Are older tires OK?

**mose** · 08-14-2008, 12:50 PM

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** · 08-14-2008, 01:05 PM

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** · 08-14-2008, 01:34 PM

Depends on who rides in the vehicle. Grandkids or Mother-In-Law.:think2

**mose** · 08-14-2008, 01:43 PM

Originally Posted by POPPAJ

Depends on who rides in the vehicle. Grandkids or Mother-In-Law.:think2

CLASSIC ANSWER!!!! :LOLOL

**AuAltima3.5** · 08-23-2008, 12:41 PM

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** · 08-23-2008, 02:12 PM

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** · 08-23-2008, 02:33 PM

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** · 08-23-2008, 05:54 PM

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.