how safe is an old tire

[Screwed and Tattooed]

just because a tire is 10 or more years old does that mean its not safe to run even though they look brand new, do they have a shelf life if kept out of the elements , im cheap but i do value my life to some degree

 

[Hoofhearted]

As tires age they get hard and can become brittle. Read lack of grip. If you are pottering around town its not a real problem. But if you get frisky you can wind up putting more than your knee down. I'm cheap too and I do value my life but a new tire is not as expensive as a hospital bill or a funeral.

 

[boingk]

What hoofhearted says is spot on.

Having said that, on another (Australian) board I frequent, there is a fellow who deliberately asks for the oldest tyre the shop is carrying. This is because the rubber does indeed become harder, and thus wears less. One downside is that it also offers less grip, and definitely shouldn't be pushed in the wet. The poster who does this commutes a large distance (20,000km?) every year and buying these older tyres helps offset the milage costs, due simply to their hardness giving long service life.

If you're planning on doing anything more than commuting, look for a decent new tyre. It doesn't have to be some $600 hyper-sports tyre set, but just so long as its new and suits your purpose (tourer, street, sports-tourer, sports etc).

Cheers - boingk

 

[Hoofhearted]

Yeah. I forgot to add that. You get great mileage out of a rock hard tire. There must be a formula that shows tire wear in relation to mileage and age

 

[triumphrider74]

Just pull a Burt Monro and fill the cracks with shoe polish. ;D

Just joking. But if you're not having problems with traction with your riding style, I wouldn't fret it much. If you are concerned about safety, definitely get a tire, no matter what the cost.

 

[Hoofhearted]

OH yeah!! If you get a tire old enough and hard enough you can do smokeless burnouts with very ittle wear to the tire.

 

[dakine_surf]

I am glad this is getting brought up as I just had experience with it. My dad and his buddies love their little trail 110's and trail 90's. My dads best friend just picked up a mint trail 110, I mean mint! Original everything, been stored off the ground so no dry rot, literally looked brand new. He went for a ride about two weeks ago coming down a hill and the tire lost all pressure immediately. of course he wasn't wearing the right gear cause he was just buzzing down to the local store to pick up a couple things. Anyway he has so little skin left it sucks... his hands got the worst and he hasn't been able to do anything, can't even type. Really bad shape and he was only doing 30 or so. I guess the moral of the story is even a good looking old tire is not safe, replace it now! What is $200 now vs medical bills and pain?

 

[4eyes]

:'( The old adage is that and old tire will last all the way to the wipeout.

 

[Uncle Ernie]

Broke my collar bone going around a turn at around 20-25 mph.
My violin concerts are a thing of the past.