Do you replace tires due to age?

[Ian S]

I drive my car about 6,000 miles per year, with probably 95% of that highway driving. Car is garaged. Starting at 10/32" tread depth when new and wearing down to 5/32" causes an increase in wet braking stop distance of about 15%. So I'm going to start thinking about new tires when the tread depth gets below 5/32" or after 6-7 years. I get free balancing at Discount Tires so the tires get regular inspections for any damage. I buy quality tires (currently Continentals) because they don't cost that much more than el cheapos and I value my life especially when driving my car at 75-80 mph!

 

[a60dan]

I have a flat so I will be visiting my local store this week and guessing they will tell me the others are "too old". Of course I can't guess what tread is left on them. . . but do you consider "age" a valid reason if tread is sufficient. . . Just curious.

For the first time in my life, the Michelin tires on my F150 have gone more than the 40,000 mile manufacturer's warranty . They are only 3 years old and I won't let them go too much longer as we are planning a cross country trip.

Our past travel trailer experience in buying used trailers always resulted in tires that looked "good" and later blew out, sometimes causing damage.

I've adopted a 5 year replacement rule, from the date of manufacture stamped on the tire.

 

[Global Wizzo]

I have a flat so I will be visiting my local store this week and guessing they will tell me the others are "too old". Of course I can't guess what tread is left on them. . . but do you consider "age" a valid reason if tread is sufficient. . . Just curious.

I learned the hard way. Tires were about 7 years old with plenty of tread. Living in Florida, heat build up in tires is an issue. Drove to a meeting about 5 hours away and noticed one showed low pressure. Took it to the shop planning to have a nail puncture fixed. The entire inside layer was cracking apart. Same for the other three. Had to get only tires in the area that were immediately available that would fit the car. Cost about $500 more than if I had planned better.

Bottom line 5-6 years and buy tires.

 

[Dee]

Same in Phoenix metro. Sun and heat degrade rubber and similar products much faster, same for car batteries, hoses under the hood, and body paint. If the average tire gets 25,000 miles, that advertisement is based on ideal weather conditions, but maybe you're not in ideal weather location. That's when you should mentally discount by at least 20% if weather is more extreme, so expect 20,000 miles, and keep an eye open for cracking or bulging, etc. I ask them to do it when I get my tires rotated at Costco (free if you bought your tires there).

 

[GamblingMan]

My first car was used. At some point, a mechanic acquaintance pointed out that my sidewalls were cracked and I should pick out some used tires and he offered to install them. Seemed obvious after it was pointed out to me. While I did look at the tire pile, I ended up buying new tires.
Going forward, anytime anyone points out the age of my tires, I replace them.
More recently, my summer tires wear out thread faster than they age and my winter tires last the life use of the car, which I cap at 10 years.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

I just replaced the tires on my 1979 El Camino. They had about 15,000 miles on them, but they were manufactured in 1997. They still had plenty of tread left. But I would really like to take it on a 500 mile (1000 miles round trip) trip next month so I thought I'd better put some new tires on it.

 

[aja8888]

When I moved to Texas in 1992, I bought a 1982 Buick from an old lady as a car for my daughter that was turning 16. The Buick had 21,000 miles on it and still had the original Uniroyal tires on it, but had been sitting for quite a while. I drove it to Discount Tire about 10 miles away and when I got there, three of the tires had sidewall separation bubbles in them!

 

[yclipse]

I have a flat so I will be visiting my local store this week and guessing they will tell me the others are "too old". Of course I can't guess what tread is left on them. . . but do you consider "age" a valid reason if tread is sufficient. . . Just curious.

I have always heard that tires need to be replaced after six years, regardless of the number of miles driven.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Tesla. 1st set foam filled made it 2 years / 25000. Heavy car, much less brakes than ICE - regen braking puts more stress on the tires. Rotate every 6K. Up to about 20K on the second set, 2.5 years old; expecting at least 3 more years out of these. Conti ContactPros, no foam.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

The Owner Manual on our 2017 Corvette recommends replacing the tires at 6 years, regardless of how much tread is remaining. When I replaced a set at 6 years and 4/32" tread remaining, the new tires (same size/brand/model) were moderately quieter and distinctly "grippier". I think it was money well spent.
Michelin says their tires are ok for service at 5 years but should be inspected by a qualified shop every year until 10 years, then discard.
If your car has a low pressure alerting system, you may wish to replace the pressure sensors before they start failing, it's certainly easier when getting new ties. I estimate the sensor life to be 10 yrs/100k miles, so when buying new tires I ask myself if the current sensors should outlast the tires. I've heard of a lot of problems from off-brand sensors provided by the tire store, I buy my new ones at the local Chevy dealer (nice discount for my group) and have the tire shop install them with new tires.

 

[davidfin]

I have a flat so I will be visiting my local store this week and guessing they will tell me the others are "too old". Of course I can't guess what tread is left on them. . . but do you consider "age" a valid reason if tread is sufficient. . . Just curious.

I have a flat so I will be visiting my local store this week and guessing they will tell me the others are "too old". Of course I can't guess what tread is left on them. . . but do you consider "age" a valid reason if tread is sufficient. . . Just curious.

yes on my motor home. After 7 years, time for replacement regardless of tread wear. On our cars, never. Always wear out before time out.

 

[Koolau]

For the first time in my life, the Michelin tires on my F150 have gone more than the 40,000 mile manufacturer's warranty . They are only 3 years old and I won't let them go too much longer as we are planning a cross country trip.

Our past travel trailer experience in buying used trailers always resulted in tires that looked "good" and later blew out, sometimes causing damage.

I've adopted a 5 year replacement rule, from the date of manufacture stamped on the tire.

I guess I'd feel comfortable going by the tire company's recommended life span. After all, they want to avoid a failure that just might end up getting them sued AND they have much to gain if you replace before they are absolutely too old.

Nothing "wrong" with replacing at 5 years, but it likely would cost more than necessary. BUT feeling good about your tires may well be worth it.

 

[almost there]

Kinda depends. I have a garaged fun car. Stays covered in the garage 99% of the time.
Gets driven maybe 200-300 miles a year. So, I don't necessarily replace them on their 6th birthday.
One size does not fit all. In the sun 365 days a year? Driven normal / average miles per year? Not the same thing. But do know some shops wont even rotate if over 6 years old. And want to sell you new tires.

 

[Sunset]

I don't doubt that age is a factor, but I hate these "one size fits all" statements. Our cars are low miles, few highway miles (high speed increases heat, heat increases degradation, exponentially in many cases) and garage kept.
So our tires are not being subjected to as much UV and heat as many others. And I'm careful to keep them properly inflated.

I'm guessing that advice is based on worst case, to provide safety for all. So I feel confident that we can stretch that rule-of-thumb age limit safely.

We have a car for local driving only as it's 28 yrs old, and in the garage or driven at 30 mph tops. So I keep the tires for 10 years. They still look pretty new at 10 years.

 

[landis207]

I have a flat so I will be visiting my local store this week and guessing they will tell me the others are "too old". Of course I can't guess what tread is left on them. . . but do you consider "age" a valid reason if tread is sufficient. . . Just curious.

We had a flat and brought the car back to Costco. At first they said they needed to replace all 4, but after actually looking at the other tires, the said the other three were good to go. (the car is in FL and we are only there 6 1/2 months a year with low milage)

 

[freedomatlast]

IMO, if a police officer stops behind a car at a traffic light and sees an obvious safety problem (bald tires, exhaust pipe hanging, overly tinted wheels, tires sticking out too much, etc.)

I gotta ask; what are overly tinted wheels and why would overly tinted wheels be a safety concern?

 

[indiajust]

My car is so old I have trouble getting replacements. So I travel with either one old or one new tire in the trunk. For about 20 years I lived walking distance from used tire shops, so I would shoe the entire car for about $100 in used garbage and push them to exhaustion. I have changed quite a few ancient tires and roll with an inflation and patch kit that I do myself roadside.

I had some 15 y.o. freebies on an old truck that i could not drive in the winter. When I moved north I put some used winters on it that did great, even though the sidewalls were cracking.

For low speed and light loading, no issues. But if you are actually putting heavy loads in a truck or have places to go NOW, newer is so much better.

 

[Out of Steam]

Another consequence is diesel owners deleting emissions components on their trucks since they no longer are being tested.

My understanding is that removal of emissions control equipment from diesel pickup trucks is just about universal once the warranty is up.

 

[Lee94joyce]

Look for the DOT code on the tire sidewall. The last four digits indicate the week and year of manufacture.
Example: DOT XXXXXXX 3219 means the tire was made in the 32nd week of 2019.

If your tires are over 6 years old, replacement is strongly advised, even if they “look good” or have plenty of tread.
And remember, age-related tire failure can occur suddenly and without warning. It’s a safety issue.

 

[YellowSubmarine]

Replace due to condition only, not age. If the tire shows fine cracks, feels hard vs soft rubber and has an age looking shine it is likely due for replacement. Also if two or more tires have been repaired, it's time.

 

[azxracer]

The tires on my truck aged out at a shade under 6 years due to sidewall cracking. I wouldn't drive a 3/4 ton truck towing a trailer with tires in that condition. Fortunately Michelin offers (or did offer) a sidewall cracking guarantee of 6 years. Got a new set of 4 for the cost of mounting and balancing.

 

[Rocky mtn high]

Yes, bought a 8 yr old Jeep Wrangler, tires were the original, so I went straight to tire shop and got 5 new tires including spare.

 

[wrigley]

I gotta ask; what are overly tinted wheels and why would overly tinted wheels be a safety concern?

I'm sure they meant "windows" not "wheels"

 

[homestead]

My truck tires 245/19.5 need to be replaced every 6-7 years since I don't drive many miles.
The load on the truck is 2 tons so don't want to take any chances.

 

[Koolau]

Look for the DOT code on the tire sidewall. The last four digits indicate the week and year of manufacture.
Example: DOT XXXXXXX 3219 means the tire was made in the 32nd week of 2019.

If your tires are over 6 years old, replacement is strongly advised, even if they “look good” or have plenty of tread.
And remember, age-related tire failure can occur suddenly and without warning. It’s a safety issue.

where does the number 6 years come from if I may ask? I have heard 10 years, but don't have a citation on that.