My 2019 C7 GS has tires that were made in 2019 - I only have 3300 miles on them. Due to their age do I have to replace them or am I still good to use them. No dry rot or any wear patterns.

 

Personally, I would replace them. I wouldn't want a flat out on the road or trust the run flat to protect the wheels. That's just me though. I do see people all the time running older tires like that without issues.

 

Best to refer to the manufacturer's recommendations.

 

This is a great question to ask as it can benefit many Corvette owners to know the proper tire maintenance. Please be aware, the rubber in tires ages over time. This also applies to the spare tire, if the vehicle has one, even if it is never used. Multiple factors including temperatures, loading conditions, and inflation pressure maintenance can affect how fast aging takes place. GM recommends that tires (including the spare), be replaced after six years - regardless of tread wear. When
replacement tires are needed, GM strongly recommends buying tires with the same TPC (Tire Performance Criteria) Spec rating as the factory installed tire. You can find this information and more within your owner's manual on pages 280-282. With your tires being from 2019, we would advise you replace all tires as soon as you can. This will maintain the performance of your C7 to its fullest potential. Should you have additional questions, please feel free to email us at socialmedia@gm.com.

 

This is good advice. See the link for an example of a popular tire manufacturer's recommendations.

If you have a different brand, your tire manufacturer may have different recommendations.

https://www.michelinman.com/auto/aut...need-new-tires

 

According to OEM tire manufacturer Michelin... "After five years or more in use, your tires should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year by a professional. If the tires haven't been replaced 10 years after their date of manufacture, as a precaution, Michelin recommends replacing them with new tires. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator."

Depending on your driving habits, your six-year-old tires are probably good for a few more years. Inspection by a tire professional can confirm one way or the other. Good luck!

 

Same boat as you. 3200 on my 2019 GS. Michelin says 5 years but say you can go 10 years if they are inspected at least once a year. My car sits in a conditioned garage with sun exposure when I drive it. My Pilot Super Sports still look new and run great. They get a look at my annual safety inspection by the dealer.

 

I’m looking at the same situation - my tires were installed in 2019 and have probably 6-7K miles in them - they still look like new. No

I think I am going to push replacement to at least next spring.

 

Sunlight’s UV rays are the No. 1 cause of dry rot. UV exposure leads to the loss of natural oils within the rubber, making it dry and brittle. If you keep your car in a garage or building and away from direct sunlight, the tires should go beyond six years. I visited a tire warehouse once and there were no windows. The whole place was dimly lighted.

 

much older, tire shops won't repair them!!

 

After 5 years you are on borrowed time. That doesn't mean they will fail spectacularly tomorrow but I think you get the idea.

These are performance cars. You should have fresh, less than 5 year old rubber on this machine. Just part of the cost of ownership.

Moreover, with the damage a tire can do to a car like this coming apart at speed, it's really the smart financial move in the long run.

My recommendation: Get new tires and drive the car more often!

 

https://www.walker-rubber.co.uk/know...-of-rubber-366

Assuming you can control temperature extremes, Ozone and Sunlight?

 

Big can of worms here, with many opinions.
The first thing I consider, when looking at opinions or recommendations, is "why".
How much of current recommendations are affected by lability concerns here in the US?
Or, companies just wanting you to buy a new product?
What are your driving habits?
Twice a month to the local donut shop, or banzai mountain driving?
About a year ago, I bought a '09 that had great looking Goodyear tires on it. The car rode noticeably hard, and upon inspection (thankfully) I noticed the tire date code of '08. I was really pissed that the dealer near Phoenix, Az., would knowingly try to sell a car with 15 yr old tires to me, especially knowing that I was going to drive it 400 miles across the desert, to get home. It turns out that Az. safety rules only apply to tread depth. The dealer was within the law, but still unethical. I told them that I was really pissed and started to walk out. They quickly gave me a discount and arranged for a local dealer to replace them. The 15 yr old tires were so old and hard, that the sidewalls disintegrated when the shop dismounted them. 15 yrs in Phoenix is definitely too old.
Unless you're expecting to do some high speed driving across a desolate desert in the middle of summer, I think the 5/10 yr Michelin advise above is quite knowledgeable and reliable.

 

On our 2017 Z51, I replaced our PSS runflats and A/S runflats (two sets of wheels/tires) when they were 6 years old, like the Owner Manual recommends. Still about 6/32" tread remaining. Replaced with new Michelins identical to the old ones. The new tires gave a surprising improvement in grip and reduction in road noise.

 

I had a similar situation. In the fall I purchased a 2019 Grand Sport with 6500 miles. Service records indicated the 1st owner put Michelin pilot all seasons on it almost immediately, making them about 6 years old. Still plenty of tread and appeared safe, but felt hard more like plastic than rubber. I had the car sideways far too many time far too easily a few times and they just felt hard and loud. This Spring I changed wheels and purchased a new set of Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 ZP and what a difference! More grip, much quieter in all situations, and a far better ride. Tour setting on the old tires felt like sport in the new ones. Worth the money. I am glad I did it. I am sure the age played a role, but also the tire has probably improved as well.

 

I wonder what they really mean when they say 10 years replace. I replaced at 8 and there was noticeable grip improvement. Less wiggle when you accelerate in a straight line. Maybe they mean "Yes, it works and it won't break if you do things within the law but it won't be as firm."?

 

The tires age over time and with heat cycles.

The rubber continues to vulcanize over time and becomes less pliable and loses grip.

There is no one magic date for every person because there are too many variables.

But if you’re like me, and like to stretch the cars legs on occasion, doing so on 6-10 year old tires is not a good idea IMHO.

 

Every Corvette owner should be aware of the age of their tires. Really easy to check. For those of us that don't drive our Corvettes year-round, we probably have tires that will "age out" before having the tread wear out.

The tire’s manufacturing date is shown as a four-digit number on the tire's sidewall, using the format WWYY, where WW represents the week and YY represents the year of manufacture. For example, a code of "4423" indicates the tire was made in the 44th week of 2023.

Below: In this photo from Michelin, the tire's date of manufacture was week 47, year 2014.
If that was your C7, you definitely need new tires, unless your car is on display at the National Corvette Museum and never driven anymore.

 

If the the question is are my tires safe to drive on when they get older than 6 years old, the answer is maybe. But, old tires absolutely will have lost a significant amount of grip. You are driving a Corvette - do you want to give up tire grip on a high performance car? Would you give up 50% of your horsepower to save money? That horsepower does nothing for you if the tires can't put it to the ground. Cornering and braking are also limited by the tires.

And unless you drive like you are in a minivan, how will you feel when you push it a bit and lose control causing an accident because you did not want to buy new tires suitable for this high performance car? Get some good tires or sell the Vette and buy the minivan you should be driving if you don't want to maintain the Corvette the way it needs to be taken care of.

 

I can afford to buy a tuxedo but would I wear it to work if my job is a lube tech? Sure, you can but why waste your money? Many of the Corvette owners might not be punching it any more than a lot of F250 trucks with a clean and shiny bed are working the truck. I don't believe I had to promise to run my car to the max when I bought it. If I am running it to the 140 HP level, why buy 450 HP level tires just because I can? I don't feel I have to waste my money just to fit in with the boys' club.

Give me a break. The Corvette isn't anything special besides in the owner's imagination. It's just another mass production higher HP car. It even shares parts across the brand. Back in the day when I did autocross, I see old Datsuns, Ford Taurus and even the occasional minivan and trucks. Bunch of Mustangs and F-bodies. Tell you what I didn't see. More than 2 Corvettes on any given track day unless they were trailered.