Replacing Old Tires

[Cobalt289]

RB60 - I just went through this exact same thing. My tires looked great, with tons of tread, held air great, etc. etc. I did not want to replace them. Researching online, tire manufacturers say you should replace tires every 6 or 7 years. Yes, they're also wanting to sell you more tires, but even the skeptics online said 10 years, tops. Apparently, the concern is more about catastrophic tire failure (like losing your tread at speed!) than developing a slow leak you have to deal with. My oldest tire was about 15 years old according to the DOT info on the sidewall, so it was clearly time for a change. I bit the bullet and ordered new tires (Cooper Cobras) which I installed just last week. The amazing thing to me was, after resisting it for a couple of years after buying the car, I now wish I had done it sooner. The car drives, handles and steers better. And I know it's safer, as well. Plus, I was able to get in there and clean up the brakes and wheel wells. With the age of your tires, I suspect when you do it you'll have a similar experience. Hope so!

[ACHiPo]

Originally Posted by Cobalt289

RB60 - I just went through this exact same thing. My tires looked great, with tons of tread, held air great, etc. etc. I did not want to replace them. Researching online, tire manufacturers say you should replace tires every 6 or 7 years. Yes, they're also wanting to sell you more tires, but even the skeptics online said 10 years, tops. Apparently, the concern is more about catastrophic tire failure (like losing your tread at speed!) than developing a slow leak you have to deal with. My oldest tire was about 15 years old according to the DOT info on the sidewall, so it was clearly time for a change. I bit the bullet and ordered new tires (Cooper Cobras) which I installed just last week. The amazing thing to me was, after resisting it for a couple of years after buying the car, I now wish I had done it sooner. The car drives, handles and steers better. And I know it's safer, as well. Plus, I was able to get in there and clean up the brakes and wheel wells. With the age of your tires, I suspect when you do it you'll have a similar experience. Hope so!

My experience was just like Cobalt's. The Cooper Cobras were a night and day improvement over the BFGs, which were ~7 years old. The only difference was that I had a close call where I lost traction with the BFGs at a moderate speed around a corner that motivated me to make the change. The BFGs still looked great--lots of tread, no cracking. I'm not sure how much of the issue was the BFGs as a hard, crappy tire, and how much was because they were just past their prime, but regardless I wish I'd done it sooner. $500 very well spent.