Should Original Tires be replaced after 5 years even though tread is still good (7/32)?

I cannot answer specific question but as a retired chemist, it is a very important one. Antioxidants are added to rubber to retard degradation and when they are consumned oxidation and subsequent degradation (dry rot) can be very rapid. Few years ago, I replaced a set of tires on a bike in the garage with cheap Sears Japanese tires. The bike sat for one year completely unused and tires dry rotted. I strongly suspect that rubber life varies from company to company. Temperature is also important so tires in cold climates should last longer. Frank

Hi,

Anything I can offer is anecdotal, since I can't remember the last time I had a set of tires last five years, due to the mileage I put on. Two years is good for me, one year not unheard of.

Anyway, I guess my "story" started w/ a client who'd blown a tire on his motorhome out in Nowhere, Kansas. Nearly crashed the thing, but being a retired truck driver, he had some skills handling a large vehicle and managed to get it to the (wrong) side of the road with no greater damage than some fiberglass that didn't survive the impact of a chunk of tread. When he had the vehicle towed in to a shop, the fellow taking care of things asked how old the tires were, and said the State of Kansas requires new tires every five years because of the problems w/ tread separations. I didn't get it clearly if this was just RVs, or it included cars. I filed that part of the story under "you were lucky!"

Sometime after hearing this story, I saw a story on the news about this "replace every five years" thing. They said even a spare that's never been on the road could fail when pressed into service. I filed that part of the story under "we all know how accurate the news can be!"

A month or so after seeing that story, my g/f took off to visit her son in Phoenix. We both live in SoCal, about a half hour from Palm Springs, so it's "warm to hot" quite often. Her car lives "outside" in a car port, and she hardly drives it (

Motorcycle tires lose traction rapidly as they age too. They look fine, but they get harder and really really slippery. By the time they start to crack and visibly dry rot, their performance is extremely poor.

I've never thought about it with cars though.

I think Ford just made a 6-year replacement advisory based on research in connection with the Explorer rollover lawsuits. I wouldn't say

7/32" is 'very good tread,' but if you don't drive often, I'd feel comfortable using the tires until they were six years old.

-LK

Hi,

Most of the car tires I've bought over the last however many years had either 10/32" or 11/32" when new, and the tread wear bars are generally

2/32" (or 1/16"), so it appears our OP's still got well over half the usable tread remaining. I wouldn't think tread wear would be the major worry here.

Rick

Hi,

Bicycle tires do the same. Don't ask me (OUCH!) how I know... but since car tires are made of the same stuff for all practical purposes, I'd think the problem would be seen there, too. Ever look at how hard and shiny a bald tire is that's been sitting out in the sun for a long time? That's an extreme, of course, for purposes of our conversation here, but might give some insight.

Rick

Reminds me, I've seen this on boots too. Had to throw out 2 pair of hunting boots last year. One had rubber bottom that became so hard and slippery that I was afraid to wear. Other was pair of Rocky Goretex boots with molded rubber heel/sole that just crumbled away. Frank

Hmmm. I have a spare tire that was made in 1985.

And it has spent all that time in the engine compartment.

Thanks everyone for your input. I bought the Outback at the end of July in 1999 when the 2000 models were just coming out to the dealers, so the tires will be (or maybe are already) six years old right now!

I was looking at the Goodyear TripleTread tire as a replacement for the originals and they have a $40 rebate (for a set of 4) now until the end of the week. Maybe I should spring for them and save a few bucks. I looked at all of the owner comments on various tires at TireRack.com and the TripleTreads are very highly rated although they carry a lesser speed rating than the "H" Firestones that are on the OBW now. I understand that you can go with a slighyly lower rating as long as all 4 tires are the same, so I should be OK with using those.

Thanks again for all of the comments and experiences, just what I was looking to get from the group.

Warren Jr.

I have the TTs on my Forester and they have been excellent. :)

I have GY Regatta II's on my OBW and am very happy. TripleTreads are better, but if you want to save a few bucks, go with the Regatta II.

I ordered Goodyear TripleTreads today for my Outback and am having them installed tomorrow afternoon.

I got a quoted price of $116.99/each - includes mounting, installation, balancing, new rubber stems, old tire disposal fee and state tax. There is also a $40 mail-in rebate still in effect, so that will lower my final cost (in about two months) by $10.00 per tire to $106.99/per tire. I think that is a very good deal! I will give the group my impression of them after I have a few hundred miles on them.

Warren Jr.

Got the TripleTreads on Thursday. Quote was for everything EXCEPT the state tax, so I paid about $24 more than expected, still a great deal!

The Outback rolls easier (coasting without feeding gas) and has a more positive feel to the steering than witrh the old (Firestone Wilderness OEM) tires.

I drove a little in the rain, but only showers - so couldn't tell much from that.

I will post an update after more usage, so far they are great!

Warren Jr.

I have a little under 1,000 miles on my new TripleTreads (on my Outback SW) and love them!

I went camping (Pa Grand Canyon) last week and they were great, especially on some back roads where our (Mapquest) directions sent us. Because of these "side" excursions, I got to see a fox crossing the road on one of the back roads!

I am very happy with them on my 2000 Outback and they will probably last the life of the car, especially since I only have 43,000 miles on it in six years!

My original (Firestone Wilderness) tires were 6 yrs old, and in some states (not mine), tires that old must be replaced, so I can drive anywhere now in the U.S. without a problem.

BTW, I sat in a new Tribeca, at my dealer today - it seems like a boat compared to my outback - BIG! It had a combination CD/mp3 player in the console.

The $36,000 sticker price on the Tribeca scared me away! I can get a portable CD/mp3 player for under $100 - much better deal for me. I love to listen to audiobooks and Old Time Radio programs on mp3 format.

Warren Jr.

Thanks for the update, Warren. I will be looking pretty soon, as I am at 55k on my original Potenzas.

-Kurt

Warren wrote: