Tire Life expedency

[genolan]

I was wondering how long tires can last with low mileage. I have a set on my Backdraft with only 4500 miles and they are 8 years old. They look and drive fine but how much longer should they last.

[Tommy]

First, I'm no expert. But I have vehicles that I have owned a long time and I've faced this same question before. ... The prevailing tire industry recommendation is that tires be replaced not later than ten years after manufacture. The logic is that the rubber compounds change over time and the sidewalls become increasingly likely to fail. ... Ultimately its a question of how much risk you are willing to take. If you seldom drive hard or fast, and an abrupt blowout would not likely cause a catastrophic situation for you, then maybe you can stretch your tire years a bit more. But if you sometimes find yourself driving at 75 MPH surrounded by large trucks, then maybe sooner is better than later. ... My personal limit on my high performance cars is seven years.

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by genolan

I was wondering how long tires can last with low mileage. I have a set on my Backdraft with only 4500 miles and they are 8 years old. They look and drive fine but how much longer should they last.

At 8 years old, I personally prefer to replace the tires with something new. Tires age, grow hard, lose some of their "as new" characteristics. But then again, I'm more proactive about my safety and the upkeep of the cars in my collection.

I do suggest that you at the very least have new valve stems installed now.



Bill S.

[Thor maine]

I think it depends more on mileage and UV deterioration. If you don't drive it much and not in the rain or winter and you keep it out of the sun (all of which is a shame with a Cobra) ten years may be conservative. But they are made to drive!

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by Thor maine

I think it depends more on mileage and UV deterioration. If you don't drive it much and not in the rain or winter and you keep it out of the sun (all of which is a shame with a Cobra) ten years may be conservative. But they are made to drive!

The set of wally world tires on my 65 fastback are at least 8 years old if not more......they have maybe 25,000 miles on them and show wear on the tread as you would expect,but the side walls look like that of a 1 year old tire..

when the car is not in use it is in an enclosed shop out of the sun light and weather and I think that is the biggest thing that has made them last this long.....

On the other hand, my car hauler trailer is under a drop shed on the rear of my shop, somewhat in the weather and sun and a set of similar tires last 3 to 4 years tops!!!!!!!!!!! the tread looks almost new, but the sidewalls are dry rotted and cracked and I don't trust them when they get this way............

David

[Tommy]

I was on another forum a few days ago when a man came asking for advice about the OE tires on his recently acquired low mileage 1990 Corvette. His 24 year old tires still had good tread depth, but he was worried just the same. There was a unanimous chorus of people advising him to tiptoe down to the nearest tire store for new ones. ... My point is this. We can all probably agree that a two year old street tire that has not been abused is likely OK, and a 25 year old street tire is likely a disaster waiting to happen. Somewhere in between is the age that you want to change your tires. Exactly where is a matter of how you treat them and, as I said above, how much risk you want to take.

[vector1]

My jbl's are coming up on 10 yrs old, both look good. If it is kept indoors shouldn't be much harm. Years back i purchased a 66 fastback that had sat indoors from mid 70's when I purchased it in about '95, still had the bias ply tires and I drove it, til the tread came off and showed me the cords.....

[Luce]

If you guys can make a set of tires last 5000 miles on a Cobra, you're not driving it right

[Mdman352]

Originally Posted by Luce

If you guys can make a set of tires last 5000 miles on a Cobra, you're not driving it right

You got that right!!!

[Mark Brye]

My 2006 BDR F1's had 80% tread left (5000 miles) and looked great last year. They however became so hard that I could not trust the traction with them. There was a big difference in traction from when they were new. I would get new tires if they are getting that old.

[WardL]

•Vehicle Manufacturers Recommend Replacement at 6 Years
•Tire Manufacturers' Warranties Expire at 6 Years
•Tire Manufacturers Recommend Replacement at 10 Years
•Industry Experts Recommend Replacement at 10 Years

All new tires have the date of manufacture stamped on the sidewall. It might be in some form of code. There is a chance you could buy tires that were made several years ago and I wouldn't think that would be a good thing if you were planning to keep the tires a long time.

It's going to be hard for me to change out my front tires in 10 years when they have plenty a tread on them. I wish I could swap front and back tires for an afternoon. That would fix the "excessive tread on an old tire" problem!

[Mother]

Just my humble opinion.

I use Nitto 555R's. 315 35R 17 rears, and 255 40R 17's on the front. I check the mfg date and change them every four years from mfg date. This is done on all my vehicles. The cobra, is way too costly a vehicle to cheap out on tires. My tires are two years old and if they last 4 years, I will be lucky. There is less than 8000 miles on the odometer. Car is stored inside, and during the winter months, the Cobra is stored on stands to releave the stress on the bearings. Bearings are re-checked for tightness at the end of each driving season.

But each to their own. Depends primarily on how you drive. Fun wow!!

[Snake2998]

My Bridgestones lasted 17 years and looked fine from the outside but when they were dis-mounted the beading and some of the sidewall stayed behind on the rim.

I was definitely being stupid to leave them that long but I seldom drove at speeds higher than 50 MPH, and I won't be so careless again. Mind you they where very easy to spin up as the tread had hardened nicely and you could drift the car at low speed as it was akin to driving it in the wet even when roads were wet.

[mdross1]

A lot would depend on your comfort level with aging tires and the way you use the vehicle.
Our muscle cars have tires that are over 30yrs old,no weather cracking,or visiable age related issues,because of the way they are cared for.
They still make good smoke when the urge hits these cars are not used in any competition needing super adhesion.Despite what the naysayers decry there is nothing wrong with running outdated tires. Heck,a lot of people say you should never run a tire with a plug installed, another myth.

[DanEC]

This is an interesting subject. I have a 427 Corvette with 18 year old tires, 67 GTX with 12 year old tires and a Ford Lightning with 11 year old OEM tires. All look brand new, have very few miles and except for the Lightning, have never spent any appreciable time outside other than for drives. I've heard of the 10 year old standard also and most stories of old tire failures say there was usually no outward signs of age before they failed. A fair number of old tire failures on classics actually happen while they are parked in the garage. So, I don't know - I probably should be getting some new tires on the Corvette as they do worry me.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by DanEC

This is an interesting subject. I have a 427 Corvette with 18 year old tires, 67 GTX with 12 year old tires and a Ford Lightning with 11 year old OEM tires. All look brand new, have very few miles and except for the Lightning, have never spent any appreciable time outside other than for drives. I've heard of the 10 year old standard also and most stories of old tire failures say there was usually no outward signs of age before they failed. A fair number of old tire failures on classics actually happen while they are parked in the garage. So, I don't know - I probably should be getting some new tires on the Corvette as they do worry me.

A few months ago while in my shop piddling around,I heard a "boom" from the area where my 65 fastback is parked......ran over there and looked under the hood and everywhere,couldn't find anything,then looked in the trunk and the spare tire blew out sitting in the trunk.....it was an old tire,how old,not sure,guess about 10 to 15 years old.......same thing happened on the spare for my trailer about a year ago......so far, knock on wood,never had a blow out while on the road.......

David

[mrmustang]

Originally Posted by DAVID GAGNARD

A few months ago while in my shop piddling around,I heard a "boom" from the area where my 65 fastback is parked......ran over there and looked under the hood and everywhere,couldn't find anything,then looked in the trunk and the spare tire blew out sitting in the trunk.....it was an old tire,how old,not sure,guess about 10 to 15 years old.......same thing happened on the spare for my trailer about a year ago......so far, knock on wood,never had a blow out while on the road.......

David

6 years ago my wife and I drove ERA188 to a Washingtons Crossing car show. Mostly highway, 65-75mph 90% of the way there. We pull in, park, get out, and start talking with someone parked next to me. As I lean on the front left fender of the car, all of a sudden I hear a WOOSH and the car drops several inches. Turns out the valve stem was dry rotted and had let go at that moment. After it was repaired, I pulled the other three wheels and tires off the car to replace the valve stems. What I found was a set of tires that were rotting from the inside out, they were 9 years old, but had less than 4,000 miles on them. Based on that experience, I always check my tires once a year, inside and out. The couple of hours it takes to pull the rims off the car and take them down for a look see at the local tire distributor gives me piece of mind while I am out with my wife in the Cobra.

Being pro-active is the name of the game.

Bill S.

[Jaydee]

Would filling them with nitrogen make them last longer, as there would be no moisture in the tyre? I have used it before and the tyres seemed to hold pressure longer as well.
JD