tire age vs. wear?

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Oct 9, 2012 | 11:20 AM

C U IN REARVEIW

Thread Starter

Le Mans Master

Joined: Jan 2009

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From: ocean springs mississippi

tire age vs. wear?

looking at a set of used tires,about 4 y/o, do these get hard just by age alone or heat cycles,ect. worth it to save a few hundred bucks?

Oct 9, 2012 | 11:40 AM

taken19

Track Junky

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From: Orlando Area

Tech Contributor

This is just a guess, but I would say that heat cycles have a larger impact on tire hardness than age. If you are using for the street only and no racing, used are just fine IMHO.

Oct 9, 2012 | 11:54 AM

SG4206

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Joined: Oct 2004

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From: Pipe Creek TX

Quote:

Originally Posted by taken19

This is just a guess, but I would say that heat cycles have a larger impact on tire hardness than age. If you are using for the street only and no racing, used are just fine IMHO.

Oct 9, 2012 | 12:52 PM

JerriVette

Race Director

Joined: Nov 2003

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From: Bergen county NJ

5 years ... Maybe 6 tops.

For a few hundred dollars I'd suggest buying new

Not really safety but ride IMO

My wife drives half the normal averag but 5 years in her caddy's tires get loud. Replace them with new even though there is good tread left and the car is silent again.

Hope this helps and just an opinion

Oct 9, 2012 | 01:09 PM

fnsblum

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From: TremontonUT UT

Tire manufacturers will only warranty for six years. Ford Motor Company recommends replacing at six years also. There is a build date on the tires also. The ones you are considering could be older than four years. Later! Frank

Oct 9, 2012 | 01:19 PM

JCtx

Melting Slicks

Joined: Dec 2006

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Rubber degrades with age, regardless of heat cycles and mileage. Any cracking on the sidewall is bad news too. Check the 4-digit DOT code on the tires, which denotes week and year of manufacture, and I bet those tires will be a lot older than 4 years. Anything older than 6 years should be tossed for your safety. Just buy new ones man.

Oct 9, 2012 | 01:27 PM

LS1LT1

Team Owner

Joined: Feb 2001

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From: Short Hills, NJ

I tend to 'push' my tires a little longer (in both age and wear) than most people and I also use both street tires and drag radials regularly on the street.
I just removed a set of front tires off of my Camaro Z28 that were roughly 12 years old and still have tread on them and held air perfectly. But they were very hardened and showing plenty of cracking/dry rotting and I'm embarking on a 1500 mile round trip tomorrow and didn't want to risk it. So I put on some slightly newer used tires off of a friend's car with less cracks in them for the trip LOL.

Of course the worn down Nitto drag radials on the back are also 10+ years old but are still looking 'ok' so I'll risk it.
Once I get to where I'm going (Indianapolis, to race) I'll be putting on my 7 1/2 year old drag radials which are also acting as spares for the trip 'just in case'.

But the short answer is 'yes', tires can go bad from age or improper/excessive heat cycling long before they're actually visibly worn out.

Oct 9, 2012 | 06:02 PM

SUB VETTE

SUBVETTE

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From: San Diego CA

Had a set of rear tires go bad due to age. They looked great from the outside and were inflated properly, but at moderate speeds the back end felt like it was squirelling around on flats. Turned out the belts were loosening up inside the tire according to tire shop. Tires were about 6 years old and driven very little.