.
Made me realise just how dangerous a blow out is and so I now replace any tyre that is older than 7 years irrespective what it looks like.
My advice is now is the time to replace them if they were made in 2013.
The 07 is week number I think, not month, but yes 2013.
Caravanists are typically told 5/6 years is time for replacement. Not a bad idea as they usually only have 2 anyway, and the driver is unlikely to notice a trailer tyre deflating until it comes off the rim or causes an accident. That said, I’m still convinced that most caravan tyre failures and accidents are down to under-inflation.
Tyre manufacturers I believe say up to 10 years for low mileage ‘classics’. But if that ‘classic’ is a sports car is driven in a ‘sporting’ manner then perhaps a bit less is a good idea - or as soon as any deterioration is noticed, either in terms of cracking/damage or actual performance.
Also a good idea to inspect them carefully from time to time. I’ve had more than one sustain damage on inside wall in the past, unlikely as that sounds.
There is a certain amount of internet hysteria about tyre age. I have seen people on forums saying they are not prepared to buy a standard road tyre because the DOT Code indicated it was 12 months old. I have been asked for “this years tyres” in the 3rd week of January and it is more than common for tyres to not even arrive at their destination country until 6 months after manufacture if not more. I have been supplied tyres direct from the manufacturer that were manufactured 2 years before. None of these are problems. Bridgestone’s official policy use to be that any tyre that was 5 years old and still in their central European warehouse was put beyond service, not because the tyre was no good at that point but that they could not then guarantee that the tyre would not sit another number of years in the supply chain.
It is far more important that you properly look at your tyres than worry about the date. It is very important to check your tyres anyway. Just yesterday I was called out to a “puncture” only to find the tyre that looked “acceptable” on the central portion was worn through the canvas on the inner edge. This is absolutely not uncommon and particularly on wider tyres which which come on just normal cooking saloons these days.
I have seen tyres with tears in the bottom of the main grooves in tyres as young as 18 months old. The rubber in these areas is very thin and so susceptible to loss of elasticity from atmospheric but more so from cold weather conditions. This is not a particularly unusual condition and should only be of a concern if this tearing looks substantial. What is far more important is to look at the actual tread blocks. If there is any age related cracking / perishing on these or the tears in the base of the tread go all around the blocks then I would head to the nearest tyre bay as part of your next journey.
Driving style also plays a role. If you are an owner that will never even dream of taking their car out if there is even a suggestion of rain on the weather forecast and sedate IAM driving is very much the way it is, there are far less potential for problems than battling round the North Circular on a crappy, wet, January in rush hour.
Look at your tyres, they will tell you a lot about your car and replace them when they are telling you to.
Around nine years ago I bought an old 2 door Astra (Mk2) it was so cheap but immaculate condition. On an ‘H’ plate 1990 and had only covered 30k miles, it had the original Michelins on from new
The old fella that owned it told me he used to take it to his local tyre place every year and get them to give it a check over in the tyre dept, they told him they were fine with enough tread left to be legal too but with some fine cracks to the tread edges. Likewise come MOT time they gave the tyres a good check over (as they should do of course) and they were passed ok.
The first job was change the tyres before I put it into daily use, the short hop back up the motorway had me very nervous when I first drove the car back home. The old fella I bought it from used to drive to Cornwall on those tyres every year he told me, besides that it was his local shopping car.
Sadly a medical condition at the time forced me to sell the car before I got to even drive it far, even to the tyre depot. A young lad bought it, he travelled from Hampshire to Derbyshire to collect it, I told him where our nearest tyre depot was before he set off, he was brave enough to take a chance and drive it back home on those Michelins.
Things have changed MOT wise, I dodn’t know whether well out of date tyres pass these days or not?
I recall reading somewhere that modern tyres contain a compound which is released within the rubber as the car’s driven, to keep the rubber supple & prevent drying out / cracking. If the car’s laid up, this compound doesn’t circulate - & the tyres then age prematurely.
My original tyres were replaced at 5 years old / 25,000 miles - the tyres themselves were still in very good condition - no cracking or other signs of ageing at all - however the tread (not surprisingly at that mileage) was low - although still well above the legal limit of course. My car’s used fairly regularly - much more so in summer than winter - although in winter it comes out of the garage for a run of about 7 miles once a week, just to keep things ticking over. Although it’s my only vehicle I use public transport for work so I can more or less use my car just when I want to.
I’d be a bit concerned about 6 year old tyres with plenty of tread, which seems to evidence a lack of use hence potential ageing for the reason outlined above?
Andy, tyres used to contain High Aromatic Oils in various amounts which amongst other things made the rubber softer. This could leach out over time and certainly tyres that are used hard and get hot would lose this suppleness. However this was considered quite and environmental problem, especially as tyres were being buried in land fill and the oils contaminating the ground over time. Most tyres now use Silica as a way to get wet grip and durability to boot.
Tyres are judged on condition rather than age.
I had my daughter’s car (a low mileage, 10 year old Fiat Panda) MOT’d this morning. I had already had both front tyres replaced a few days ago but one of the rear tyres received an advisory on tread depth. The depth was actually approx. 3mm, still quite a way above the legal minimum of 1.6mm.
The MOT tester is very thorough; he is also a qualified aircraft mechanic. I know him quite well and receive trade prices from him due to the amount of custom I put this way. He knows I work on my own cars and he lets me accompany him in the inspection pit during his check of the underside of our cars. He is always pleased to show me what he is doing and he gives me free advice on items that might need attention in the future, even if they aren’t MOT related. He would certainly have advised me even verbally if he was concerned about the actual age of the tyres on the Panda. He was only interested in the overall condition and tread depth.
The other rear tyre had more tread depth and was probably OK for quite some more miles. However, It occurred to me that it is possible that both rear tyres were ten years old, i.e. fitted from new before we owned the car. I don’t like “odd” tread depths across an axle (or taking chances with my daughter’s road safety - she is moving down south on Friday to begin a new job) so the car went straight to my local tyre shop after I left the MOT station.
Well I imagine with the mileage I do that the rears will need changing in a couple of months anyway, so will then look at a full set of new tyres
On the subject of changing tyres due to age I’ve just checked mine and there are no signs of cracks on the walls of any of the tyres, but all are showing cracking on the tread face as shown in the photo. The car’s just passed its MOT with no mention of any issues. Would be grateful for your thoughts and feedback.
They need replacing ASAP. Dangerous is a word that springs to mind.
Hmm, myself, I’d change them soon as possible, especially if doing any prolonged high speeds or heavy cornering, the rubber has had it.
In 1999 I changed the rear OE Contis on my old Astra specifically because of cracking along the bottom of the treads, after 105,000 miles over five years and still with 4mm tread - mostly at a steady 70 on M25 as daily commute. They looked fine inside with no crumbing at all, but the tyre experts said it was well overdue because the external rubber was actually perishing and disappearing. It was only picked up because I’d asked them to repair a slow puncture - I could see the nail in the tread-block. The fronts only lasted 45,000 and two years at a time, same as the front brake pads.