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I was told 6 years and I acted on that advice. You do not want the tires to be unsafe. I would not mess around with brakes and tires.
Thanks! After sleeping on it, I'm going to replace them at 6 years. It's funny . . . when I had horses/trucks/horse trailers I didn't even think twice about replacing tires. The truck tires never lasted all that long as I was doing a lot of hauling and the trailer tires needed replacing often too. Sometimes I felt as though I kept the tire shop in business.
So better safe than sorry. There's a reason for those manufacturer recommendations.
Tires are manufactured with specific rubber compounds that give them a certain amount of 'softness' to aid in traction. With age, these compounds tend to become 'harder' and traction decreases, causing a loss of adhesion to the road on curves and in wet/colder weather. The older the tires get, the worse the problem becomes.
I *think* most manufacturers recommend replacement after five years, but someone who is a 'granny go-slow' could maybe get away with a little longer. (Do not take this as a recommendation.)
I directly experienced this issue in a rather unsettling manner with my motorcycle. This is even more important for motorcycles, as there is a much smaller contact patch. One year, though the tread (and the rest of the tire) *looked* 'good', I had started getting the unnerving sensation that I was 'sliding' a bit when going around curves. Then there came a day when, despite not exceeding the speed limit, I very nearly drifted into traffic in the oncoming lane. I can tell you, it's a heck of a feeling to observe yourself approaching a situation that might very well result in severe injury or death, and realize that there is not a damn thing you can do about it, because nearly any action you might want to take is only going to make the situation worse...
Rubber has a shelf life. It can sit in storage in a warehouse and look brand spanking new and yet degrade. What that shelf life is all depends on the specific compounds used by manufacturers. Tires degrade due to changes in the chemical bonds between components in the tires. You cannot see this by simply looking at the tire. You can X-ray the tire but it would be cheaper to buy new tires.
I don't have access to that data, so i can only go by manufacturers recommendations and most if not all say 6 years. You can probably stretch this, but odds of a failure start to increase as age increases. I believe most if not all state inspections only look visually at a tire, and do not take into consideration the age. They should.
I have a set of 7 year old tires with maybe 500 miles on them. They look brand spanking new so it pains me to think about replacing them shortly. I'm still using them, but more for cruising casually to local car shows. The car has ~400HP, but I definitely drive with their age in mind.
I have a set of 20 year old tires that still look decent but they are essentially garage rollers. I wouldn't take a chance with those out on the road at all.
Have you changed any of the fluids in the vehicle? (not talking oil)
She regularly takes it back to the dealership for routine service no less than once a year and follows their service recommendation from the dealership and her Hyundai Blue Link service.
Discount tire in Phoenix said 8 years, 10 max. I just replaced some that were 9 years old and separating inside. Our local mechanic's shop also said the same time line.
Besides rot from the sun/heat the tire plies can separate inside and suddenly blow out.
Known as "delamination." And yes, it can result in spectacular fashion. (When you hear a tire "howl" you've got about 3-5 seconds before the tread belt starts beating the Hell out of your wheel house.)
Some of my tyres on my car are twenty one years old, they still pass a safety check.
Inspectors only check tire tread depth and cracking. The tires could be falling apart or rotting inside and no one would know it until you have a nasty blowout.
My last car with 15-year-old tyres had 18,000 miles on them and all of a sudden started pulling to one side. I took it to the tyre dealer and they took it off and saw the inside was coming apart. Needless to say I got a new set of tyres.
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