bikeriderga

Good grief, I hope not.

Not if they value their car or their lives.

knewblewkorvette

Per Tire Rack:

How many years will tires last before aging out? Unfortunately, it's impossible to predict when tires should be replaced based on their calendar age alone.

Properly stored tires that are protected from the elements and not mounted on a wheel, age very slowly before they are mounted and put into service. In our experience, when tires are properly stored and cared for, most street tires have a useful life in service of between six to ten years. While part of that time is spent as the tire travels from the manufacturing plant to the manufacturer's distribution center, to the retailer and to you, the remainder is the time it spends on your vehicle.

Several European vehicle manufacturers of high-performance sports cars, coupes and sedans identify that "under no circumstances, should tires older than 6 years be used" in their vehicle owner's manual. However, it should be noted that European recommendations must include driving conditions that include roads like the German Autobahn, which allows vehicles to be legally driven at their top speeds for extended periods of time.

While American driving conditions don't include the high-speed challenges of the German Autobahn, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company and General Motors have joined their European colleagues by recommending that tires installed as Original Equipment be replaced after six years of service.

It is important to take into account Original Equipment tires are mounted on wheels and put into service right after being received by vehicle manufacturers, so their calendar age begins immediately. However, the same cannot be said of tires properly stored in a tire manufacturers' warehouse or in Tire Rack distribution centers before they go into service.

The current industry association recommendations regarding inspecting and replacing tires due to age originate outside the United States.

The British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) recommended practice, issued June 2001, states, "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over six years old and that all tyres should be replaced ten years from the date of their manufacture."

"Environmental conditions like exposure to sunlight and coastal climates, as well as poor storage and infrequent use, accelerate the aging process. In ideal conditions, a tyre may have a life expectancy that exceeds ten years from its date of manufacture. However, such conditions are rare. Aging may not exhibit any external indications and, since there is no non-destructive test to assess the serviceability of a tyre, even an inspection carried out by a tyre expert may not reveal the extent of any deterioration."

More recently, the Japan Automobile Tire Manufacturers Association (JATMA) recommended practice, issued May 2005, states, "Customers are encouraged to have their vehicle tires promptly inspected after five years of use to determine if the tires can continue to be used (recommends spare tires be inspected as well). Furthermore, even when the tires look usable, it is recommended that all tires (including spare tires) that were made more than ten years ago be replaced with new tires.

To recap the article, 10 years old is the MAX life of a tire. The OP is almost double that age. If I was in the OP's shoes, I would take off the wheels and store them. I would replace them with aftermarket rims and some new tires.

Mr. Black

No.

Always Red Dave

Just did not think I needed them as they look so new and are run flats. Was not bragging about 18 year old tires LOL!

oh1vette

Hope not

cv67

How they look on th eoutside means nothing.
The rubber and steel belts delaminate and rot from the inside out; my M/T are at least 7 yrs old...garaged FT with less than 100 mi I know its about time to look into some fresh rubber .Id be pissed if I took out a quarter panel or blew going dow nt eht rack. Id feel horrible if I had a passenger with me that got hurt.

Still, we can post this stuff all day and some guy will insist his 18 yr old tires are fine...he only goes 15 mph. Cant help ignorance.
People put tons of money into these, make them fast and ask "whats the best cheapest tires, brakes etc". Ugh...

Mr. Wonderful

I recently purchased a one-owner 2004 Z with 21k miles. Ebay ad said 'new Bridgestone Potenza "tires.
When the car arrived the tires did look new. Seller said they only had about 1,500 miles on them.
Well.... they did look just like new, but upon further inspection, I discovered they were made in 2012, making them 9 years old.
I just did not feel comfortable driving on tires that old, so found a set of Bridgestone Potenza's on Craigslist with dates of late 2018,
also with low miles on them. They were shipped to the installer from Ohio where I planned to have them changed. When the 2012
tires were removed, I was in almost total shock, as the insides looked as new as the outsides. I don't know if that meant they were
safe to drive on or not, and feel more comfortable riding on the 2018's. The like-new used set cost me $600 including shipping,
so I feel I got a very good deal. Tire rack price would have been almost $1k.

Boeuf

Like what most others have said, I would change them out for safety.
They may not blow out on you but your traction is definitely compromised.
When I bought my Z a few years ago it had 12 year old Michelin Pilot Sports on it, tires looked brand new.
I had to drive on them for a little while because I couldn't find stock of new tires and had to wait.
The old tires were quiet and comfortable to drive on but the traction was severely compromised. I remember spinning the tires in 3rd gear at 130kph on an on ramp, and also I had an oh **** moment when I was cut off in town doing 50kph and my car slid like it was on ice.
Now I have Michelin PS4S on the car and it's amazing.

dleibman

Trash them and move on.

WalterSobchak

Find a nice empty parking lot and light em up then get new tires.

o2bnkc

Those original run flats drove like that brand new!! Those Goodyear tires gave run flats a bad name. I like run flats and have run several different ones on my c5's, and those were the worst. Every other kind I've had is a big step up from those.

Vetteman Jack

Exactly - I will not trust my life to 18 year old tires.

Gordy M

I have my 2000 wheels and tire in the basement for the last 18 yrs, I keep them because I wanted to keep the chrome thinspokes from road rash. The last time I uncovered them and looked them over I notice they had a M&S rating...mud and snow. No wonder they were so noisy.

eric22

In which states do inspectors look at the age of the tires?

3sACROWD

If keeping the car looking close to original is important then replace with the GY run flats. If you're going for driving experience, there are other brands that perform better. I drive my Z06 in wet and dry conditions (no snow) and the GY F1 OEM spec tires were terrible in the wet. I went with Continental DWS 06 tires. They give me the balance I want out of a tire (enough traction to have fun but good wet grip and tire life too) If I want to do track time, I'll need another set of tires for that type of duty.

Something to consider. If you're going to keep the original tires, you may want to leave them mounted on the wheels. Most tire places will not install tires beyond a few years old. Also, tire sizes for a 17" / 18" combo are getting harder to find. Bumping up to 18" / 19" opens up the options.

ElisTwoCents

My tires often go out of date before the thread does....had an old tire with near perfect thread once fall apart on the highway, lesson learned.

Stingroo

Tread. Not thread.

But yes. That will happen.

BKbroiler

It's interesting that the guy who made that statement is in NJ. The only thing checked at NJ inspection is emissions. Certainly no tire inspection.

LSgoBRRR

NJ used to have crazy inspections at state stations (2-3 hour waits every time) but they are joke now because NJ is a joke (and broke AF) not really sure what they do besides an OBD2 scan and gas cap check, I'm sure they have Californian fantasies though (god forbid they ever become solvent again).

I bought my Vette out of PA (where I lived for a while as well) and they have rather thorough inspection that gets performed by independent mechanics (which keeps a lot of shops open and keeps service prices competitive). The guy who sold me the Vette needed to change out the tires because even though they had tread they were too old (ummm fresh pilot sports).

MWWarlord

Solvency has nothing to do with it. California has had major solvency issues for years, but they still have stupid requirements

Virginia requires a yearly inspection. I know that tires are included in that inspection. There are no statewide emissions requirements, although several counties require it.