Are older tires OK?

mose · 08-14-08, 11:50

I found some rim/tires that I want for my Tundra. The tires are brand new but they are from an '05 Tundra. They have been sitting in a storage unit and don't have any miles on them at all. I have done some research but can't find any definite answer as to whether they are safe or not......can anyone shed some light?

BigJimZ28 · 08-14-08, 12:05

they are fine.. have them balanced and slap them on

edit found this:
"Many automakers and several tire manufacturers (Bridgestone, Michelin) have recommended a six year limit on tires. However, an ABC's 20/20 investigative report by Brian Ross 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."

POPPAJ · 08-14-08, 12:34

Depends on who rides in the vehicle. Grandkids or Mother-In-Law.

mose · 08-14-08, 12:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by POPPAJ

Depends on who rides in the vehicle. Grandkids or Mother-In-Law.

CLASSIC ANSWER!!!!

AuAltima3.5 · 08-23-08, 11:41

As long as they are not cracking.

If you look at them and see lots of little cracks, or big ones, they are proabably dry rotting.

I had a tire with one of these cracks and it turned into a big flap that required it to be replaced (along with the other 3).

Those tires were 5 years old, bought new.

Mark77 · 08-23-08, 01:12

Well at least try to pull down the price because the tires are old. And have you checked the date on them? When they are made? Older than 6 years and you might get problems although never used.

tennisjon2002 · 08-23-08, 01:33

Check the DOT codes on the tires and see when they were manufactured.
Tire Tech Information - Determining the Age of a Tire
From what I have read after 10 years of manufacturing , tires should be taken out of service.

Accumulator · 08-23-08, 04:54

I've heard/read about how shot the shelf life is on tires, but I frequently run tires that're kinda old and I've never noticed any problems. The (original) tires on the S8 were made in 2000-2001 and they're just fine.

I'm not about to take the Jag's original 1985 tires on the track or anything, but for normal puttering around they're fine too (I have a set of newer tires for regular driving). I've read about collector cars that're driven on much older tires than that, and while they don't exactly handle great and shouldn't be subjected to extreme stress, the tires aren't blowing out or coming apart either.

But yeah, I've had cracking/bulging on tires that were only a few years old, and I replaced them immediately. If a tire has visible issues, I won't drive on it.

Snowtires *do* seem to go bad quickly...it's like they harden and won't work in low temps. Snows that looked perfect simply didn't drive right, so I recognize a short shelf life for those types of tires.

JuneBug · 08-23-08, 05:45

I saw the same 20/20 show on tires, I would not put anything over 2 years old on my car, I mean tires that sat in a warehouse for 2 years.