Tyre Ageing

[Kevin Garrod]

Bikes get away with it for two reasons - firstly the tyre footprint is extremely small so there is less need to channel water away by tread channels; secondly, the gyroscopic moment of the the wheel itself is an enormous stabilising factor which a car doesn't enjoy. I'm always amazed what grip my bike has and I always chicken out long before the grip lets go.

Regarding commercial vehicles I agree it's barmy.

That may all be true but I can go faster round a corner in the wet in car than I would on a bike!

[dasadrew]

That may all be true but I can go faster round a corner in the wet in car than I would on a bike!

That's for sure!

[V Mad]

That's quite a "first" for this forum Chris - wanting to wait until there is a government or EU directive on tyre change intervals to be able to follow it!

No, its not, I am saying the opposite! It is bad enough having official rules to follow, let alone when someone starts a rumour that there is some arbitrary limit. Where did the arbirtrary figure of 6 years come from? No basis in fact!!

End of rant!

[Jeff]

If the age of tyres is so important, why isn't this picked up on an MOT?

That's all about the safety aspects of the car.

Jeff.

[dasadrew]

I reckon in normal car usage, a car will have worn its tyres down to the tread wear limit long before ageing would become significantly detrimental in its effects. I can't myself see any reason for a fixed limit, as there is no definitive proven point in time when a tyre would become "dangerous". Tyres on a car parked in Mediterranean sun will no doubt age quicker than in a garage in the Shetland Islands.

Tyres do gas-off over time and do lose their grip and flexibility (that's why they smell of rubber!).

Quite apart from the properties of the individual tyre, the profile technology has developed a lot over the last 30 years so, if you keep your old tyres, you are losing out on that too. Especially the aquaplaning speed has made a lot of progress.

The tyre affects your braking distance, your cornering ability (to avoid an obstacle) and the ability to drive on a sheet of water. It just seems sensible to me to refresh all of these abilities with newer technology and newer rubber at a reasonable periodicity (say 5, 6, 7 years or whatever) and certainly before the MoT man says the tyres are at the legal tread limit. £50 per year on average for tyres seems also to be a reasonable position to take.

Drew

[Jeff]

I reckon in normal car usage, a car will have worn its tyres down to the tread wear limit long before ageing would become significantly detrimental in its effects. I can't myself see any reason for a fixed limit, as there is no definitive proven point in time when a tyre would become "dangerous". Tyres on a car parked in Mediterranean sun will no doubt age quicker than in a garage in the Shetland Islands.

Tyres do gas-off over time and do lose their grip and flexibility (that's why they smell of rubber!).

Quite apart from the properties of the individual tyre, the profile technology has developed a lot over the last 30 years so, if you keep your old tyres, you are losing out on that too. Especially the aquaplaning speed has made a lot of progress.

The tyre affects your braking distance, your cornering ability (to avoid an obstacle) and the ability to drive on a sheet of water. It just seems sensible to me to refresh all of these abilities with newer technology and newer rubber at a reasonable periodicity (say 5, 6, 7 years or whatever) and certainly before the MoT man says the tyres are at the legal tread limit. £50 per year on average for tyres seems also to be a reasonable position to take.

Drew

I thought they smelled of rubber 'cos that's what they're made of.

[Jeff]

Emoticons not working!!!

[DJT]

No, its not, I am saying the opposite! It is bad enough having official rules to follow, let alone when someone starts a rumour that there is some arbitrary limit. Where did the arbirtrary figure of 6 years come from? No basis in fact!!

End of rant!

From Wikipedia (yes, I know it isn't always 100% accurate....... )

Dangers of aged tires Research and tests show that as tires age, they begin to dry out and become potentially dangerous, even if unused. Aged tires may appear to have similar properties to newly manufactured tires, but rubber degrades over time, and once the vehicle is traveling at high speeds (i.e. on a freeway) the tread could peel off, leading to severe loss of control. In tropical climates, such as Singapore, tires degrade sooner than in temperate climates, and more care should be taken in these climates to ensure that tires do not fail.^{[citation needed]} Also, tires on seldom-used trailers are at the greatest risk of age-failure, but some tires are built to withstand idleness, usually with nylon reinforcement.
Many automakers recommend replacing tires after six years, and several tire manufacturers (Bridgestone, Michelin) have called for tires to be removed from service 10 years after the date of manufacture. However, an investigative report by Brian Ross on ABC's 20/20 news magazine found that many major retailers such as Goodyear, Wal-Mart, and Sears were selling tires that had been produced six or more years ago. Currently, no law for aged tires exists in the United States.

Dave

[Jeff]

I don't plan on taking the Stag to Singapore anyway.

[V Mad]

From Wikipedia (yes, I know it isn't always 100% accurate....... )


Many automakers recommend replacing tires after six years, and several tire manufacturers (Bridgestone, Michelin) have called for tires to be removed from service 10 years after the date of manufacture. However, an investigative report by Brian Ross on ABC's 20/20 news magazine found that many major retailers such as Goodyear, Wal-Mart, and Sears were selling tires that had been produced six or more years ago.
Dave

So that means if you replace at six years, your 'new' (6 year old) tyres will have a zero life!

[marshman]

I replaced the tyres on my wife's MX5 at the weekend. They were fitted 5 years and 35000 miles ago. I swap the wheels round (front to back) to even up the wear. They were Pirelli P5000 "Drago" tyres, the same as fitted as original equipment. They are date coded 0306 so are just over 5 years old. Now the side walls are quite badly cracked - The car is kept in a garage and my wife is a steady driver, for over 18 months they have had - in my opinion - no grip. There was an advisory at the last MOT over the perishing of the side walls - though as there was still 4mm of tread they did not fail. The original Pirelli tyres were in a similar condition after 5 years. These are supposed to be a quality tyre yet seem to deteriorate quickly. The tyres on my Land Rover are date stamped 1202 so are approaching 10 years old and have no signs of any cracking despite some 45000 miles. The tyres look like new and when I repaired a puncture a few months back there was no sign of any deterioration and the sidewalls were still flexible. Both vehicles are kept in the same garage.

The point I'm making is age is not the be all and end all, nor is the make! the Land Rover tyres are a "cheap non-branded tyre" and "appear" OK after nearly 10 years. The Mazda tyres, Pirelli, were knackered (not treadwise) just after 5 years from manufacture!

Finally if you think that a few cracks in the sidewall don't matter, my dad had a blowout in his Peerless on the M20 a few weeks back. He was doing 70MPH in the outside lane. When we took the tyre off it looked fine on the outside apart from the big tear in the side wall. There was no sign of any injury to the tyre to cause the blowout. BUT the inside of the tyre carcass showed massive deterioration and delamination - some obviously due to the highspeed deflation - but I think most due to the age of the tyre which was just over 10 years. the tyre was a Goodyear GT80. Needless to say he fitted 2 new tyres as the other tyre showed similar signs internally - the two front tyres were replaced last year due to treadwear.

As with most things keep an eye on you tyres and don't assume that just because its a well known make and just a few years old it will be OK. Use your common sense and physically examine the tyres every 6 months or so.

Roger

[Rubce]

Hmmm, Having just seen Rogers photos I will be off out to check all three cars tomorrow morning. The GT6 should be okay as all four tyres were replaced two years ago with a budget make. The two year Nissan's tyres require replacing as they are worn out tread wise, the same budget make but with a much higher mileage. The Stag has 5+ year old Firestones fitted with good tread depth remaining.

It should be an intersting comparision of "low mileage budget", against "high limeage budget" against "old low mileage well known brand".

Interesting note that DJT spotted on Wikki regarding the age of "new" tyre stock at some retailers! Next time you purchase some new tyres it would wise to check the dates and perhaps refuse to accept them if they are older than say 12 months. Or ask for a discount?

Bruce

[StagnJag]

I seem to recall that there is some regulation about selling tyres over a certain age, but that could have been that particular retailers rules. I think it was also 6 years.

Rgds

Dave

[elvimto]

Just for the heck of it I did a check on the same Kumho tires set of 5 out the door lifetime free rotation and balance roadside pro rated damage etc 225 pounds UK must be a lot of mark up somewhere even with the 20% vat. By the way is this a good tire for the Stag since I have to get some for my new alloy rims.

Stuart

[Ian Durrant]

Just for the heck of it I did a check on the same Kumho tires set of 5 out the door lifetime free rotation and balance roadside pro rated damage etc 225 pounds UK must be a lot of mark up somewhere even with the 20% vat. By the way is this a good tire for the Stag since I have to get some for my new alloy rims.

Stuart

I am doing tyre research and so far the best tyre for your money seems to be the Kumho K17 195/70 HR14. I'd like to know if anyone has these fitted and what they think of them too