jgcable

Ok, so the manufacturers and the tire stores all say the same thing. If a tire is between 7-10 years old of God forbid older than that it needs to be replaced no matter what the condition is. I have been asking this question to car enthusiasts for years. There are 3 camps. Camp 1 has no idea a tire has a date code and they replace only when the tire is worn out, visibly dry rotted or damaged beyond repair. Camp 2 says that if a tire is older than 5-7 years it must be replaced regardless of the condition. It could be a tire that has no wear, no dry rotting and no damage but they say it must be replaced because of the rubber compounds and all this other scientific jargon that they read about or were told by someone. Camp 3 is comprised of mainly car guys that drive classic cars. Anything 25 years or older. They almost unanimously believe that the tire stores and the manufacturers just want to sell you more tires and that as long as a tire is in good condition and not worn out or dry rotted or cracked it is perfectly fine to drive on it. They also all agree that NONE of this applies if you race and in that case you should b always conscious of your tire condition and age.
The reason I am asking is I was just talking to a fellow Vette owner and told him I just bought a set of Grand Sport wheels for my 96 and now I have to save up for new tires even though the tires on my car.... 2007 on the back and 2008 on the front are barely worn and have no dry spots or cracking at all. He laughed and said I need to stop listening to people trying to sell me tires and replace them when they are worn out or visibly damaged. So... what camp are you in?

2011KLR

Ha ha ha... im in the camp of... you gotta ride on em. You decide.

JimmyS5600

I can undrstand all three camps,all valued reasons. However,when my tire became older than 5 years,still plenty of tread or balance conditions,
the handling decreased a bunch! Very noticable, I hated to but replaced the tires due to the crummy handling.
Jimmy

ThomasR

Cheap insurance. Just replace them.

ChumpVette

Always gives me comfort knowing people next to me on the road are not keeping their vehicle equipment up to spec.

Why change your oil at the suggested interval? Or do any service at all?

SloJo

I bought my 93 in 2019 and it had 17k original miles with original Goodyear tires. I asked Goodyear at their headquarters in Akron, Ohio if it was safe to drive the car. They said as long as the tires were not cracked clear thru to the inside it was safe to drive it. Well, when I got there and looked at the car and the tires I decided it was not worth the chance of a blowout. I was 500 miles from home and a lot of interstate driving. The tires were like new but were cracked everywhere. I couldn't believe the owner was driving on them. I called a transporter and had it delivered to my house. It cost $900 but I felt it was well worth the money. If I could have bought new tires there where the car was I would have done that, but those tires sizes are not a stock item at most tire stores. The car was in fantastic condition and I didn't want to take a chance on having a wreck driving on those tires.

Krusty84

I am in the replacement camp. I used to run the tread off and stretch their life out as long as I could. Then I had a few issues where I got stranded for lengthy periods of time. All either in the ice and snow or 100+ degree days and in the middle of nowhere. Whatever money I thought I saved over the years was quickly lost in those few instances. I have been behind the wheel an easy 1 million miles over the years. Most of it was done in about an 8 year span when I traveled as an oil and gas landman. It wasn't until those years that I really changed my mind about this. When you rack up miles like that, it kind of becomes a no brainer decision because **** is going to happen sooner or later.

84 4+3

Our EMS vehicles get tires replaced at 10 years period. We aren't required to... but if something were to happen we are held accountable, so why push it. On my daily I wear them out before they hit 5 years. Once I see visible dry rot on anything they gotta go. But again... it's only your life and the couple people in or around your vehicle so do what you're comfortable with.

jgcable

Ok, I will bite. My dad has a 2021 Chevy Colorado. It takes 5 quarts of full synth. He is 85 years old and he puts roughly 500 miles or less on his truck per year. This year he only put 300 miles on it since his last oil change which was about a year ago because he has been sick. I think its pretty common knowledge that full synth does not break down like conventional dyno oil and his manual says to change the oil every 3000 miles. The dealership and the oil change place both told him he should change his oil once a year even though the manual says the interval is between 3000-5000 miles.. For my dad that means he will be dumping out 5 quarts of full synth that has 300 miles total on it. According to your reply above he should dump that oil right?

jgcable

I probably should have mentioned what camp I am in!!!! I am in Camp 2. Once my tires get past 7 years old I replace them regardless of the condition.

billschroeder5842

This made me laugh.

ChumpVette

Short trips, long periods of sitting. Sounds like a good recipe of moisture in the crankcase.

On the other end of the spectrum, is he waiting 7-10 years to change his oil?

dburgjohn

where X = the cost of your tires, will you risk your death and possibly the death others along with property damage liability for $X dollars?

FYI I have personally gotten rid of many nearly full tread depth too old tires off multiple Corvette, Trans Am and Camaro vehicles. Yes it hurts my wallet, no I won't change.

Whaleman

I think five years is a little too conservative. I am probably in the eight year replace no matter what camp. Dan

RWDsmoke

Why does everyone assume if you blow a tire you will crash and burn? Yes that happens on tv and movies but every tire I've seen blow just goes thump thump thump and vibrates a bit, no control problems. They will disengage if you keep driving long enough but you are supposed to stop before that happens.

84 4+3

it's funny... My 19 colorado says Oil life monitor, 3k if you forgot to reset it or 1 year... whichever is first. Regardless of milage, it'll still going to oxidize and break down... for the cost of an oil change... why F around and find out.

Techun

yes. Or even better, you borrow that truck and drive it. He's probably never getting it hot enough.

Patsgarage

How are you driving the car ? If you are just cruising around town then 5 year old tires are fine, but for hard cornering/triple digit highway runs they would make me nervous.

dizwiz24

I work in the tire industry with truck bus radial tires

most every fleet i work with puts a max casing age limit of 7 yrs on any truck tire casing that they are stil willing to put a retread on

dizwiz24

im more worried about a defective full-tread depth new tire vs. a seasoned , non-repaired 5 yr old tire that has worn well and been taken care of (not underinflated)

i do worry if its been tracked a lot, that traction aiding tackifying resins may have evaporated off - esp by 5 yrs of age…