Are old tires in new condition safe?

[AKcharger]

I have 15 Y/O BF goodrich Radial T/A's that are PERFECT!  no cracks, corrosion or battle damage wondering if I should keep running them. Does age do some kind of internal damage to the structure and they have a shelf life or if they look good...they are good?

opinions? 

[ACUDANUT]

They are fine.  I have 30 y/o tires on my cars.  It's the sun that kills them.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

My Redline Radials are going on 16 years old.  No cracks or damage but I haven't run them  for the past 2 seasons for fear of a blow out on the 200 mile trip down to Carlisle....this season will be 3

[AKcharger]

Copy...They've Always been garage and for the past 5 years off the car

[Mopar Nut]

My Redline Radials are going on 16 years old.  No cracks or damage but I haven't run them  for the past 2 seasons for fear of a blow out on the 200 mile trip down to Carlisle....this season will be 3

We need a "LIKE" button, your Charger is gorgeous!

[myk]

A new set of tires for about $500 is worth the peace of mind, IMO...

[c00nhunterjoe]

Rubber breaks down over time. 5 and out for me. The us is one of the only countries in the world that doesnt have a tire experation date law. Tires on the trailer and motorhome have started failing at that mark and are kept covered/ garaged out of the sun. They might get 1,000 miles a year put on them. Look brand new still when removed, the breakdown is on the inside. When belts start letting go, there is little to no warning. The body shop bill from a shredded tire at 65 mph is not worth the gamble. Go record a massive burnout amd go buy new tires.

[INTMD8]

c00nhunterjoe-  Agreed

[green69rt]

Tires degrade while hidden away, exposure to oxygen is the main culprit.  Tire manufacturers add compounds to the tire rubber to stave off the effects of oxygen and sunlight but those compounds are consumed as they protect the tire.  Various company's use various amounts and have various recommendations on the life of their tires, usually from 3 to 6 years  .  I couldn't find any regulations on tire life so I guess it's "buyer beware".

Some tires may last longer than others and even four of the same tire on one car my last different lengths of time.   The problem is that you can't see what's going on inside the tire rubber unless you cut it apart and chemically analyze it.  Outside physical appearance may or may not indicate condition inside the rubber.  The only thing I would use an old tire for is to roll the car around the garage.

More info:

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-science-of-tire-aging-3234377

[JR]

Five years is about a maximum safe lifespan for tires. Driving on decade old tires is asking for a quarter panel destroying blowout at speed.

[CDN72SE]

There was a thread on one of the boards of a member with a Duster I believe, he was driving on old tires, one of the rears shredded and did a lot of damage to his quarter panels.

That being said I have BFG's from I think 1992 and they still look good but... after all the money I am spending on the car I would hate to blow a tire and have something really bad happen.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

We need a "LIKE" button, your Charger is gorgeous!

Thank you brother

[John_Kunkel]

And here enters the conflict between the logical mind and the pocketbook. Most agree that 5-6 years is the usable life of a tire but, when you have a fleet of cars (large or  small) it's kinda hard to spend the bucks required to keep all of your tires within that age limit.

For me, I'll take a chance on aged tires based on visuals and history.  

[dual fours]

It you think it's no fun when a rear tire blows, wait till a front blows.

[RallyeMike]

No way on a car you care about. Don't be lead into a sense of security by people who get away with it. You can't go back and change your mind if you have a separation or blow out. 

I experienced tire failure on low mile 13? year old premium brand OEM tires. The vehicle was garaged it's entire life and literally owned by an old man who babied it. I thought it would be fine too but changed my mind on this topic real quick. The failure was not due to a puncture or blunt force - the tread and outer sidewall separated from the core. Fortunately I was not going excessively fast and traveling in a straight line. When the front cap remnents was run over by the back tire, it too separated.

[AKcharger]

Copy all guys...yeah, going with new tires.   I have the $$$ I just keep thinking back to when I was a (stupid) kid and I ran some horribly dangerous tires and was always OK, lol

Thanks!

[JB400]

Don't forget about trailer tires as well.  I have a relative that has barrel rolled one a few times because he doesn't change them till they seperate

[green69rt]

Just a last point.  People forget about the spare.  It sets,hidden away in the trunk, "out of site,out of mind".  I keep my cars a long time so it gets replaced at around 10 years.  Some time costs more that the regular tires.

[68 RT]

Think about this too, you could possibly kill someone else when your tire blows out. There is a reason why tire places drill holes when they take off older tires no matter how good they look!

[Mike DC]

    
IMO modern tires are much more prone to age-failing than tires used to be.  Modern tires also seem more prone to air leaks.  

It's tempting to call it an "all modern products have gone to crap" problem.  But modern tires have gotten very good in other ways.  Grip, noise, rolling resistance, how many miles they last, etc.

[myk]

Think about this too, you could possibly kill someone else when your tire blows out. There is a reason why tire places drill holes when they take off older tires no matter how good they look!

Maybe where you're at but here in lovely California there are used tire joints all over the place.  I'd rather take the bus than roll on a used, older tire...

[AKcharger]

I'm going with new coopers but have to polish up the wheels I got 1st

[Charger RT]

Here is a picture of my 15 year old TA. I had 5 of them 4 with less then 3000 miles and one was a spare with 0 miles. One of the fronts separated first and you could slip your hand under the tread. Then a few weeks later my son came in the house and told me my charger had a flat. It was one of these tires. Two weeks later we back the charger out to get another car in to work on it and a few hours later the other tire in the picture blew up. At that point we lowered the pressure from 35 to 20 in the two remaining tires until I got a new set of tires. 10 years is my limit now. These were beautiful no cracking lots of tread.
Tim

[Kern Dog]

A new set of tires for about $500 is worth the peace of mind, IMO...

Uhhh, $500 gets me almost 2 tires!

[303 Mopar]

My Sport Satellite was stored in a bunker for 15 years and the 2002 tires are still soft with zero wear. To me, its not worth the chance of a blow out so new tires are ordered.

[Mike DC]

 

Uhhh, $500 gets me almost 2 tires!

You can get 4 BFG radials (just picking a common 15" muscle car tire) for about $700 after mounting and balancing. 

[alfaitalia]

I'm in the caravan/motor home game over here... for a living. If you have an accident with tyres over 7 years old in most insurance companies cases you won't be covered. They do like to keep that fact in the small print though! All tyres here have a manufactured date code on...must be the same there I guess. I always check my tyres at the dealers before they are fitted....been offered 4 years old tyres as "new" before. More likely to happen if your car had unusual sizes.

[c00nhunterjoe]

A new set of tires for about $500 is worth the peace of mind, IMO...

Uhhh, $500 gets me almost 2 tires!

Got to pay to play. Lol, here is 1 of mine...

[myk]

A new set of tires for about $500 is worth the peace of mind, IMO...

Uhhh, $500 gets me almost 2 tires!

Lol.  Well if we're talking about BFG TA tires, last time I bought a set it was about $500, course that was over 10 years ago.  I'm planning on buying some Nittos on my next purchase and am expecting to spend closer to a grand.  That is when I get the car back from the body shop another 10 years from now...

[John_Kunkel]

It you think it's no fun when a rear tire blows, wait till a front blows.

A source of much debate. Google it.

[JB400]

Double check your lugnuts before leaving the tire store.  My dad just went for a wild ride. Left rear wheel came off at 70 mph hauling a lawn mower home. Just had new tires put on. Luckily, no accident, but got whipped into oncoming traffic on a two lane road

[AKcharger]

Wow, cant argue with that

[c00nhunterjoe]

Use to love bfg. Still a great tire, but way overpriced now. Get the cooper cobra radial gt instead.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Or be even more different and get the M/T's (which I believe are rebranded Coopers)