Old tires

mrmach1 · Mar 31, 2015

I know this subject has been covered before but I was surprised to find out how old my tires REALLY are. First let me start by saying I've been looking at a lot of pics of other members cars and I'm seeing a lot of tires I know are not being manufactured anymore so I know I'm not alone with this problem. I read an article from one of the big tire discount online stores that broke down how to read all the info on my tires. I thought my tires were about 15 to 17 yrs old but I was really wrong it looks like my tires are a scary 21 years old from the date of manufacture and were probably 4 years old when I bought them new. Now I really won't drive until they are replaced.

cobra3073 · Mar 31, 2015

Yes, I have 40 year old Pro Trac N50-15s on the back of "Fire" (my '73 Mach 1).

Believe me, they are going to go when I install the 545

!

BT

OMS · Mar 31, 2015

Yes, I have 40 year old Pro Trac N50-15s on the back of "Fire" (my '73 Mach 1).

Believe me, they are going to go when I install the 545!

BT

Hey I had those tires on 10 inch cragars ...

On my Mustang in 1975 - they left some nice marks :angel:

72HCODE · Mar 31, 2015

you forget how long tires are on your secondary cars. when you drive daily the tires wear normal and after 4 years you end up replacing them just cause of mileage.

my 2005 has had like 4 sets of tires on it just because i drive so much each year. my 95 had one set put on it back in the 1990s and then i didn't drive it much, in 2008 i went to knock the cob webs off it for a spring drive and i looked at the tires and they were cracked all over, it was then i realized i had not gotten new tires in like 10 years.

my 72 i was driving with tires installed in 2002 and i had a blow out, turned out all 4 tires were bad from sitting and i had them replaced in 2007. That was 8 years ago now! i know i need to replace them just for safety this year.

luxstang · Mar 31, 2015

Tires definitely have a limited shelf life.

The problem with old tires is that the solvents that keep the rubber flexible will evaporate over time and the tire get hard and fissure. The exposure to UV rays doesn´t help either.

Plus you may run into some delamination issues.

I´ve seen tires that still looked like new turn into shreds because of age. If that happens on the freeway....

mrmach1 · Mar 31, 2015

Both very good examples but just keep in mind the tires you buy and think are brand new may not be. That's my point it's bad enough my tires were old but they were older then I thought because they had sat around in some tire stock room for years before I even bought them and I have to think this is a common occurrence.

luxstang · Mar 31, 2015

Yeah, better check the DOT number when you buy new tires, especially with those unusual sizes we usually buy for our cars.

cobra3073 · Mar 31, 2015

Yes, I have 40 year old Pro Trac N50-15s on the back of "Fire" (my '73 Mach 1).

Believe me, they are going to go when I install the 545!

BT

Click to expand...

Hey I had those tires on 10 inch cragars ...

On my Mustang in 1975 - they left some nice marks :angel:

Yes, Don, so did mine! LOL

BT

jpaz · Mar 31, 2015

I just checked my tires, BF Goodrich Radial T/A and the dot number is K4VE NX921511. I can't figure this out. Can anyone figure out how old they are? Maybe I'm not looking at the right numbers? Thank's

72HCODE · Mar 31, 2015

FYI i found a photo of my 2002 tires that blew up in 2007

This tire went at 65mph on the highway, and i pooped myself.

i got real lucky something bad didn't happen.

the other 3 tires also showed signs of failing so i replaced them all.

goodnigh · Mar 31, 2015

My basic rule is seven years, that's it.

Probably why most tire companies offer

seven year warranties. The tire may have

plenty of tread left but the rubber wears out.

mike

jpaz · Mar 31, 2015

FYI i found a photo of my 2002 tires that blew up in 2007

This tire went at 65mph on the highway, and i pooped myself.

i got real lucky something bad didn't happen.

the other 3 tires also showed signs of failing so i replaced them all.

That's scary!

Rozz · Mar 31, 2015

How do tell tell the date code of a tire?

John J · Mar 31, 2015

Here you go.

Each tire has a required Department of Transportation (DOT) number imprinted on at least one of its sidewalls. That number begins with the letters "DOT" and may contain up to 12 additional numbers and letters.

The first and last digits are the most important:

•The first two letters or numbers identify the tire’s manufacturer and plant code.

•Prior to the year 2000, the last 3 digits of a DOT number represented the week (2 digits) and the year (1 digit) of production. So if the last three digits are 439, the tire was produced in the 43rd week of 1999.

•Tires produced after January 1, 2000, have a 4-digit date code at the end of the DOT number. The first 2 digits represent the week of production and the last 2 digits represent the last 2 digits of the year of production. So, 3500 indicates the tire was produced in the 35th week of the year 200

John J

jpaz · Mar 31, 2015

Here you go.

Each tire has a required Department of Transportation (DOT) number imprinted on at least one of its sidewalls. That number begins with the letters "DOT" and may contain up to 12 additional numbers and letters.

The first and last digits are the most important:

•The first two letters or numbers identify the tire’s manufacturer and plant code.

•Prior to the year 2000, the last 3 digits of a DOT number represented the week (2 digits) and the year (1 digit) of production. So if the last three digits are 439, the tire was produced in the 43rd week of 1999.

•Tires produced after January 1, 2000, have a 4-digit date code at the end of the DOT number. The first 2 digits represent the week of production and the last 2 digits represent the last 2 digits of the year of production. So, 3500 indicates the tire was produced in the 35th week of the year 200

John J

Thank's John, that helps! Got it figured out now. Nothing else seemed to make sense.

mrmach1 · Apr 1, 2015

I just checked my tires, BF Goodrich Radial T/A and the dot number is K4VE NX921511. I can't figure this out. Can anyone figure out how old they are? Maybe I'm not looking at the right numbers? Thank's

I'm not sure but I think it's 2011

whitesoc · Apr 1, 2015

I had old Gt Qualifier's on my vert.....and I knew they were getting a little long in the tooth...but I thought one more summer and next year I'll replace them. Wife and I were on the highway and I felt a shimmy and was saying to her I think I might need to get new tires when BAM! Blow out on the front passenger side at 70 mph, thankfully the car tracked njice and straight but the sound of the steel belts hitting the fender was horrible.

jhawk635 · Apr 2, 2015

FYI i found a photo of my 2002 tires that blew up in 2007

This tire went at 65mph on the highway, and i pooped myself.

i got real lucky something bad didn't happen.

the other 3 tires also showed signs of failing so i replaced them all.

This is exactly what the tire on my '72 Camaro looked like last weekend. Luckily I was just parking it when it happened. The tires were ~10-12 years old. It does suck having to take beautiful looking tires off and replace them but it comes with the territory.

Bill73Ragtop · Apr 2, 2015

This has been mentioned previously, but when you consider the cost of repairing sheet metal and other components due to catastrophic tire failure, a set of new tires is pretty reasonable. It's one of those things so easily overlooked.

Old tires

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