Tire Age - When Do You Replace ?

[Charger_Dart]

Like many of you, I drive my Charger during the warm months when the weather is nice. This does not add many miles to the car over the years. I happened to be going through my car receipts (bad idea  ) over the weekend and found the one for the tires on my Charger. Bought my BFG Radial T/A's in March 1995 so they just turned 17 years old! I can't believe it! They still look & ride nice with no cracks or signs of aging.

I did a little web surfing and found the safety people suggest replacing tires every 6 years and my local tire store says 10 years max. 

How long do you guys trust tires to age ?

[Ghoste]

I usually wear them out long before those recommendations. 

[John_Kunkel]

With me it depends on how I'm gonna use the vehicle, if it's gonna be going fast for long periods I adhere to the 7-10 year rule. The tires on my '57 Chrysler are dated '95 but it rarely goes over 60 mph for more than a few minutes, however the tires on my daily driver with only 30K miles got replaced at 10 years with lots of rubber left because it sometimes sees 60+ mph for hours on end.

[Charger_Dart]

Thanks John, what you said makes sense.

Ghoste, your right - shame on me for not wearing them out sooner! 

[Ghoste]

No shame, it means the car is being well preserved.

[astjp2]

I would guess that you should drive your ride some more!  I run just about everything until they are bald.  My jeep tires are 15 years old and I run them at highway speeds a lot.  Tim

[UFO]

Curious on how they determine the time limit.
A climate controlled garage queen's tire should survive a lot longer than one that's left out in the elements.

[Ghoste]

And darkness, ultraviolet light is bad for them.

[Charger_Dart]

I think the rubber might get harder with age which would cause the tire to lose some of its properties. 

[John_Kunkel]

Curious on how they determine the time limit.
A climate controlled garage queen's tire should survive a lot longer than one that's left out in the elements.

Ozone kills tires, even in a closed garage. Sitting in one position for long spells kills them too.

[greymag]

The glue that holds them together starts crystalizing after 5 or 6 years. Here in Texas, at 80 mph (speed limit) and 95+ degrees, it could be catastrophic.

[440 Fanatic]

Curious on how they determine the time limit.
A climate controlled garage queen's tire should survive a lot longer than one that's left out in the elements.

Ozone kills tires, even in a closed garage. Sitting in one position for long spells kills them too.

I can testify that sitting for long periods causes tire problems. When I mounted the tires I currently have, I balanced them on a coats 700 balancer down to less than 1/10 of an ounce. It was incredibly smooth. Not long after, I developed differential probs and had to park the charger for a while, which turned into 3 years. Recently got it going again, and now I have a mild vibration starting at about 60 mph or so. I have little doubt that it's due to the tires sitting in one position for that long.

By the way John,  What is your '57 ?   The earliest memory of riding in a car I have is from about 4 years old, in my dad's '57 Imperial.

[John_Kunkel]

It's a '57 New Yorker with 17" rubber.

[myk]

Wow those look big for 17's-awesome car.  As for tires, as it's been previously said, 5 years 'max, whether there's good tread or not.  I have a friend with a 50's Crown Victoria with Bias-ply tires that have been on there for 20 years-you can bet I never go for a ride in that freaking thing...