Talk some sense into me - using "new" 5 year old tires..

[s99]

Can anyone verify that I am crazy about wanting to use tires that have been mounted on wheels for 5 years but stored in a garage and never seen sunlight or been driven on? Whats the likelihood that these are past their expiration date even if visually nothing looks wrong whatsoever?

 

It just hurts my soul on the inside thinking about these going to waste. They are federal 595s and still "look" brand new.

 

I am going to be embarking on a 300+ mile trip and just want some verification or tough love that this is a terrible idea or it would just maybe work.

 

Any tire experts out there want to chime in? I know tires can sit in warehouses for years before being sold but perhaps these tires did that even before sitting in my garage.

 

-Scott

 

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by s99

[Conserv]

What’s the DOT manufacturing date on these tires?  It’s a four-digit number in an oval, following “DOT”, near the bead. The first two digits represent the number of the week in the calendar year: 01 through 52. The last two digits represent the last two digits of the calendar year.

 

Assuming there is no evidence of cracking, checking, or damage, I discard tires ten years after their manufacturing date, which is more aggressive than some, but more conservative than others.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by Conserv

[tech71]

If it "hurts your soul" for you to trash them there's really only one course of action isn't there? Recommend you get them spin balanced before running them. 

Edited July 29, 2019 by tech71

[PaulTWinterton]

3 minutes ago, s99 said:

I am going to be embarking on a 300+ mile trip and just want some verification or tough love that this is a terrible idea or it would maybe, it work.

 

 

I believe the magic # is 7 years, but I'm also a believer that if they have been stored, unused, and look good with no sidewall cracking, that you can get a lot of miles out of them still.  I think rubber hardens over time, but under 8ish years I don't think you'd have a problem.

 

I used a set of 7 year old Pirellis 3000s on a 2400mi roadtrip.  They, too were stored and like new.  When I had them mounted my tire guy was impressed by the appearance of the tires and he felt they were trustworthy.  They caused me no grief.

[s99]

7 minutes ago, Conserv said:

What’s the DOT manufacturing date on these tires?  It’s a four-digit number in an oval, following “DOT”, near the bead. The first two digits represent the number of the week in the calendar year: 01 through 52. The last two digits represent the last two digits of the calendar year.

 

Assuming there is no evidence of cracking, checking, or damage, I discard tires ten years after their manufacturing date, which is more aggressive than some, but more conservative than others.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

I’ll get this info later today and update!

thanks Steve 

2 minutes ago, tech71 said:

If it "hurts your soul" for you to trash them there's really only one course of action isn't there? Recommend you get them spin balanced before running them. 

I can handle my soul talking a little damage if it means my car won’t go careening off the side of the road !

 

Thanks for the advice I’ll do that. 

[s99]

2 minutes ago, PaulTWinterton said:

 

I believe the magic # is 7 years, but I'm also a believer that if they have been stored, unused, and look good with no sidewall cracking, that you can get a lot of miles out of them still.  I think rubber hardens over time, but under 8ish years I don't think you'd have a problem.

 

I used a set of 7 year old Pirellis 3000s on a 2400mi roadtrip.  They, too were stored and like new.  When I had them mounted my tire guy was impressed by the appearance of the tires and he felt they were trustworthy.  They caused me no grief.

 

This is good news. June 2014 was when they were purchased and mounted. Though, I feel the quality of Pirellis is probably superior to Federal’s. 

[albatcha]

There was an article in classic motorsports magazine a while ago where a guy put tires that were visually good, no cracks or dry rot, on his triumph or something, they had been stored indoors no sunlight climate controlled, and on the highway they immediately disintegrated. I think they were older than 5 years though. I will try to find the article and what the recommendation was.

 

I am infrequently driving my Porsche 944 on tires that have been on the car parked outdoors only more than 10 years now, tread and sidewall cracking pretty badly, I don't take it on the highway though, and am currently deciding on new tires.

[kbmb02]

8 minutes ago, s99 said:

 

This is good news. June 2014 was when they were purchased and mounted. Though, I feel the quality of Pirellis is probably superior to Federal’s. 

 

1. As noted above, check the DOT code - that tells you when the tires were manufactured, which is the key piece of data. I've seen tires sold as 'new' which were manufactured 4 years prior to the sell date. (I promptly sent customer off to return them.)

 

2. Per my tire guru, an issue is the bonding glue/chemicals - used in radial tire construction - which break down over time. It's a degradation you cannot see.

 

Good luck. -KB

Edited July 29, 2019 by kbmb02

[NYNick]

run 'em. make sure your spare is good though.

[Conserv]

4 hours ago, s99 said:

 

This is good news. June 2014 was when they were purchased and mounted. Though, I feel the quality of Pirellis is probably superior to Federal’s. 

 

Modern production tires from a tire dealer should always be less than a year old!

 

In 2011, I bought four new XAS’s from Coker, in anticipation of shipping the ‘76 from Pennsylvania to North Carolina for its mechanical restoration. I lived in Georgia at the time, and spent insufficient time in Pennsylvania to focus on “details” such as DOT dates on new XAS’s. ?

 

Fast forward to spring 2019. Korman was “gilding the lily,” a.k.a., the ‘76, between the Icon exhibit and Vintage 2019. They told me that two of the four tires, which I was having re-balanced, had started to roar on the highway, as if plies might be separating. I prepared to have two replacements sent by Longstone Tyre but asked Korman to first check the DOT dates on all four of the ‘76’s tires, which I assumed would be 2011. The tires were all dated 2007. Coker sold me four 4-year-old XAS’s in 2011. I replaced all four tires, from Longstone.

 

Michelin Classic produces their modern versions of classic Michelin’s in batches, based on demand, and I know that batches of a given tire are sometimes not produced for several years, depending on supply and demand. But I gave this too little thought and never imagined I could have bought brand new 4-year-old tires!

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by Conserv

[adawil2002]

7 years is the magic tire number, even if they look new.

[Hans]

I've seen 10 as the magic number. That is the recommended max for an Ontario safety check. Stored indoors, covered, should be fine. Check the sidewall and tread grooves for cracking.

[albatcha]

I found this article about tire degradation,

 

https://www.liveabout.com/the-science-of-tire-aging-3234377

 

It explains that the reason tires go bad is the oxidation, reaction with oxygen, of the rubber and all the adhesives. Temperature and usage can change the rate at which oxidation happens though. But unused tires can be just as bad or even worse regardless of storage or condition from visual inspection if they are old enough.

 

It also has some different groups reccomendations.

 

• In 1989, ADAC, Germany’s consumer advocacy group concluded: “Even tires that are just six years old – though they appear to be brand new – can present a safety risk. Tire experts even say that if they are not used, indeed, tires age more quickly.”
• In 1990, vehicle manufacturers including BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and GM Europe, among others, included in the owner's manual warnings that tires older than six years should only be used in an emergency and replaced as soon as possible.
• The British Rubber Manufacturer's Association noted: “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.”
• In 2005, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, and Bridgestone/Firestone added warnings that tires should be inspected at 5 years and replaced after 10. Michelin and Continental issued similar bulletins in 2006. Hankook did so in 2009.

 

And also the NHTSA found  tires six years and older were 84 percent of tire failure insurance claims, and then testing confirmed six years, and also interestingly that "Results indicated a strong correlation to the speed rating of the tire, with the higher speed rated tires losing the least capability with increasing age and mileage.”

 

So if they're less than six years from manufacture they should be safe, if they're less than ten years they could be safe... or not... I'm probably going to stop driving my 944.

 

For the date I think its usually only marked on one side of the tire, this example one would be the 26th week of 2013

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2019 by albatcha

[albatcha]

It seems like if they are mounted on tires and properly inflated that is probably the best case scenario for tire life, being mounted and inflated minimizes the oxidation of the inside of the tire, compared to an unmounted tire exposed to the atmosphere inside and out. Plus being stored in a cooler place and not being flexed with the weight of the car and heated with the temperature from friction.

Edited July 29, 2019 by albatcha

[Mike Self]

As a contrarian...the only catastrophic tire failures I've had on the highway were with tires only a couple of years old--a set of Semperit radials that failed (belt separation) one at a time with less than 8k miles on the longest surviving one, and a Dunlop on my truck that failed spectacularly (another belt separation) at 70 mph on the highway.  No loss of control, just pulled off the highway and changed the tire.

 

You don't even want to know how old the Pirelli Stelvio tires are on my '48 Fiat (no, not that old) but I do have a set of Renault tires that are original to my 4700 mile '48 Renault.  I don't drive on 'em, but they're as soft as they were when new and hold air for a year or more (they're tube type).  

 

If I were tracking a car, I would make sure my tires were nice and recent, but I've not had a problem with tire failures due to age, and most of my cars are riding on tires more than 3-4 years old...

 

mike