[Baneling]

Hi all, my wife was told that although her tires' thread is fine, since the tires are 11 years old, they need to be replaced. So if the tred/thread on the tires is fine, why do they need to be replaced? Do tires come with an expiry date or something?

thanks

 

[cj1]

The tire sidewall can become weak do to age.
The fear is that it will blow out causing a handling problem.

 

[Ash051]

Tires are made of rubber, which ages with calendar years. Running old tires, regardless of tread life remaining, jeopardizes your safety, not only because of the sidewall weakening, but also because cracks may form in the tire itself.

 

[Baneling]

but also because cracks may form in the tire itself.

you mean cracks between the tread and the rest of the tire? Is that why I sometimes see tire tread on the road, but not tire itself?

 

[Ash051]

you mean cracks between the tread and the rest of the tire? Is that why I sometimes see tire tread on the road, but not tire itself?

It could be, I'm not 100% sure if that's why. But it's very dangerous to drive on cracked tires, so if someone's continuing to drive on cracked ones, I don't see any way that they could be protected from potentially splitting off like the ones on the road have.

 

[zaza]

The root problem is that organic materials, like the rubber compound of tires, degrade with exposure to UV light, temperature extremes, and oxygen. The polymers break down and the material's properties change.

In tires, flexibility will change, which will affect the grip and performance. Evidence of this can show up as cracking.

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Tires Expire in Six Years

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It's also the reason why vehicle fluids need to be changed. Aside from the fluid simply getting dirty, the polymers break down and diminish in the properties they were designed for like lubrication, anti-corrosive properties, viscosity, etc.

 

[Baneling]

ok thanks everyone, this thread can be adjourned.