Tire "dry rot"

Mike,

Ever see an RV stored with covers draped over the tires? Yes, this can happen. The rubber cracks and is brittle; this is easily visible when you compare to a new tire. Ask your mechanic to show you this difference.

A failed tire at highway speed can ruin your whole day. You have 5 years and 45K out of those skins; replace 'em already.

Got a Tacoma? Join psam-free

VERY good idea to replace them. Rubber conditioners are not just for looks either you know. A bit of armor-all goes a long way steve

It is a real condition, but whether your tires are bad enough to worry about after 5 years is another matter entirely - 7 or 8 years is when you really need to start worrying. The plasticiser and protective additives blended into the rubber dry out and evaporate, the Ozone and other pollutants in the air attack, and the rubber can start cracking.

A few small surface cracks aren't an immediate signal to Panic, more like time to research what brand(s) and type(s) tires you want next, and start keeping your eyes open for a good sale on them. Rush in, and you pay Full Retail; if you wait a few weeks someone will put them on ad.

When it gets bad enough that there are a lot of small to medium cracks popping through, and deep cracks start to expose the inner fabric plies, that's when IMNSHO you've reached the "You can't put off buying a new set of tires any longer!" point.

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If you have a small airport near you (or one that caters to small airplanes) , you might want to buy and use "Age Master" to help prevent "weather checking":

---MIKE---

Do they look like this:

I will be replacing mine soon :)