I did a search, no recent info. Do modern bias ply tires "age out" like radials? Radial tires, if they are 5-6 years old I look to replace them no matter how they look on the outside.
Most tire stores will not repair or service a tire that is more than 10 years old, regardless of design. Determining if a tire is safe or not depend on many factors.
The steel belts in radials seem to be the problem...since older bias ply tires don't have them, they don't have that problem. they have other problems
Any day driven on an aged or incorrect tire can be the day that life takes a new course. Think about it. I can say honestly, I do, most days.
I’ve never understood driving on questionable tires. Sure they’re expensive $600 - $2000 if you have a tire come apart and only have it beat up a quarter panel, no wreck or worse you probably just cost yourself a set of tires or more. I’m not sure how long bias ply tires last I believe longer than radials for sure. If they’re cracked, checked or hard I would change em for sure. I guess I’m lucky, never had a set last more than about five years. Dan
When I inherited my Caddy in 2012, the bias ply tires had been on the car since 82. 30 years had not been kind, even with indoor storage, the knocking going down the street from the flat spots were really bad.
note on Tire Rack Older Production Date Tires This tire was produced in 2022. Older Production Date Tires are new tires that we offer at a discounted price due to their date of production. Older Production Date Tires have been properly stored and retain their manufacturer's warranty, which begins when they are mounted on your vehicle.
Notice there is no reference to 'expiration dates' in this. That is entirely a construct of the retailers to generate tire sales and also allowing both the vehicle and tire manufacturers as well as the retailers to escape any legal liability if you fail to properly maintain/inspect your tires.
Yep, CYA is the point, which I can understand. I figured it was a good reference for the discussion. We all know tires can age out. The conditions vary widely, so there isn't a set time. A high altitude, sunny climate in direct sun (where I am) is going to be harder than a low altitude, climate controlled garage kept situation. A light, low HP vehicle is going to loose less performance envelope than a supercar. The difference between the compounds alone in a value leader basic tire and a speed rated high performance tire will vary widely. If some company has a single hard and fast rule, I'd imagine they have been forced to argue in court and will err on the safe side.
My experience on this topic is that Bias Ply tires will almost always show signs of cracking, wearing, etc... prior to failure. So a physical inspection of the tires would be my starting point to determine the "Safety" of running them as is. 2nd concern is obviously the flat-spot/hardness issue, obviously, almost all bias ply tires are going to flat-spot from sitting for a few months, but if the rubber is still pliable, it'll round out again as soon as you get it down the road a few miles and the rubber heats up. Brake tests will also reveal hardness issues, since a car is more prone to tires locking up and skidding if the rubber isn't soft enough to properly transmit the braking force to the pavement. I've had tires on cars that are easily 30-40yrs old, and they're perfectly fine for limited driving, though if I were to plan a cross-country trip, I would ALWAYS run newer tires. TLDR: Inspection of the tread and sidewalls for cracking and/or stress-marks is step one; and if the flat spots don't go away with a brief drive, you're due for new tires.
I had a set of Mickey Thompson Indy Profile SS tires on an OT muscle car that were about 25 years old. They had maybe 5,000 miles on them and were always garaged. They rode really nice. I replaced them with BF Goodrich Performa GT tires. When the guys at the tire shop took them off, they could not believe how new they looked inside and out. They were soft and did not have even one crack anywhere in the rubber. Two of the installers offered me money for them, but I had already offered them to someone. I try to use 10-12 years as my time limit and at that they always look new, and I swap them on the tires in my trunk as spares. I think 6 years is overkill, but to each his own. I do check my tires every season in the spring when I start to use my cars after the winter is over.
I'm not a bias tire fan by any stretch as far as running them daily. On the other hand as far as trusting an old tire goes I'd trust a 30 year old bias tire more than a ten year same size radial for not coming apart on the road.
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