How long on original tires?
 

I have an 03 that was built at the end of February. I keep the car garaged 95% of the time. There are not signs of cracking or drying but I worry about the tire coming apart at high speed. I live in a warm dry climate and only drive the car occasionally. The car just turned 23k.

With such limited ultra-violet light exposure should I worry?

I might not understand the explination, but I'm looking for someone with engineering background (or at least a few years under their belt at Discount Tire and a technical background with tires).

I sure don't want to have a mishap at the track or on the freeway.

Can anyone help?

Re: How long on original tires?
 

in your hot enviroment id be replacing tires. uv isnt the only killer of tires. heat in general is as the oils and what not in the rubber eventually drys out.

Re: How long on original tires?
 

My original Skaterbacks have about 6k miles on them and are HORRIBLY weather cracked. There are 1/4 inch cracks in the valleys in the tread pattern when fully inflated. They were like this when I bought the car last year with 2700 miles on it. I was just waiting for one to come apart on the 800 mile drive home with it.

Re: How long on original tires?
 

There was a report on a TV news special a year or so back that said seven years is the max age on tires regardless of the mileage. Not that they will fail immediately but they are no longer safe at higher speeds.

I think this has been discussed before somewhere in the forum because I found out the tires on my 1970 Mach were 14 years old and I replaced them even though the tread look good. I enjoy driving my classic Mach at "high-way" speeds at least once a month. :23:

Re: How long on original tires?
 

Tires on my 70 Mach are going on 11 yrs.....they have lots of cracks and are VERY VERY hard....Really need to focus on getting a new set.

Tires on the 04 are still like new and will last forever LOL If you decide to sell your original tires I would love to have one for a spare :)

Re: How long on original tires?
 

I ran 6.5 years with 24K miles on my 1994 GT, I am still on the orginals on my 2003 Mach1 (only 14K miles) garage stored most of the time.

Re: How long on original tires?
 

I have 15k on my original tires, the car is garage kept also!

Re: How long on original tires?
 

My Grandad bought a new 1953 Chevy pickup & when he died in '81 I got his truck...it still had all the original tires! Pretty rotted sidewalls and the cords were sticking out & frayed quite a bit...they had been recapped at least once...the spare was a newer replacement though & not original. Granddad would drive a tire until it could not be repaired again! Anybody ever hear of a "boot" in a tire? Just another trick to get more miles out of an old tire!

Re: How long on original tires?
 

Look at it this way... the tire is the only thing connecting you to the ground. If it looks dry and cracked or you just dont trust them get new ones. I know that in the motorcycle world that tires get hard and dont perform as well as the should in about 2 years no matter what the wear is.

If you have ANY doubt about the safety of your tires sack up and get new ones.. Better safe than sorry.

Re: How long on original tires?
 

I got over 40K out of my Scarybacks before they were done. They were actually holding up pretty well for a zr rated tire. Once it started skating around on a damp road, it was time for them to go. I would go ahead and replace them due to the dry enviroment you live in. It sucks the moisture/oils out of the rubber, and while it may not be obvious, they could be on their way out. When it comes to tires, it's better to be safe now than sorry later.

Re: How long on original tires?
 

and to add to that, the rubber tread surface is bonded to the belts that make up the structure of the tire so once its starts to crack whos to say when the bond between rubber and the belts will start to fail.......

Re: How long on original tires?
 

I drove out and back across country on mine and I'd be lying if I told ya I was not worried. Replace em'.

Re: How long on original tires?
 

My front wheels have the original tires on them. Until I get 17x9's for the front, they will stay on. My mach is always garaged so I'm not worried about it.

Re: How long on original tires?
 

I pulled out the stockers this weekend. I'm thinking they have around 15k miles on them. Not any problems with them and they look excellent.

(The only reason i was running them was due to not knowing how my new suspension was going to react.)

Re: How long on original tires?
 

Still have mine at 45K... But they are looking thin... Will be replaced later this year....


Dennis

Re: How long on original tires?
 

I don't understand the obsession with keeping old tires. If they're old, replace them! Its for your safety!!!

Re: How long on original tires?
 

Same as Dave. I have 14,500 miles and mine is stored 100% in the garage. No signs of cracking, etc as of yet.

Re: How long on original tires?
 

LOL...it is a money thing...if it ain't wore out don't mess with it...I check my tires constantly but will not replace them based just on time...Never had a hint of a problem