Tire age question

[1TrackJack]

I have the Wrangler tires with Kevlar side walls on my 04 TJR that are dated 2012. I would think that the Kevlar tires are less likely to have a dry rot problem and there are no sidewall cracks on the less than half worn tires. So, how old is too old?

 

[Frankred]

Somewhere around 5 to 7 years is officially old. I know Discount tire wouldn't touch my spare when it was over 7. Garage kept vs sunlight may make a difference. Traction will be reduced, therefore so is your safety and the safety of others too. Ride quality is probably worse. Proper tire pressure is now more important so you don't build up head and have a blowout on long trips.

 

[Chris]

7 years is really the point where they are toast. Doesn't matter what the sidewalls are made or how few miles are on them.

However, once it gets past 5 years, I wouldn't run them personally.

Can you still drive on them without risk? Most likely, yes.

Should you still drive on them? Probably not.

 

[WallyWest]

That's too old, IMO. I once, in my young and stupid years, bought 80k Michelins and proceeded to drive that car about 3k/year. Plenty of tread left after 10 years but they were done. I kept them because I drove it so little and was cheap, but over the last year I had them all four valve stems failed.

The age you're at right now I would replace them, regardless of how much tread was left.

 

[pagrey]

I have run really old tires off road aired down. BFG KMs that were all cracked up and ugly and they did fine. They were from a movie vehicle used in a cheesy 80's sci-fi movie. I popped a bead but never punctured a tire. I don't fear blowouts but... I ain't going to pay your medical bills. The whole old tire thing is just not on my radar. When I was younger I also lived at the used tire shop and took those to the track all the time and never had problems.

 

[Flivver250]

Even a new tire is the weakest link in a functioning suspension. Best not roll the dice. Here in the middle east, they fail them during inspection at 4 years. Their version of DoT is quite strict. You can and will get a ticket if you break down on the road and impede traffic it any way. They don't want junkers on the road. I agree.

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

I'm with pagrey on tires in general.

My 2005 Dodge Ram that I bought last year has tires dated 2011. I see no dry rot and the only traction issue I have is when I put the pedal to the metal in 2wd.

My CJ5 was raced by the previous owner for 18 years. On the front it has 2 Formula Desert Dog tires. I bet they weren't even new back then. The amount of dry rot is unbelievable but nowhere near as unbelievable as them still holding air and their decent off road traction.

Somewhat related:

 

[Goatman]

I've got tractors that still run their original rubber from before the Eisenhower administration. Seriously. But I'm not going 70 mph with them. Ruber deteriorates in different ways. Not just cracking. Ozone causes them to harden whether or not the sun is out. They can get hard and limit flex and traction while looking perfectly fine. I am certain that some people can get away with running old tires, my luck isn't that good. Murphy's law always seems to work on me. Anything past a decade is way too long. Some tire makers use better rubber than others. BF Goodrich, Goodyear and Cooper are some of the brands that tend to get more years out of a carcass than many others.

 

[Brian83]

There was a guy on one of the FB pages selling a set of 15 year old zero mile TJ Rubicon take off wheels and tires for like a grand. I brought up the tire age and he told me I was an idiot cause they had been stored inside and out of the sun. I dont know if anyone bought them or not.

 

[Goatman]

Funny how the person to first go to the "You're an idiot" or "you don't understand the topic" are usually the ones that applies to.

 

[Mr. Bills]

Tires should be replaced no later than 10 years after manufacture or 6 years after first placed in service.

Every tire chain has its own policy with respect to tire age. From Discount Tire's webpage:

• Vehicle manufacturers recommend tire replacement at 6 years
• Tire manufacturers' warranties expire at 6 years
• Tire manufacturers recommend replacement at 10 years, regardless of tread depth

America's Tire recommends that you replace your tires after 6 years of age, regardless of tread depth. For your safety, America's Tire will not service a tire that exceeds 10 years of age.

 

[Mark K]

I've been running the BFG AT/KOs for 40 years and historically got 7 years and 70K miles on Scouts, Cruisers and my TJ. When I last replaced my Jeep tires with the KO2s, the dealer told me that all tire manufacturers were increasing the amount of synthetic materials in their tires, and that, at about 5 years, this new material tended to become too hard and slick for safety. So I put my new tires on the road and set up an iPhone reminder to get new ones in 5 years. May change that to 4 years.

 

[pagrey]

Tires should be replaced no later than 10 years after manufacture or 6 years after first placed in service.

You shouldn't really state your opinion like it's a fact. You can run tires as old as you want, we aren't DOT haulers and you don't make the rules.

 

[BuildBreakRepeat]

You shouldn't really state your opinion like it's a fact. You can run tires as old as you want, we aren't DOT haulers and you don't make the rules.

Most tire manufacturers list 10 years as the maximum service life. That’s a fact.

 

[Mr. Bills]

You shouldn't really state your opinion like it's a fact. You can run tires as old as you want, we aren't DOT haulers and you don't make the rules.

My post reads should not must. Don't get your panties in a bunch.

The word should is advisory or aspirational rather than a command and the sentence accurately reflects the tire industry standard, aka "best practices."

You can do whatever you want. Nobody really cares except the tire shop being asked to work on your stale, hard, dried out old tires.

 

[pagrey]

My post reads should not must. Don't get your panties in a bunch.

The word should is advisory rather than a command and the sentence accurately reflects the tire industry standard, aka "best practices."

You can do whatever you want. Nobody really cares except the tire shop being asked to work on your stale, hard, dried out old tires.

My tire shop sells used tires so they are used to it.

The NHTSA studies every fatal car crash and examines the tires. Somewhere around 9% of the time tires are at fault. Sometimes it's bald tires, other's it's under-inflation. They have not found old tires to be a cause, that is why there are no formal rules about tire age. Even the NHTSA says the plant and date code plays an important role in identifying which tires are subject to recall and remedy campaigns for safety defects and noncompliances.

If the DOT wanted consumers to pay attention to the date they'd have Goodyear put a date just like your milk. If they just want to track tires after an accident to keep track of defects then they'd be okay with what we have, a cryptic code. Of course the industry wants you to buy new tires but not everybody needs to drink the cool-aid, that's all I'm saying. People talking about this 10 year thing like you often think people like me are taking some risk or endangering people on the highway but I don't think that's exactly what's going on here, that's why I comment.

 

[Mr. Bills]

Getting back to the original question, which was "How old is too old?"

To recap:

1. When it will no longer hold air.

2. When it disintegrates as you drive.

3. Ten years after date of manufacture or six years from date placed in service, whichever is sooner, but only if you pay attention to industry standards and such things.

4. When every tire shop in town has told you that its too old to service or repair.

5. When @pagrey concurs that its given you all its got to give and there ain't no more given to be got.

All valid measures don't you think?