Tyres on approved used car, how old is too old?
Discussion
Louis Balfour said:
5 years?
10 years?
If they are round and black they’re fine?
Most punters wouldn't know how to check and probably wouldn't ask so I don't expect a retailer would have much sympathy with you if you were fussed. 10 years?
If they are round and black they’re fine?
Provided the tyres aren't visibly defective I'd say up to 10 years is ok. manufacturers are increasingly moving to 10 years as a 'use by' where not long ago it was 5 or 6.
Obviously if the tyres are older than the car itself that's bad sign.
10 years is too old for a backstreet trader let alone a manufacturer 'approved used' car.
On a premium AUC example I'd expect 5 years absolute max and would be more comfortable with 3.
Of course, tyres are easy to sort so you could simply negotiate accordingly. I'd be concerned though if the tyres were 10 years old at what other areas have been skimped.
On a premium AUC example I'd expect 5 years absolute max and would be more comfortable with 3.
Of course, tyres are easy to sort so you could simply negotiate accordingly. I'd be concerned though if the tyres were 10 years old at what other areas have been skimped.
I would be more concerned about having different brands/tread patterns over the same axles.
I bought my last car with 3 different brands across the 4 wheels. I very quickly bought 4 new tyres. I now know the age of all the tyres and the grip and feel is even better than standard.
In general I do replace all the tyres and things like window wiper blades as a matter of course when I purchase a car as I would much rather have a known quantity and a clean slate.
I bought my last car with 3 different brands across the 4 wheels. I very quickly bought 4 new tyres. I now know the age of all the tyres and the grip and feel is even better than standard.
In general I do replace all the tyres and things like window wiper blades as a matter of course when I purchase a car as I would much rather have a known quantity and a clean slate.
goldieandblackie said:
Tyres are really pass it at around 6 years old and should be changed.
True, I had some 10 year old tyres on car even though they had plenty of tread, when we took them off, they were much harder than the new ones. Not easy to tell when they are on, but as a loose tyre felt very different. On our Mhome, after 5 years and only 10k miles, the sides and tread were starting to crack. I now change them , rather than trying to eek out old tyres.Export56 said:
when we took them off, they were much harder than the new ones
That may be amplified by the age of the tyre, but it's perfectly normal for new tyres to be softer than old ones. Each heat cycle the tyre goes through hardens it slightly. The effect is most obvious in the first few heat cycles and especially for high grip tyres.HustleRussell said:
Honestly tyres are good for 10 years these days unless low quality or defective.
I would still tread (no pun intended) carefully. Things like the weather, climate and location of the car tyres (e.g. on a busy main road getting splashed all the time vs near woodland vs clean driveway vs boggy damp driveway) all differ and can have an impact on the longevity of tyre life. It is a bonus to find a second-hand car with the same 4 tyres that were fitted new.
Personally, unless they are that (all from the same batch and fitted at the same time) and unless you're driving is mostly short distances and not really exceeding 40mph around town, I think that continuing to use someone else's part-worns when you don't know what they've been through (or the structural condition of the car they were fitted to) shouldn't be anything other than temporary.
If you're going to be covering a lot of miles at speed and the tyres are old or part-worns, or if you can't safely establish the age and condition, then for what it's worth, I would get online and order a budget pair of 4 brand new tyres to be delivered and fitted. I'd probably do the brakes as well whilst I'm at it.
Look the tyre up on the manufacturers website. Continental and Michelin quote 10 years, with more careful inspection required after 5 years. Some of their high performance tyres is less than this.
But there isn’t a hard and fast rule.
I switched out Michelin Energy Savers after 3 years with 6mm tread remaining because of cracking on the sidewalls.
They were replaced with Continental Premium Contact 5’s that lasted 8 years before they started to crack between the tread blocks.
Both times the tyre fitters said they were safe and would pass an MOT, but I wanted my tyres to be in decent condition, so changed them anyway.
But there isn’t a hard and fast rule.
I switched out Michelin Energy Savers after 3 years with 6mm tread remaining because of cracking on the sidewalls.
They were replaced with Continental Premium Contact 5’s that lasted 8 years before they started to crack between the tread blocks.
Both times the tyre fitters said they were safe and would pass an MOT, but I wanted my tyres to be in decent condition, so changed them anyway.
captain.scarlet said:
HustleRussell said:
Honestly tyres are good for 10 years these days unless low quality or defective.
I would still tread (no pun intended) carefully. Things like the weather, climate and location of the car tyres (e.g. on a busy main road getting splashed all the time vs near woodland vs clean driveway vs boggy damp driveway) all differ and can have an impact on the longevity of tyre life. This is consistent with the recommendations of the manufacturers I buy. It avoids unnecessary waste and is environmentally responsible.
Rule of thumb used to be 5 or 6 but that is changing.
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