It broke my heart...

[444 Magnum]

to get rid of tires with good tread left on them.

My mother, now 82, just hasn't driven much for several years now and has put very little wear on her car tires.

I normally won't change tires until they hit the warning track.

A couple of years ago, both of my tire dealers refused to rotate her tires due to their age. The newest one was 2019 and the oldest, a Michelin and the original spare, was 2007. The other two were 2011.

The car has been garaged and driven little. The 2007 Toyota Avalon has less than 70K. The tires had no dry rot cracks and looked good. The tire dealers said tires will age and fail regardless of wear.

I'm not sure about that, but she did have a blowout a few years ago...that's where the 2019 tire came from. I just assumed she hit something in the road. Maybe it was just age.

It hurt my feelings to do it, but I had tires with good tread replaced. Four all around and the 2019 tire became the new spare.

Gotta keep Mama safe.

 

[6518John]

I would probably sell that cream puff. I think used car prices are still sky high. I know they are in these parts.

 

[67tempest]

I have worked at auto dealers service department's for 40+ years and have never heard of a shop refusing to rotate tires because of their age. I suspect that tire dealer was just using that as an excuse to sell you new tires. Have told numerous people over the years that based on the condition of their tires rotating them was a waste of $ but never refused if they insisted.

 

[ralph7]

I have worked at auto dealers service department's for 40+ years and have never heard of a shop refusing to rotate tires because of their age. I suspect that tire dealer was just using that as an excuse to sell you new tires. Have told numerous people over the years that based on the condition of their tires rotating them was a waste of $ but never refused if they insisted.

Discount tire won't even air up a tire over 7 years old.

 

[Marine Corps Air]

I am in the same situation as your Mother. I have always bought top-of-the-line Michelin tires for our cars. My 2004 Lexus LS 430 has around 96,000 miles on it. Always garage kept, usually never driven in rain or snow.

However, when the last set of Michelins only had about 25,000 miles on them, but were not even ten years old, the local Discount Tire store refused to do the tire rotation. They claimed that tire rubber begins to break down in the inside of the tire where we cannot visibly see it. Back in the day I had used the ten-year-life "rule of thumb". I have heard now that it's six years. I'm not interested in proving the tire dealer right in a high-stress road situation, i.e. slamming on brakes on one of our Interstate highways in the Atlanta area on a hot summer day.

Congratulations to the OP for making the right, and the best decision for his Mother.

Bill

 

[johngalt]

My Dad's 98 Corvette still had the original tires on them until I replaced them in 2017 (legally an adult!). They were fine, but had a very hard ride (Goodyear run flats).

I'm highly skeptical that age kills tires. I have over 10 year old bicycle tires still new in the package, nothing wrong with them. Materials aren't much different than car tires.

 

[DWalt]

My local Mexican tire shop (many of those all over San Antonio) will do anything you want with no questions. I always have them fix any leaks and flats, those guys really hustle. They also sell new tires, but no real bargains to be found there. On the other hand, they usually have lots of used tires in fairly high condition at good prices. I have bought a few of those.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I had a hillbilly tire shop next to my favorite LGS and got a few used tires from them for my rusty Suburban. It ended up costing more than brand new bottom of the line at Peep-Boys! and the new tires don't go flat on the first or second overnight!

Ivan

 

[LVSteve]

I don't know where the OP lives, but here in the desert SW you start looking closely at any tires coming up on 6-7 years old. There was lots of tread left on the OEM boots on my Xterra, but the lack of humidity had turned the sidewalls into crazy paving.

I believe there is some truth in what Discount and others say. Tires are far more biased towards grip over longevity than they were in the past. On the whole, people expect their cars to handle and brake better than before, so the brew is different.

 

[handejector]

How Old - and Dangerous - Are Your Tires?

Things to know about the age of your tires - Continental Tires

 

[JohnRippert]

The tires that came on my 2012 KIA Sportage got replaced after 5 years along with all the belts and hoses in 2017. The tires were just starting to show dry rot signs. I put a better set of all weather tires on it then and these are looking good so far. I do need to check the belts and hoses again just in case. Been almost 6 years now on those and the tires. Only have 33,000 on a 11 year old car now.

 

[pantannojack]

If tire makers were serious about age, they might make it possible to easily determine such; Without changing the method once we learn how to read them.

 

[ralph7]

If tire makers were serious about age, they might make it possible to easily determine such; Without changing the method once we learn how to read them.

You can google how to decode the build date, it's pretty easy.

EDIT Post #10 details it...

 

[SMSgt]

If tire makers were serious about age, they might make it possible to easily determine such; Without changing the method once we learn how to read them.

All tires of recent vintage have a 4-digit date stamp on them, indicating the week and year of manufacture.

 

[Doug627]

We replaced the tires on my mother's 2003 Ford Crown Victoria several years ago. Today, it only has 8,500 miles on it. She is 92 and no longer drives.

 

[pantannojack]

I am running a 3/4 ton on tires I got used ten years ago. No problems here. If tires are defective, they should not even sell them new. As in "Public Enemy": "Sheriff, what's wrong with your jail?" "There's nothing wrong with my jail."

 

[Norton 750]

Lot more heat involved than most people realise with tires, which leads to an unsafe condition at highway speeds. Don't go cheap on tires...replace them as they age.

 

[Rodan]

If you think changing four tires on a car due to age is painful, try doing it on an RV... 8 tires at $500-700/tire.

But, the potential consequences of a blowout are dire.

And yes, tires absolutely do degrade with age. Keeping them out of the sun helps, but won't eliminate the problem.

 

[Kiwi cop]

I had a hillbilly tire shop next to my favorite LGS and got a few used tires from them for my rusty Suburban. It ended up costing more than brand new bottom of the line at Peep-Boys! and the new tires don't go flat on the first or second overnight!

Ivan

Some of you may remember our rental car issues at he start of last year's visit.

Second day in Houston hit something on the freeway while overtaking a truck. Pulling back in front of the truck it was obvious something was wrong with the front right tire.

Pulled off the freeway and found a safe place to stop. There were two vertical gashes in the sidewall, and only an emergency spare in the trunk.

It was 3 pm on a Saturday. Our hotel was 40 minutes away and the rental agency another 35 minutes further on. I might have been able to go a more direct route but at only a reduced speed so I didn't want to risk it. We were leaving Houston early the following day.

I goggled tire repairs nearby and found a shop 5 minutes away. When I get there it is in a run down neighbourhood with the "forecourt" amid overgrown weeds. But it is open.

No new tires (the warehouse where the guy said he gets them had just closed) but two second hand ones in a pile out the back. The better of the two ($50) had a screw or something similar in the tread. The other ($35) was a Michelin (like on the car) about half worn.

Fifteen minutes after arrival we are on our way. Just after getting back on the freeway the "low tire pressure" warning light comes on. I pull off the freeway again and check the new tire, plus all the others. Full pressure all round. Best I could figure out was the second hand tire had less tread than the others, which the monitoring system read as low pressure due to the lower circumference. The tire lasted us another 10 days and 2500 miles until some other faults (apple play, door locks and an overdue service warning) saw me swap it out in Nashville.

That run down neighbourhood tire shop, which probably qualifies as "hillbilly", saved our bacon that day.