How long can I keep tires in stock?

**Street Fighter** · 08-28-2009, 03:42 PM

I have a set of tires that came off my TA about 6years ago still on the rims placed on a wooden floor under the house.Are they still streetable? Also I have two new Tires that I didn't use at the time I mounted the new tires on the new wheels, do you believe that they are any good after 6 years of laying on the wooden floor under the house?

**35th-ANV-SS** · 08-28-2009, 04:25 PM

There is a story out there on the net all about tires and age. According to the experts, tires begin to break down after about 7 years I think, regardless of the amount of wear on them. It showed tires separating while driving; tread separation.

The scary part about it was that they went to many shops looking at "new tires" for sale. There is a code on the inside of the tire that you can decipher to tell the age of the tire. Some stores were selling new tires that were several years old!!

Maybe it is still good....maybe not. Not worth it IMO.

**pajeff02** · 08-28-2009, 04:49 PM

Tires on our Corvette are probably 16 years old -- still have near new tread as the car was off the road for about 12 years. Unfortunately, you can not buy these tires anymore (Eagle ST's), at least that I know of. Guess I better stay out of the triple digits...

**GoldenFlame** · 08-28-2009, 04:52 PM

Just went out and checked mine, 0602. Sixth week of 2002. Kind of scary to think that they went 156mph a month ago, oh well, I'm getting new tires before winter.

**T/A Turbo 1989** · 08-31-2009, 09:22 AM

Ultimately the storage conditions of the tires will have the biggest outcome on their performance as the age adds up.
Tires properly stored in the dark, read... Out Of Sunlight and away from sources of heat, as in next to furnaces or heat vents should perform safely well out to 15 years.
I have tires on one of my Thunderbirds which I bought in 1995 the same year as I purchased the car. I used 2 of the 4 I bought originally and let the other 2 sit in my climate controlled garage. I finally decided I better use them back in May and have had no problems at all. They are Bridgestone tires produced in 1995 and they have survived a few runs in the 100 MPH zone with no issues.
If you are not totally informed on a subject such as this you can be lead like sheep to believe whatever someone tells you. I have plenty of experience in the field of tires and can tell you that age Alone does not make a tire bad.
There are many factors here and buying a tire someone sold you at a swap meet that's been in the sun most of it's life is definitely something to worry about.
Ultimately tire inflation and loading are more important factors than age alone.
If you are running tires that are 6+ years old that came on your car and it's stored out in the sun then I can see the need to replace them being an issue.
That same car stored indoors and covered up in a dark garage on jackstands changes things a lot.
Just keep in mind that each tire needs to be visually inspected for dry cracking. That will be the biggest giveaway that age is becoming a factor you should be worried about.

I've dealt with people who want the OE tires that came on their car for show/restoration and they are happy to get an "Old Stock" tire if it's what came on their car. They often know that they are putting an "older" tire on their "baby" and taking a chance but yet they do it and you rarely if even ever hear of tires failing in this instance? Why you ask? Because these people know the value of maintaining their vehicles and checking the tires and inflations before driving them.
It's your "average" soccer moms who you see driving their Explorers by you with low tires that ultimately lead to the failures you see on video news shows like the youtube post.
And those skins you see laying along the interstates during warm weather.... Re-Treads! Did they mention that at all? NO
Sorry for the long drawn out post, I just feel that that story was not put out to inform people of the WHOLE Story!

**35th-ANV-SS** · 08-31-2009, 11:00 AM

In a statement from the British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) issued on June 5, 2001 regarding the age of tires they state, "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tires should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old and that all tires should be replaced 10 years from the date of their manufacture." Tire age can be accelerated by a variety of environmental factors, such as sunlight exposure and coastal climates. Poor storage and infrequent use of your vehicle are other things that can accelerate tire age.

If you keep your tires in ideal conditions, the tire age can go as high as 10 years from its manufacture date. But ideal conditions are the exception rather than the rule. And the worst part is that you cannot tell the safety of an old tire just by looking at it since there are no conclusive tests for the safety of tires without destroying the tire itself!

Due to this, some European car manufacturers of high performance sports cars, coupes and sedans have hedged their bets, stating in their owners manuals that the tire age should reach no higher than 6 years.

The tires that were tested in this and other news stories circulating on the internet were "visually" inspected. They looked new and some literally came apart during road tests and vehicles lost control and wrecked.

Maybe your tire will last 10-15 years, maybe it won't. There is only one way to tell! If putting your life and the life of others is worth not replacing a tire or two that can cost you maybe $300-$400 dollars then so be it. Go for it. Maybe you'll be the next person in one of the tire videos.

**T/A Turbo 1989** · 08-31-2009, 01:00 PM

In case you hadn't noticed the economy is bad worldwide and if people aren't buying tires then the manufacturers and dealers who sell them aren't getting your money or mine. What better way to come up with a reason to make people panic and use "ultimate safety" as your reason to get them go buy your products.

If you want to be a sheep like most are and let one small group of people in a foreign country dictate to you what is and isn't safe so be it, I just think people overall need to use their own brains and not always blindly follow.
The so called experts have no scientific proof of age alone being a substantial reason to replace tires. That is fact.
Throughout that video there is little if any convincing EVIDENCE to show that age alone is enough reason on it's own to make people go blow money that they earned for tires.

There are 2 sides to every story and I'm just presenting some knowledge from my background as a dealer of tires. I have been in this business since 1992 and "Run what I sell" I do not recommend always going the cheapest route to my customers. I'd rather sell and use a quality product than sell some Ling Lang chinese made crap where they have no standards or assured quality in the products they make and are allowed to sell here in the US.

I see many many people on a daily basis that strictly base their purchase on cost alone with no regard to what is RIGHT for their vehicle and their driving habits.

You would think that someone who sells tires such as I've done for the last 17 years would jump on this bandwagon to promote myself financially as this BRMA seems to be doing behind the veil of SAFETY. I at least have the ethics and standards to not sell someone a product they do not need and be honest about it. Only when a customer knows what they want/need and are informed will I make a sale if someone has questions.
Most of the people on here also have cars which require high performance tires and $300-400 is not "Peanuts" to them.
I will say that as I have tried to make a point to defend that age alone isn't enough reason that I do agree that there are many variables with older tires to beware of.

Has anyone looked into the failure rates for Chinese Made tires that are sold in the USA (NEW ones) you might just be surprised to find out you'd be safer running an older name brand tire than a new "Cheap" import.
Just food for thought.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 08-31-2009, 03:00 PM

I haven't looked into older USA manufactured versus newer Chinese manufactured tires. That's a valid point and very commendable. I wouldn't be surprised to see that Chinese manufactured tires are of a lesser quality and compound composition. I'm an engineer and deal with China almost daily in the manufacturing of castings, forgings and the like and can say from first-hand experience that it's really a hit or miss with both quality and process control.

BTW - I am not trying to argue your statements. I agree that many variables come into play. I am just stating that every video I have ever seen (not just this 20/20 piece) and some different articles have always stated this 6-7 years of age. Could they be using this as a gimmick to promote the sell of new tires? Certainly. It's a marketing strategy.

Are you involved in the manufacturing process and material composition and lab testing of tires? Or do you "sell" tires? There is a BIG difference between the two.

If all you do is "sell tires", I don't think selling tires puts you in a classification to offer sound judgment chastising known experts that are directly involved with both the manufacturing processes and testing methods used to determine the integrity of a certain product. That's just my opinion.

If you are an expert in these fields, and have some actual documentation of your own showing that you have "tested" tires and it shows contradicting information that what has been leaked out all over the internet and on news stories, please share it with all of us. I would definitely be interested in reading it.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that tires ARE a safety feature. They are what controls your vehicle; high performance or not. Have you ever had a blowout going 60+ miles per hour? Not the easiest to control a vehicle. And, as most of us are LS1 owners, we typically can reach speeds up to and sometimes exceeding 100 MPH. I'd like to see someone here who feels comfortable putting their life in the hands of a 10+ year old tire going down the track at trap speeds of 150+. I know how hard it is to control a vehicle at 75MPH. I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to control one at 100+ when a tire separates due to age or any other factor affecting the life.

**T/A Turbo 1989** · 09-01-2009, 07:54 AM

Currently I sell tires for a small business out in the sticks. I did spend 5 years in the BFS Company in their Claims/Warranty/Customer Service departments so I do have a pretty good knowledge of their products and the real complaints and problems that have come in over that period. I do not bill myself as an expert as my engineering background is limited. I did school for mechanical engineering but due to family issues had to leave the school and city and come back to help in family business.
I've mellowed to country life and made due with my "destiny"
I'm happy with the business I'm in and enjoy what I'm doing. Id rather deal with people daily than sit in an office in front of a computer daily with a bunch of personality "lacking" co-workers.
As far as my "test" on the older tires, I'd welcome you to stop in if you're in the NW Illinois area for a ride in any of the 9 vehicles I own. As I've said here and to my customers. I run what I sell and any of my vehicles can showcase the products I have to offer. (That does apply more to brand than age, lol)
I'm also in agreement on the 150mph with older tires issue. Maybe for a dragstrip run but not sustained speeds. I have had a blowout at around 65 on the passenger rear with a Goodyear Eagle ST and it was rather uneventful. Had it been a front things may have been different altogether.

**pajeff02** · 09-01-2009, 08:27 AM

Hey T/A -- quick favor? Can you back off on the bold font, it's hurting my aged eyeballs trying to read your posts. Thank you.

**T/A Turbo 1989** · 09-01-2009, 01:34 PM

Gladly

**35th-ANV-SS** · 09-01-2009, 07:13 PM

A sample size of "1" does not constitute a sufficient amount of data or a large enough sample population to give any type of confidence level in your results.

Therefore, any statistician, engineer, or anyone working in a test lab or in research and development will find your "test" invalid.

This shows the correct way to determine how much data is needed to properly "test" something.

http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c000709a.asp

**Hi-Po** · 09-01-2009, 09:50 PM

I literally can not reading all that bold print.

**Mr. Luos** · 09-01-2009, 09:53 PM

After about 5-6 years....tires should be replaced.

**pajeff02** · 09-02-2009, 04:55 AM

Originally Posted by Mr. Luos

After about 5-6 years....tires should be replaced.

Have you ever had a set of tires last more than 5-6 months on the T/A?

**Mr. Luos** · 09-02-2009, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by pajeff02

Have you ever had a set of tires last more than 5-6 months on the T/A?

Of course.

Had the Hoosiers for 2 years now.
Nitto's are 2 seasons old as well, and still have at least one year left.

**T/A Turbo 1989** · 09-02-2009, 07:40 AM

Originally Posted by Mr. Luos

After about 5-6 years....tires should be replaced.

Any logical or scientific proof to back up such a broad statement??

That's part of the point I'm trying to make. There's more to consider than just the "raw" age.

My statistical test does include more than one tire or one pair or even one set. I have many vehicles and most rarely get driven and over the years a majority of them have gotten past the point where the tires are within the magic 6 year envelope.
I still drive them aggressively and they have held up with absolutely no issues.
These are Bridgestone, Firestone and Goodyear makes on these vehicles and those are the brands which I'm willing to defend on the age aspect based on my experience with them.
I will say that I can only speak for the tires I have and can not make a general statement about all of those brands with age. As I'd stated earlier on there are too many variables that can take place during the aging of a tire.
I know in my particular case that I have had a more "ideal" storage of the tires of which I am "defending" on the age discussion.
My own results may not be enough evidence for an engineer and I don't expect that alone to sway everyone's decisions on this subject.
Based on my experiences I do think that the recommendations by the BRMA is also unsubstantiated by the lack of scientific facts and that the possibility of using a safety/scare tactic to lead the sheep to run out and buy new tires every 6 years for their "Street Rods" and other vehicles which aren't used often is more of a marketing and sales ploy then an actual statement of safety.

It comes down to what you feel comfortable with as an individual. Each person will do what they feel is best for them and their circumstances until some kind of regulation or standards are set.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 09-02-2009, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by T/A Turbo 1989

Any logical or scientific proof to back up such a broad statement??

That's part of the point I'm trying to make. There's more to consider than just the "raw" age.

My statistical test does include more than one tire or one pair or even one set. I have many vehicles and most rarely get driven and over the years a majority of them have gotten past the point where the tires are within the magic 6 year envelope.
I still drive them aggressively and they have held up with absolutely no issues.
These are Bridgestone, Firestone and Goodyear makes on these vehicles and those are the brands which I'm willing to defend on the age aspect based on my experience with them.
I will say that I can only speak for the tires I have and can not make a general statement about all of those brands with age. As I'd stated earlier on there are too many variables that can take place during the aging of a tire.
I know in my particular case that I have had a more "ideal" storage of the tires of which I am "defending" on the age discussion.
My own results may not be enough evidence for an engineer and I don't expect that alone to sway everyone's decisions on this subject.
Based on my experiences I do think that the recommendations by the BRMA is also unsubstantiated by the lack of scientific facts and that the possibility of using a safety/scare tactic to lead the sheep to run out and buy new tires every 6 years for their "Street Rods" and other vehicles which aren't used often is more of a marketing and sales ploy then an actual statement of safety.

It comes down to what you feel comfortable with as an individual. Each person will do what they feel is best for them and their circumstances until some kind of regulation or standards are set.

I agree