Tires do have a shelf life period, but how long is affected by many different circumstances so there is no exact time limit on how long they will last. Rubber deteriorates even when stored out of the sunlight it's an unfortunate reality. All tires sold for commercial or personal use on any kind of vehicle have a "TIN" and the primary function of the TIN is just like any other product that is made in "Batches", the last 4 numbers of the TIN are the date code (date code is usually only on 1 side or the other of the a tire while the rest of the TIN is on both) NHTSA is more interested monitoring how may tire failures in each batch than they are how old each batch is. Here's a quote from NHTSA
"The tire identification number (TIN), which must appear on virtually all new and retreaded motor vehicle tires sold in the United States, plays an important role in identifying which tires are subject to recall and remedy campaigns for safety defects and non-compliances."
That doesn't mean that it's safe to ignore a tire that is getting old. Tires can and have lasted far longer than 10 years and still been functional but it's not the norm. Dry rotting is the major concern with older tires, but that isn't limited to the tire. As OP mentioned valve stems are just as susceptible to deterioration as tires. In the case of his story the tire wasn't the failure problem.
Bottom line, unless you're confident with your knowledge of tires, take your tires in to a credible and trusted tire service center and ASK them to evaluate the tires, valve stems, and date code on your tires.
"The tire identification number (TIN), which must appear on virtually all new and retreaded motor vehicle tires sold in the United States, plays an important role in identifying which tires are subject to recall and remedy campaigns for safety defects and non-compliances."
That doesn't mean that it's safe to ignore a tire that is getting old. Tires can and have lasted far longer than 10 years and still been functional but it's not the norm. Dry rotting is the major concern with older tires, but that isn't limited to the tire. As OP mentioned valve stems are just as susceptible to deterioration as tires. In the case of his story the tire wasn't the failure problem.
Bottom line, unless you're confident with your knowledge of tires, take your tires in to a credible and trusted tire service center and ASK them to evaluate the tires, valve stems, and date code on your tires.
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