Tire expirations

[OnMyWay]

A question for those of you with experience in such things.

In all my years of driving and owning vehicles, I never had to deal with this.  I always wore out the tread on my tires.  Our 2016 Brio only has 34 k km on it and the tires still have good tread on them.  However, the tires are past their expiration date.  Is that a big concern?  It rarely gets driven on the expressway.  Mostly around town at slower speeds.  I am not worried at getting a flat while I am driving, but if my wife were to get a flat, that might be a problem.  I probably need to coach her on what to do it you get a flat tire while driving.

[Old55]

The climate is not so great for tires there. Don, are they exposed to sunlight much of the day? Driving at speed on a hot day could be a concern.

I got a used truck with ten year old tires that looked great. Although the tires were a quality brand I had new tires mounted and was amazed how much better the truck handled and how comfortable the ride was. It was a huge improvement.

[MotorSarge]

Maybe okay around the barrio but I would not drive anywhere over 30KPH.

[Lee]

7 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

However, the tires are past their expiration date.  Is that a big concern?

IMO, your concerns about the age of your tires should be about excessive dry rot. Since you drive so little, you might consider buying 2 new tires for the front and culling the remaining tires for dry rot and putting the best on the back.

This link here states that if there is any evidence of dry rot then replace the tires (of course they are trying to sell you tires)

https://wiygul.com/support/1452/when-to-replace-your-tires/#:~:text=4.,learn more about dry rot.

Quote

 

4. Dry rot – If your tires show any signs of dry rot, a.k.a. sidewall cracking, it’s time to replace them. All tires that are 5-6+ years old are at risk for dry rot, but it may happen sooner or could happen a little later.

5. Age – Always replace tires once they are 10 years old, regardless of how they look or how much they’ve been used. At this age, there is a high likelihood that the interior has dry rot, the rubber is not as flexible, and the belts/other metal components aren’t as strong.

Some of these things – like dry rot or certain kinds of damage – are often best to have evaluated by a professional. To an untrained eye, a tire may look totally fine, when in fact, it could pose a safety hazard.

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by Lee

[OnMyWay]

45 minutes ago, Lee said:

This link here states that if there is any evidence of dry rot then replace the tires (of course they are trying to sell you tires)

Thanks, I will do a close inspection!

[OnMyWay]

7 hours ago, Old55 said:

I got a used truck with ten year old tires that looked great. Although the tires were a quality brand I had new tires mounted and was amazed how much better the truck handled and how comfortable the ride was. It was a huge improvement.

Normally I am a fanatic on having good tires.  I drive fairly aggressively and I want good grip in all conditions.  We were going to sell the car last January and that was about the time I became aware of the expiration, so I was not too concerned about replacing them.  However, now it seems we will probably keep the car for a while, so I need to evaluate them closely.

Edited October 10, 2023 by OnMyWay

[BrettGC]

As Lee says, like all rubber, tyres perish.  It's not all about the state of the tread.  Given the age of the yours it's probably time to replace at least the front.  After living in the tropics in Australia (similar climate to here) for many years you can normally take a third to half off the recommended life of any tyres regardless of what the "wear bumps" are showing (the little bumps between the thread that show you when to change the tyre under normal circumstances).

Edited October 10, 2023 by BrettGC

[Mike J]

In the US I would drive until the wear bars showed.  I never had a blowout and I cannot even remember the last time I had a flat while in the US.  Here I replace the tires every three years regardless of wear and also carry a pump in the vehicle.  Probably get 2-3 flats a year.   I am too old to change a tire by myself so I call someone.  If you can't reach anyone stand by the car, hold up a 100 peso note in one hand and point at the flat with the other. 

[Gator]

9 hours ago, OnMyWay said:

A question for those of you with experience in such things.

In all my years of driving and owning vehicles, I never had to deal with this.  I always wore out the tread on my tires.  Our 2016 Brio only has 34 k km on it and the tires still have good tread on them.  However, the tires are past their expiration date.  Is that a big concern?  It rarely gets driven on the expressway.  Mostly around town at slower speeds.  I am not worried at getting a flat while I am driving, but if my wife were to get a flat, that might be a problem.  I probably need to coach her on what to do it you get a flat tire while driving.

Don it would probably be a good idea to change the tires. The 6 year life span given by the manufacturers is only a guideline. Tread life is a visible indicator, but oxidation isn’t. Oxidation in tires is escalated by heat, both ambient and from friction when driving. Oxidation causes the tires compounds to break down and is a major contributing factor to tire failure (even at low speeds; think hitting an unseen pothole or speed bump at night). 

Another consideration, albeit likely a minor one here, is litigation in the event of a crash where tire failure is the a primary cause or even a contributing factor. Expired tires just give attorneys as well as insurance companies more ammo to use against you to find fault or deny a claim. 

[RBM]

2 hours ago, Lee said:

IMO, your concerns about the age of your tires should be about excessive dry rot. Since you drive so little, you might consider buying 2 new tires for the front and culling the remaining tires for dry rot and putting the best on the back.

This link here states that if there is any evidence of dry rot then replace the tires (of course they are trying to sell you tires)

https://wiygul.com/support/1452/when-to-replace-your-tires/#:~:text=4.,learn more about dry rot.

Yes exactly our issue, my partners little Swift 2014 just 25K KM on it still original tyres has now cracks on side. Deep tread still, I just ditched the 2 worst and replaced new tyres on front. She rarely goes over 70km so no big deal.