Tire Age

[JJHStang]

I tried searching the forum tire age, no results.
i have BF Goodrich Radial T/A. Know they are past the recommended and required 6 or 10 years old.
I have no idea of how many miles on them. They have good tread and no cracks. I know that doesn’t matter if
you need them repaired.
Googled and shows the last 4 numbers but you get different explanations.
I have attached a picture of this number 9 1 2 1 1 1.
If using last 4 numbers and what I read the tire was made week 21 year 2011 or May of 2021.
Am I correct?

 

[tony-muscle]

I think that tire is 21st week of 2011. That being the case you should replace it. Typically 5 years, but 10 years the very max!

 

[RD-72]

A couple years ago I was driving out to a car show about an hour away (@ highway speed). I just wanted to show off a new paint job.
Anyways, was floating all over the place, on the highway.
When I arrived, i remembered that my car was parked for 28 or so years, So my tires were maybe 35 years old (but with great remaining tread).
The following week , i ordered new Radial TA’s. When the tire shop was removing the old tires 2 of 4 tire seams separated.
i was extremely lucky it didn’t happen at highway speed…

For what it’s worth, in the big picture, tires are cheap!

 

[Bobby]

You can always go to Discount Tire for any questions regarding tire age and ask for interpretation of the serial number.

 

[delawarebill]

i had the same issue with mine. ck'd the date and WOW they were 25 yrs old. thread was great... one grand later all new tires... what a difference that made to.

 

[Hemikiller]

Good article on reading the DOT tire codes.

https://danthetireman.com/blog/article/how-to-read-tire-date-codes-what-do-tire-dot-numbers-mean
I've run old tires in the past, but my opinion these days is it's a lot less hassle ( and less expensive) to buy new tires than the alternatives. I've bought cars with 10+ year old tires and the ride difference is amazing with new rubber. My coworker recently replaced the 14 year old tires on a car his daughter just inherited from her grandmother. He said it was absolutely frightening to drive on the highway before, and now feels like a brand new car.

 

[72 Fastback]

I have been in the tire industry for 28 years and yes those tires were manufactured the 21 week of 2011, so yes the tires or to old for service even if they look good remember tires are just glued together so over time they come apart it’s not worth it to use them. I made the mistake of letting my BFGs get 8 years old and when I drove to a car show one tire fell apart and damage my fender so it had to be repainted and cost a lot more than tires. So I agree with RD72 just replace the tires for safety and expense of damaging the car.

 

[detritusmaximus]

Fresh tires are cheap insurance. Most peoples deductibles are half or more of a set of tires. So even the most minor accident is not worth risking.

 

[Steed73]

I tried searching the forum tire age, no results.
i have BF Goodrich Radial T/A. Know they are past the recommended and required 6 or 10 years old.
I have no idea of how many miles on them. They have good tread and no cracks. I know that doesn’t matter if
you need them repaired.
Googled and shows the last 4 numbers but you get different explanations.
I have attached a picture of this number 9 1 2 1 1 1.
If using last 4 numbers and what I read the tire was made week 21 year 2011 or May of 2021.
Am I correct?

Not sure how to read the code but I had an incident this summer. My tires looked like new with very little mileage on them. I was out in Caledon coming home to Toronto on a country road when I started to hear a loud flapping sound and then the wheel shook. The tread on my left front tire separated and luckily I was not going fast. My mechanic said the tires were manufactured in 2003. I replaced all 4 right away and will keep an eye on the date from now on. Most people are accustomed to replacing tires when they are worn. This is a new reason to replace. I learned the hard way.

 

[JJHStang]

A couple years ago I was driving out to a car show about an hour away (@ highway speed). I just wanted to show off a new paint job.
Anyways, was floating all over the place, on the highway.
When I arrived, i remembered that my car was parked for 28 or so years, So my tires were maybe 35 years old (but with great remaining tread).
The following week , i ordered new Radial TA’s. When the tire shop was removing the old tires 2 of 4 tire seams separated.
i was extremely lucky it didn’t happen at highway speed…

For what it’s worth, in the big picture, tires are cheap!

Thanks

A couple years ago I was driving out to a car show about an hour away (@ highway speed). I just wanted to show off a new paint job.
Anyways, was floating all over the place, on the highway.
When I arrived, i remembered that my car was parked for 28 or so years, So my tires were maybe 35 years old (but with great remaining tread).
The following week , i ordered new Radial TA’s. When the tire shop was removing the old tires 2 of 4 tire seams separated.
i was extremely lucky it didn’t happen at highway speed…

For what it’s worth, in the big picture, tires are cheap!

 

[JJHStang]

I understand what everyone is saying and glad no one was hurt.
I have owned my car for 6 years so on average all my tires were over 6 years old.
Never even thought of checking the age of the tires. In the 6 yrs I have owned I have put on approximately 2200 miles. Average 366 miles a year an have had the car over 45 mph maybe a 6 times and only 1 of those over 55.
I don’t even go to car shows if over 10 miles away.
Like everyone is saying looks are deceiving. My tires do you look good.
Will do more thinking about replacing.

Thanks

 

[rob smith]

I tried searching the forum tire age, no results.
i have BF Goodrich Radial T/A. Know they are past the recommended and required 6 or 10 years old.
I have no idea of how many miles on them. They have good tread and no cracks. I know that doesn’t matter if
you need them repaired.
Googled and shows the last 4 numbers but you get different explanations.
I have attached a picture of this number 9 1 2 1 1 1.
If using last 4 numbers and what I read the tire was made week 21 year 2011 or May of 2021.
Am I correct?

That's correct. They are too old. I had a set of Yokohama's at that age. I spoke to many tyre manufacturers about the life of tyres. Pirelli France had the best answer. You must keep them in a cool place, inflated to the correct pressure, out of the suns' UV and check the hardness of the tread blocks. Looking for hairline cracks etc. I did this with my tyres and they were still soft and no visible cracks or damage. The five year limit is for liability and insurance claim denial. Only last week one of those tyres catastrophically failed. The inner sidewall totally collapsed. I was doing 75 mph at the time. Get new tyres.

 

[JJHStang]

Thanks

 

[72MustangSprint]

i had the same issue with mine. ck'd the date and WOW they were 25 yrs old. thread was great... one grand later all new tires... what a difference that made to.

Paid $943 at a Tire Discounters for my new set of BFG’s last month and got free alignment

 

[woodstang]

Paid $943 at a Tire Discounters for my new set of BFG’s last month and got free alignment

 

[woodstang]

Ahhh man, I have to replace my High School tires on my Galaxie? Can I keep em on for my 50 year reunion next summer? Sorry, I had to do it.

 

[73pony]

How do you guys keep tires that long? Asking for a friend!

 

[Big Red Mach 1]

My BFG's are 8 years old and the sidewalls aren't holding up too well. Just had a set of Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires delivered today. $775.59 from Jegs. Will have them swapped and road force balanced next Tuesday and the car aligned on Wednesday.