New tires?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
How Long Does a Tire Last?
Carmakers, tire makers and rubber manufacturers differ in their opinions about the lifespan of a tire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has no specific guidelines on tire aging and defers to the recommendations of carmakers and tire manufacturers. Carmakers such as Nissan and Mercedes-Benz tell consumers to replace tires six years after their production date, regardless of tread life. Tire manufacturers such as Continental and Michelin say a tire can last up to 10 years, provided you get annual tire inspections after the fifth year.
The Rubber Manufacturers Association says there is no way to put a date on when a tire "expires," because such factors as heat, storage and conditions of use can dramatically reduce the life of a tire. Here's more on each of these factors.
Heat: NHTSA research has found that tires age more quickly in warmer climates. NHTSA also found that environmental conditions like exposure to sunlight and coastal climates can hasten the aging process. People who live in warm weather and coastal states should keep this in mind when deciding whether they should retire a tire.
Storage: This applies to spare tires and tires that are sitting in a garage or shop. Consider how a spare tire lives its life. If you own a truck, the spare may be mounted underneath the vehicle, exposed to dirt and the elements.
If your spare is in the trunk, it's as if it is "baking in a miniature oven," says Dan Zielinski, senior vice president of public affairs for the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Most often, the spare never sees the light of day. But if the tire has been inflated and mounted on a wheel, it is technically "in service," even if it's never been used, Gervin says.
A tire that has not been mounted and is just sitting in a tire shop or your garage will age more slowly than one that has been put into service on a car. But it ages nonetheless.
Carmakers, tire makers and rubber manufacturers differ in their opinions about the lifespan of a tire. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has no specific guidelines on tire aging and defers to the recommendations of carmakers and tire manufacturers. Carmakers such as Nissan and Mercedes-Benz tell consumers to replace tires six years after their production date, regardless of tread life. Tire manufacturers such as Continental and Michelin say a tire can last up to 10 years, provided you get annual tire inspections after the fifth year.
The Rubber Manufacturers Association says there is no way to put a date on when a tire "expires," because such factors as heat, storage and conditions of use can dramatically reduce the life of a tire. Here's more on each of these factors.
Heat: NHTSA research has found that tires age more quickly in warmer climates. NHTSA also found that environmental conditions like exposure to sunlight and coastal climates can hasten the aging process. People who live in warm weather and coastal states should keep this in mind when deciding whether they should retire a tire.
Storage: This applies to spare tires and tires that are sitting in a garage or shop. Consider how a spare tire lives its life. If you own a truck, the spare may be mounted underneath the vehicle, exposed to dirt and the elements.
If your spare is in the trunk, it's as if it is "baking in a miniature oven," says Dan Zielinski, senior vice president of public affairs for the Rubber Manufacturers Association. Most often, the spare never sees the light of day. But if the tire has been inflated and mounted on a wheel, it is technically "in service," even if it's never been used, Gervin says.
A tire that has not been mounted and is just sitting in a tire shop or your garage will age more slowly than one that has been put into service on a car. But it ages nonetheless.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
If you only drive a few hundred miles to car shows every year and don't exceed the speed limit, those old tires could last another 10 years. If you actually want to drive your car, you better get some new rubber.
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Le Mans Master
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From: OK
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 886
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From: Largo FL
The runflat tires, especially Goodyear, are bad even when new, IMHO. As they wear and age a few years they get rock hard. Get some new non-runflat tires, you won't believe the difference in ride, handling and noise.
Last edited by ronwc; May 12, 2015 at 07:15 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 4,303
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From: yardley, pa 19067
Get new tires just for the fact that Goodyear runflats ride like your on bricks! Noisy, awful handling. I put Goodyear Eagle GS non runflats on my old C5 & it was like a new car! My current 13 GS has Goodyear runflats with not even 6k miles & I hate them with a passion!
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If it were my car, I would replace the original tires that are on there - I would not want to drive around on tires that old even if they have good tread on them. I would recommend a tire like the Hankook Ventus V12 - very good overall tire and can be had at a very good price.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 10,742
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From: Marana, Arizona
New tires? Absolutely. I had only 25,000 miles on my 9 year old original GY run flats. Plenty of tread left, but put on Michelin's and boy what a difference, safety issues notwithstanding.
Last edited by VETJAZZ; May 12, 2015 at 09:06 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 8,900
Likes: 1,074
From: Wisconsin
Back in the late 90s I bought a C3. It came with Goodyear tires with pretty good tread. I drove it for a year, put about 6000 miles on it and figured I might as well get some new tires for it the next year. Checked the date code and the tires were 14 years old. Never had a problem. I know some say they are time bombs, but a lot of C5 owners are still driving on original tires and I have never heard of one catastrophic failure.
Now if you are just going to put a few hundred miles a year on the car and not exceed speed limits, the originals will work, but if you want to drive the car, definitely get new tires.
Now if you are just going to put a few hundred miles a year on the car and not exceed speed limits, the originals will work, but if you want to drive the car, definitely get new tires.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,081
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From: Fort Worth TX
St. Jude Donor '15
It must be something on all our minds. I have been tire shopping for my 2002 with 14,000 original miles. There perfect, no cracks, etc. but to be replaced.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 352
Likes: 24
From: Bowman ND
:
I have close to 3000 miles on my hankook ventus v12s and they are great handling and very quiet. Happy shopping.
If it were my car, I would replace the original tires that are on there - I would not want to drive around on tires that old even if they have good tread on them. I would recommend a tire like the Hankook Ventus V12 - very good overall tire and can be had at a very good price.