Lancia Motor Club

Having just replaced some barely worn tyres when I got a warning regarding cracks I've been looking up best practice.  Five years seems to be the general advice for tyre life.  I've not replaced the unworn spare, but am considering it.  This was the best of the videos I found:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV8bZ2qwDeg

Hi David

This does  presumably relate to modern cars usage where  they sit out in all weathers and get driven >3000 miles a year?

Having said that I am going to replace the tyres on my newly acquired HPEVX as they have a date of  2006. Nothing wrong with the tyres visually and cannot fault dry handling but this is not "at the limit". I always reckon a new set of good quality tyres is the best handling upgrade.....

Its a 2017 VW up! with 18000 miles on it.  7mm tread on back tyres, a bit less on the fronts, but all the tyres starting to crack and some quite badly.   I knew that OLD tyres were a bad idea, but not that modern ones out in UV and in the road salt and all the rest are starting to "go off", plus the chances of failure increasing so "young".

It could be parked in the dark they decay less.  Was an interesting thought that use is good to stop them setting.  Am remembering "car up on blocks" back when folk would tax and insure for the summer and take the bus or cycle through the winter.

Am now remembering a friend who worked in aviation recommending something to coat tyres, in effect sun cream.  A long time ago so no details and I never followed it up.

Our 2018 Fiat 124 Spyder has cracked tyres, and that is under a car cover.
Richard

Using tyres is good for them. Parked up over the winter seems to make them go harder and this coupled with flatting if not jacked up leads to cracking of sidewalls. It is well known that trailer and caravan tyres have a much shorter life for this reason as I know from my own experience with my trailer.

Mike Clark

Interesting to see that different tyre manufacturers offer different warranties, detailed further down on this link

https://www.oponeo.co.uk/blog/tyre-warranty-comparison-of-manufacturers

Some brands are more prone to perishing than others, even 3 year old tyres can show signs of age, some brands go for years more without showing outward signs of fatigue.
There has been talk in the past, many times in fact, of the MoT test being used to check tyre age and a 5 year limit being mentioned. That idea got dropped mainly due to it being seen as watseful when the checks are already in place for visual signs of aging, albeit you can't obviously see within the layers! There would also be a huge cost for folks, an 8 year limit would be more likely to be a success along with the checks as done now. Incedentally it is illegal for companies to sell a new tyre that is older than 2 years old, so even then you can see that you aren't neccesarily buying a "new" tyre..

As for tyre failures and the guarantee offered, it is in the vast majority of cases that failures are down to condition and damage rather than any manufacturing defects. Cuts or damage like nails in the tread allow moisture to get in between the layers, the steel layers can rust and swell, air pockets can form between the layers causing seperation. I've seen many a tyre with a nail in it that shows leaks within a few surrounding inches.

But in reality there's not a huge amount you can do to prevent damage, stones and gravel get embedded in the tread, road debris etc all can cause damage. Checking for signs of perishing (cracks in the sidewalls and also check in tread grooves), keeping the pressure correct also helps enormously to stop sidewalls overheating, trying not to rub against kerbs etc will all help to keep the tyres in the best shape possible.

But like anything with rubber in its' make up it all has a shelf life, just look at cambelts. And we take no chances with age on them do we, and they're not going to cause serious injury to ourselves if they fail, so maybe their ought to be a shift in perceptions with tyre age..

I like the comparison with cambellts!  A higher value regarding engine damage than roaduser's safety.
Richard