Are ancient tyres dangerous even if they look OK?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I know this could well go to the 'stupid question' thread, but it must be a common issue with old shite and it's also safety-related, so I put it here.

 

Yesterday I took my car in to Kwikshit (not much choice really- it already was 5pm and I had an interview scheduled for today which thankfully got cancelled due to the weather) in order for them to investigate a slight loss of brake fluid and a potential slow puncture on one of the front tyres.

 

The tyre, which looks almost new (it's a Michelin Energy, and they never wear out), proved to be 9 years old and just needing a new valve (£13 wasn't exactly a bargain for that but, then again, I couldn't be arsed taking it to another place to save 3-4 quid). As one of my rear tyres also happened to be the same model, I got them to switch it around with the other front one. The lads told me that the tyre in question was manufactured in 1998! As there's a fair bit of tread and the sidewall seems to be holding up alright, no recommendation was made to get rid of it, just 'keep an eye on it and make sure the pressure is alright etc'.

 

Of course, the internetz are full of horror stories about old tyres being TICKING TIME BOMBS and stuff.

So I guess the question is whether correctly inflated tyres without any visible problems can just blow out as you're driving along the A46 at 50mph, or do you have to be doing track days in the height of Spanish summer in order for that to be a worry?

[Lukas]

A friend of mine told me 3 days ago that the left front tire of his newly acquired Honda CRV (1997, 50.000miles) blew up. Looked almost like new, was 10 years old but inside it was just old and dangerous. Thankfully, it was in town at low speed, could have been worse.

 

I´ve never experienced a tire blowout thanksfully, but that may be because I always look to have decent tires on my car. Not too old (5 or 6 years max), not much rude parking over kerbs, accurate tire pressure. The tires are the only contact between your car and the street. I like to keep that safe for me.

[Junkman]

The whole World is a ticking time bomb according to some and that's without the imminent threat of meteor impacts added for value.

In fact, we all live on borrowed time, since the World was supposed to end at least trice in 2012, IIRC.

Yes, the recommended shelf life of a tyre is 7 years, but seeing that the sell by date of the planet, the universe, and all the rest, has elapsed, I don't give a shit about tyres.

[beko1987]

The spare on the ZX is the one it left the factory in in 1996/7, I don't trust it too much! It could be fine, but I'd only treat it as a space-saver rather than hooning on regardless. I'd be worried about it even holding 33psi, let alone holding it and driving. It could be fine though, hopefully I never have to find out.

 

Like people have said, it could be fine, it could explode and kill a bus stop full of nuns and children. I'd always err towards the latter and replace any that are old. I'm always wary of people advertising cars as having 'good tyres all round. Not worn at all in the last 10 years/20k miles...'

[seacow]

I always thought 10 years was the limit. There is a 4 digit code on the tyres - 1st 2 are the week and the second 2 the year that shows the manufacture date - e.g. on my passat the rears are 0309 so jan 2009 (the fronts have been replaced twice!!)

 

I bought the BMW which had kwik fit own brand rubber all over 10 years! The guys at costco thought i was mad replacing them as loads of tread but i figured she is a keeper so i want the benefit of them - also i take the girls on the motorway a fair bit and for me the risk wasnt worth it. Also the ride was a million times better on some fresh Michelin!!

 

Same position with my camper they are nearly 10 now and to be fair the walls are starting to look a bit past their best so will like as not replace before the summer season!!

 

Personally I don't think its worth messing with - but I drive like a twat so thats a factor!!!

[trigger]

My Alto is still on it's original tyres which means they are 28 years old, they still look and drive fine and no kittens have been killed yet, not sure i'd drive 100 mph on them but there's no fear of that happening!

[Mr Lobster]

My R4 is on 1998 dated tyres. Loads of tread left and sidewalls look ok but I think I'll have some new ones this summer anyway.

[coalnotdole]

My dads accord aerodeck is still on its 1989 original tyres. The tread is fine (the car is very low mileage) but the rubber has gone a bit hard and they are well past their best.

 

They are on the list of things that need replacing as soon as they have had the roof of the house fixed.

 

I think the oldest tyres i've ever driven on were from 1966 they were crossplys supped with the rebel saloon. They were fitted to an axle on the rebel van in order to test it while it was being recommissioned it was something of a miracle they still held air.

[Junkman]

That was still quality. You should have kept them.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I believe the big danger from very old tyres is high speed cruising, when the heat build up can make them break down. You could probably potter about town on ancient tyres without danger of them blowing out.

 

The Sprite came with ~30 year old tyres. They all had heaps of tread, can't have had more than a thousand miles on them and had just passed an MOT. The grip was abysmal, they were rock hard. It was fun sliding around on them a bit but I got four new ones ASAP. They absolutely transformed the car. Thirty years is obviously an edge case, but tyres aren't worth skimping on IMO.

[Pillock]

I'm as happy as the next Shiter to potter around in something that looks awful and breaks down regularly but I have a bit of a thing about brakes, tyres and suspension. I'd be happier on new budget tyres than old posh ones since I don't tend to "explore handling limits" but I do tend to drive at a cruising speed for many miles. I've moved cars around on 70's tyres with cracked sidewalls and shiny tread but that's about it, anything getting driven gets proper rubber.

[dollywobbler]

The grip was abysmal, they were rock hard. It was fun sliding around on them a bit but I got four new ones ASAP. They absolutely transformed the car. Thirty years is obviously an edge case, but tyres aren't worth skimping on IMO.

 

This. Seven years strikes me as a bit "tyre company tells you to buy more tyres" but there is definitely an age issue with tyres, especially with rear tyres on front-wheel drive stuff - because they often don't wear very much at all. Even if a tyre doesn't blow out on you, it can have a terrifying effect on braking if the rubber has gone all hard. It's a judgement call rather than a reason to panic though.

 

I'm afraid I don't rate budget tyres at all. Both times I've fitted them to cars recently the things became understeering pigs. If they can't handle the feeble G-forced generated by the under-powered crap I drive, then I wouldn't trust them very much in an emergency stop situation. There are some very good middle-ground tyres out there though - I don't buy big brands just because.

[vulgalour]

Old tyres can be fine, they can be appalling, but if you're worried then obviously you should replace them. I drove the Princess on ancient misshapen Kingpin remoulds and didn't die once, but I was more than happy to ditch them in favour of some younger, more round, part worns. As with many things, tyres are something where you should buy the best you can afford because they really do help with stopping distances. I'm pretty sure that if I'd put some better tyres on the front of the Princess then I probably wouldn't have made such a mess of the front end in the rain, but at the time I had the best I could afford and had I been on the Kingpins I suspect things would have been far worse.

[Bobthebeard]

Old tyres are fine, unless they aren't. Same goes for the chod we drive. It will be ok until it isn't!

Lol

Hope that helps!

[CortinaDave]

I had an absolutely shit set of Stomils fitted to a set of slotmags i had on a mk4 cortina back in about 2002. They kept going down because they were ancient so in my youthful stupidity i filled them full of tyreweld and kept driving anyway.

 

Eventually i sold the car on and kept the wheels, which i sold five or so years ago. A mate then fitted them to his cortina and STILL uses them now, amazingly still inflated courtesy of 11 year old tyreweld.

 

Wouldn't be me.

[Mr Lobster]

 

I'm afraid I don't rate budget tyres at all. Both times I've fitted them to cars recently the things became understeering pigs. If they can't handle the feeble G-forced generated by the under-powered crap I drive, then I wouldn't trust them very much in an emergency stop situation. There are some very good middle-ground tyres out there though - I don't buy big brands just because.

 

+1

 

Wifes Mazda has some 'Autogrip' cheapies that were new in October when we bought it and they are shocking. Next to no wet grip and GR9 for understeer. Despite having only done 6k on them they are getting binned next week in favour of some proper tyres.

[Des]

A while ago I drove on crossplies of 50+ years of age, touched 60 in a 30 zone momentarily yet managed to harm zero persons or kittehs, so that would say old tyres are fine as long as they're not bald. If there's grass on the field, play ball.

[richardthestag]

personally I wouldnt bother.

 

6 year old Avon A/T on the Range Rover blew out for no decent reason, pretty scary. Not sure I would be happy at high speed on anything other than perfeck tyres.

 

Dunlop SP's on the Stag are just 10 years old and even though only half worn I have noticed the handling is definately a lot more lively than it used to be. If a set of new boots is between me and a tree i'll be investing in some new tyres this year.

 

If you potter round town all day long then go for it.

 

I wouldn't though

 

hope that answers your question.

 

Lux I did have to read your original post three times to get past the "Yesterday I took my car in to Kwikshit" bit. I wouldnt trust them any further than I could chuck them tbh

[dollywobbler]

Lux I did have to read your original post three times to get past the "Yesterday I took my car in to Kwikshit" bit. I wouldnt trust them any further than I could chuck them tbh

 

That's a very good point! It's probably safer to drive around on 20-year old, degraded rubber than take your car you Kwik Shaft.

[Angrydicky]

My 1985 Maestro (Now Garycox's) was still on its original tyres when I first got it, and although they still had a decent amount of tread they were well perished, so I went for a new set. Didn't much fancy having a blowout in it.

[garycox]

Then some twat puctured the front pair so it's got a pair of new-but-cheap(ish) ones on it. I might swap the fronts and rears over at some point cos the ones you put on were better.

 

The Simca has a bit of a randon selection of tyres (all newish though). One of them is a Firestone MULTIHAWK, which I find moderately amusing.

 

This topic is quite interesting because I was considering whether I'll need to change the tyres on the Mini when it comes out of hibernation. They look alright and are not misshapen but I'll probably get a new set if they're not mega expensive (can you still get 10" tyres easily?)

[sierrapaul]

as your in brighton setyres in hove will be best place for 10 inch tyres.they will have them in stock.i used to work for them in heathfield.

[HillmanImp]

Get an elastic band, leave it out in your back garden for 6 months and then try flicking it in your mates eye*. I guarantee he wont be blinded in the eye you don't hit.

 

 

*to avoid any comments, I mean firing the elastic band in your mates eye, nothing else..........

[Albert Ross]

I guess you're going to have to hammer a newer tyre over it.... does this new car have locking wheel bolts?

 

Seriously though, I ran on 33 year old crossplies until I sold the full set to someone wanting them to display it on, in a seasonal museum. I dunno either.....

My current tryes are between 5 and 10 years old, some had stickers on, some didn't..... I keep them at 65psi and regularly carry about a ton. They ain't burst yet.

[PhilA]

Had a set of Kelly tyres on some Wellers once that were old, hard and shiny. Also, with about 3psi in they looked, rolled and handled the same as with 35psi in. They gripped in the dry like you'd expect on a skid pan. In the wet.. I didn't brave that.

 

On the flip-side, I had a brand new Cooper light truck tyre blow out the afternoon it was fitted. 46 miles it made it before splitting wide open like a sardine can.

 

--Phil

[makum101]

Never knew tyres were date stamped until recently when my car failed its MOT due to the date on one of my tyres inner walls having been ground off. Anyway the tyre in question was a part worn from a so called reputable dealer so I paid him a visit. He changed it - all the while profusely banging on about the fact he had not ground the date off and how surprised it had got passed his company's strict tyre examination program. I let him finish before I told him that the MOT Centre said that grinding dates off tyres was highly illegal and anyone caught doing it could be shut down. I added I hadn't mentioned where I bought the tyre, much to his relief.

[DSdriver]

So, as we have seen above, new tyres can blow and old tyres can blow. It is better to have quality old tyres than el-cheapo new tyres. The bigger the wheel the more rubber you get so I am happy with twenty year old 185x15 Michelin on the Citroen which still look like new but not with the twelve year old 135x12 ditchfinders on the pug which had decidedly perished sidewalls and were replaced whilst still having good tread.

Just remember that the area in contact with the road is what keeps you on the road and the bigger the wheel the more you get, and the better the make of tyre the more grip it will have.

[Albert Ross]

Never knew tyres were date stamped until recently when my car failed its MOT due to the date on one of my tyres inner walls having been ground off. Anyway the tyre in question was a part worn from a so called reputable dealer so I paid him a visit. He changed it - all the while profusely banging on about the fact he had not ground the date off and how surprised it had got passed his company's strict tyre examination program. I let him finish before I told him that the MOT Centre said that grinding dates off tyres was highly illegal and anyone caught doing it could be shut down. I added I hadn't mentioned where I bought the tyre, much to his relief.

 

Not wanting to piss on your Bonfire, but what was the ACTUAL reason your tyre failed? I only ask, because a missing date is not one that can be used... however, if plies were visible, or structural failure due to damage, or a tear, then it's legitimate. In most other circumstances, I would say that this sounds fishy.

[Ben_L]

I was going to say, my driving instuctors car had nothing written on the tyre wall as other students use to ruin the writing in 30 seconds flat after a new set of tyres had been fitted.

 

I think it's luck of the draw. I had my alloys stolen from my Cavalier Estate the night before I was due to go to Cornwall on holiday, so out came the original tyres and wheels (from 1986-87) and off I went. Drove down without issue, drove back without issue. They were as new... I'd say they weren't as grippy as they could have been but it ran straight and held air. That was with some 70+ driving involved too. I think it got sold with them on actually! They had 5mm of tread and the side walls were 'slightly' perished to the point where MOT man advised them, but not failed.

[autofive]

i have a sharp garden fork that i have had for many years

 

should i stab myself in the eye with it?

 

or would it be dangerous?