i have 2 semperit ice grip 2 snow tires on the rear of the car now dating from 2004.


plenty of tread left ... but .. due to age i'm thinking of tossing them..
sad because they are the best performing snows i've ever had


what do you say?

 

6 years is considered the safe age for tires, 10 years is absolute max.

I recently bought a 2002 F250 pickup truck, and discovered the spare is dated.... 2002. eeek.

 

yes that's what i heard so i guess i'm way over the limit at 14 years


i have a ranger that was also built '02 - better check the spare think it is original equipment -thanks for the heads up !

 

I have an original spare that came in a 1987 BMW M6 and I consider it just for show. Like Pierce said, 6 years is the accepted with 10 years the max. Just as an FYI, the US Army just issued a safety message that any HMMWV tire over 10 years old takes the vehicle out of service until replaced.

 

Generally, yes. Of course, like everything, the devil is in the details: a spare in a trunk, safe from wear, sun, and whatever else, should be able to live a lot longer than a tire on a car suffering all the abuse... Similarly a car living in a garage, its tires should last longer... Shouldn't go by age alone.

 

rubber still ages, even if its on a pedestal in an air conditioned museum.

that's the 10 year upper limit. the ones that are on the ground, in the sun all day, thats the 6 year limit.

 

X2... The tire, say that is only a spare end doesn't see harmful UV rays and is exposed to weather still ages, but in ways you can't see. Rubber dries out, looses its pliability, and you can get internal cord/belt separation, etc... even though you don't necessarily see any sidewall cracks or other signs of age.

Though not Michelin Pilot Sports, tires can be had for around $200.00 for 4. They may be made in Korea, but, IMHO, a better option than running old tires that could cause a blow-out.

 

I put BF Goodrich All Terrain KO2's on my 4x4's, and Michelin Premere or Pilot Sport on my Volvos and Mercedes. My wife's wagon gets the Premeirs she puts a lot of miles on it, and I use sport class tires on my converitble cuz they'll age out before they wear out. I ran the primacy/premiere on my RWD Volvo 740 turbo wagon, and the 240 too... 1.5 sets in 75000 miles...

when I've used cheaper tires like yokohama and stuff, they were OK when new, but as soon as they were even 30% worn, the traction started to suck badly and the car was sliding all over, especially when it was wet out. the Michelins Premiere have really good wet traction.

 

i'm not at all sure of the history of these snow tires in question, how long they were on each year, how they were stored etc since i've only had the car four years and they came with it. anyway, i think i will ditch them due to age. there is also a little bit of cracking on the sidewalls...

i've been using cooper eldorados for summer tires they perform ok.

 

the selection of tires available for the older sizes 240's use is becoming increasingly slim.

 

right you are i'm using 185 70 14's so there is hardly any choice. michelins too much $$$...


oh and i checked the spare under my ranger sure enough unused but dated nov 2002

 

You left.out some pertinent info.... where do you live (how hot)? How do you drive it (how fast)? And etc.

IMHO, those dates are set by lawyers and not engineers AND they are set because most people are "Boo-boo Heads" and don' even know what a Wear-Bar is, much less where you would find one. They also never check theIR psi and wouldnt notice, just by looking, that a tire needs air.

SO.....are your tires cracked? Do they hold air? IOW, if you left.your car for a month, would the sidewall be bulged from being low on air, or even worse almost flat.

The army just said that a 10 year old tire is safe...yes that is what they said, older than 10 is not safe, but 10 is ok.

The experts have made a blanket statement that they should be scrapped. IMHO, I would check them for cracks, do an assessment and if OK, drive them till they hit the wear-bars and keep an eye on them

 

the problem is that the rubber compounds harden with age - and after 5 years the rubber is notably harder than when new - which is not good for handling or braking, particularly in winter conditions where softer compounds are preferred for colder days. The posters are not suggesting the tire will delaminate etc, they will simply not perform and compromise your safety in an emergency situation.

 

my location is clearly in my sig... Mass. .. so that should tell you climate etc.
tires here are exposed to freezing cold burning hot..snow,rain along with a hefty dose of salt, so all in all bad conditions. not so much highway driving for this car but on occasion does go on the highway. volvo 240's do not go 'fast' lol. of course they hold air...

10 years sounds like a good limit here and these tires are 14 years,cracked on the sidewall a bit, so they are gone. don't need a tread disappearing on me all of a sudden.

 

agree ^^^

 

for whatever it's worth i replaced my old snow tires with all season doral sdl sport 185 70 14's. they are working very well
and even not too bad in light snow...

 

Tire condition can vary widely based on how and where a tire lives, brand, type of use, etc. They tell you 10 years life but they are selling tires so... consider the source, use your head.

 

i hear you lev, good points. i still have the original volvo spare tire in the trunk but.. using it? might be a gamble! hope i don't have to find out!

 

I have seen Volvo spares totally shot, tread separation, without ever having seen service. And I've seen them in perfect condition so I have no idea why as they all sit in the trunk not exposed to light or adverse weather. I imagine it'd be hard to get a OEM spare at this point but luckily these cars take a full size spare so no worries.

 

I'm fairly certain my 244's spare is original, though it displays no dry rot and holds air. I have yet to use it, but now I am concerned about it.