Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

My new Early Bird Magazine had an article recomending replacing any tire after 6 years for fear they will fall apart. I put a new set of Black Diamond wide white radials on my T Bird when I put it back on the road several years ago. Won't have 5,000 miles on them in 6 years. Love them but they are expensive. Whats the consensus here on automatic 6 year replacement of tires? The repo bias ply tires I replaced were probably 20 years old or older and never had a failure. Not saying that I probably should have replaced them sooner though. It was apart for restoration for a few years. Thoughts?

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

My tires fall under a regular maintenance schedule just like the rest of the car. Inspection of tread, sidewalls and inflation needs to be monitored. I have had issues with new tires and I have run tires many years with low miles. Just age has little to do with when I replace them. How many folks replace never used spare tires when they hit their sixth birthday? Just my 2 cents worth............

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

That famous/infamous study on tire degradation was centred in the Phoenix AZ area, apparently the hottest average temp city in the US. And the study focused on radials only. Now everyone has heard of the study but not everyone has read it. It was a "worse case scenario" study as well. Up here just above the 49th our temps don't average anywhere near those in Phoenix. Rather coolish most of the year and humid/rain. So I don't really believe that that study applies here. And of course the tire companies are deathly afraid of litigation so... And it's a great way to sell tires to those who don't need them; fear sells!

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

I've kept tires on my antique vehicles for over 20 years before changing them out. I've read that exposure to the sun is more damaging than just about anything else. I normally only put about 200 miles per year on any of the old vehicles. They are stored in dark garages, unheated and w/o air conditioning. I normally drive in the slow lane. I don't race or do turnpike cruising. I once had a set of replacement bias ply tires for 30 years, and never had any problems. The only reason I changed them was to go to radials. YMMV.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

My truck tires are like 15 years old and look perfect. No cracks, checks or anything. Now this is kept in a garage and on plywood so that helps. I had not heard of changing every 6/7 years until just recently. Maybe the older tires were manufactured better, I do not know.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

I feel it depends on whose tires are being talked about. Made in China? Don't buy them, or get them off in six years. Not bottom of the line made in USA or Canada? Ten or more years, unless you live near the lower hotter parts of the US.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

Only once have I had a catastrophe tire failure, and that was on a motor home. Probably age or impact related, but it was cool and properly inflated when it lost the whole tread. What I've seen more often is older tires getting hard and losing traction. I've had at least 3 sets on sports cars do that at low mileage. In Seattle where we don't have a lot of hot weather, on cars that were always garaged. The Coker whitewall radials on my bird where at least 15 years old when I replaced them, and they looked fine but were getting hard. So that's what I watch for.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

My experience would suggest that there's a lot of truth in this statement. I bought the radials for my ranch wagon 15 years ago and the radials for my Mercury 13 years ago. Both sets of tires have five or six thousand miles on them. They are inspected pretty regularly and I've seen no cracks on the sidewalls or in between the treads. I don't know if this is because I live in a cooler climate or because the cars are always kept inside for storage.


Regardless, Phoenix gets more sunlight than most places in the US., and that can mean more UV rays, which I've heard are bad for tires. All I know is I'm not going to replace the tires for a while...or until I get evidence of deterioration or wear.


PS - I was in Phoenix/Tempe this summer touring AZ State with my teenage high school seniors who are looking at colleges - it was 114 degrees during the day! Close to 100 degrees at midnight.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

These tires are 30 years old. I don't keep track on the mileage.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

The tire deterioration guidelines came about due to tire failures and the insurance companies not wanting the responsibility of paying for damages in the event of accidents caused by some of these failures. This includes both automobile insurance and product liability claims. Some automobile tire shops will not repair a tire that is over the guidelines for the same reason. You can't really blame them either. They don't charge much to repair a tire but could be involved in a suit that would bankrupt their business.

Rubber, even synthetics, start to deteriorate as soon as they leave the mold. Hardening is form of deterioration and bond structure of the carcass is another. Ozone in the air and ultraviolet light both have an affect. Wear and tear are obvious affects. Limitations are still voluntary and most manufacturers set them between 6 and 10 years whether the tires are used a lot or not. Tires get flat spots from setting a lot and that can damage the carcass over time just as bad as wear and tear.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

This thread reminds me of my old pal Willy the Rat. He only changed his tires if the went flat and would drive around with tires so bald the cords were showing.This practice came back to bite him in the ass when one day we drove out of town and he got a flat. No problem, put on bald spare and we were on our way. 15 miles later the spare blew. He had to call a garage and they towed us back to their shop and he had to buy a new tire from them. At least he had one good one for years later.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

Back in the '90's, I carried a 40 plus year old spare in my '55 car. One evening, I pulled onto the highway on my way home from work and ran over something that caused a front passenger side flat. No problem, I pulled to the shoulder and changed it with my ancient spare. (Man you never seen worse dry-rot and cracking on a tire sidewall). As I let the jack down, the spare was flat also.
An old man and his wife in an '85 Crown Vic stopped just ahead of me on the shoulder at that same moment. He had a battery powered air compressor and lent it to me. I aired up the old spare and it wouldn't take more than 23 PSI, so I drove it home like that. Man, that tire was squirrely going down the highway, 60 MPH (much slower than I usually go). But when I got home, it hadn't lost any air.
I had always ran my tires bald before they got any age on them, and was always disappointed that the tread didn't last longer. But I was driving minimum 15,000 miles/year on 710X15 tires with 4 inch tread width.
I got radials on my car for the very first time over ten years ago. The tread is worn down pretty good now, but I am keeping them till long after they have gone bald. Darned good cheap chainstore tires and they still look good.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

Sounds like this article may have been authored by a Mr Louis Michelin or George Firestone ... ya, I'm a skeptic.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

Just like shampoo...lather, rinse, repeat. What? You didn't get your hair clean the first time?

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

bought a 46 truck, big truck, had 6 bald original tires, went to local tire place, he took a look at the tires , said S4, nylon cord, no problem, got full credit for the recappable cores, those tires were 35 years old and went onto another life on a modern truck

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

That's one reason I always avoid recaps. They only have to be responsible for their cap. The carcass is not their problem.

Big road going trucks are about the only group that still uses them and they generally only use them on the drive (dual) applications or on the trailers.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

I think it is illegal to use them on the steer wheels.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

I hate to participate in threads like this, but ...

Anyone that would do something like this is either un-knowledgeable or puts profit above safety.

No caps on big truck steer.


EDIT - :o

Let me reiterate on that last statement -

If a carrier thru out my dispatch papers and I went out to the ready-line and the tractor had recap steer tires, they would either replace them or I would go home. A CDL is too valuable to gamble with.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

Damn, Learn something new everyday.

Re: Replace any tire over 6 years old.
 

I learned the hard way.....looked perfect, always kept them aired up, never had a puncture, nice even wear but....


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