Tire Service Life

[lfalzarano]

I heard/read in the past that tires get old and should be replaced after 5 years. I'm facing that costly project this year and did some more research. I have the Goodyear GS-D3's with plenty of tread and no wear, damage or cracking. Internet research found a TireRack article on the topic. It also includes several other tire manufacturer's recommendations.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...jsp?techid=267

Basically, Goodyear's latest bulletin from December 8, 2011 says,

"Tires are designed and built to provide many thousands of miles/kilometers of excellent service.

Tires are removed from service for reasons such as: (1) the tread wears out (down to 2/32nds of an inch) (2) road hazards damage the tire (3) the tire is run underinflated or overloaded and is damaged (4) consumer’s choice or personal preference.

Tire materials (including rubber) have performance properties essential to the proper functioning of the tire itself. These properties evolve as a function of time, service and storage conditions: it is a physical property of rubber that it changes with time. However, for each individual tire, the degree and amount of change is affected by many elements such as temperature, storage conditions, and conditions of use (load, speed, inflation pressure, impacts with potholes, etc.) to which the tire is subjected throughout its life. Since service and storage conditions vary widely, accurately predicting the serviceable life of any individual tire in terms of years and/or months is not possible."

So, if I don't have the above mentioned tire issues as described, should I refrain from replacing them until they exhibit those signs?

[Mr Blue]

i would replace the tires. A friend that owns a '93 C4 LT1 was drivng on original low mileage tires, doing some spirited freeway driving alongside a BMW when the right rear shredded. It was not a pleasant experience for him. Had to get new tires, repair the wheel, not to mention the white knuckles. older tire harden with age and are not trustworthy. Just my$.02.

David

[RussMcB]

It might depend on how much performance you require. If it's just rolling down the road to a car show, with the tires keeping cool and unstressed, they'd probably last for decades. But, if you need a lot of traction to avoid crashing, you'll want "fresher" tires.

[lfalzarano]

Originally Posted by Mr Blue

i would replace the tires. A friend that owns a '93 C4 LT1 was drivng on original low mileage tires, doing some spirited freeway driving alongside a BMW when the right rear shredded. It was not a pleasant experience for him. Had to get new tires, repair the wheel, not to mention the white knuckles. older tire harden with age and are not trustworthy. Just my$.02.



David

David,

Although mine only have very few miles and are nearing 5 years, I am worried I might do something more spirit in a moment or at a chatty track laps event. Rolling around town would be safe, but under stress you can’t predict until it’s all over. Thanks for the reality check!

Lou


Sent from my iPhone using ZR-1 Net Registry

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Replace the tires.

Marty

[32valvesftw]

When I got my Z it had some old BFG tires on it, they had plenty of tread, no cracking or rot. Then I took a turn with more juice than normal and lost it. luckily no damage. Replace the tires soon. After new tires it is much harder to kick the tail out.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by lfalzarano

I heard/read in the past that tires get old and should be replaced after 5 years. I'm facing that costly project this year and did some more research. I have the Goodyear GS-D3's with plenty of tread and no wear, damage or cracking. Internet research found a TireRack article on the topic. It also includes several other tire manufacturer's recommendations.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret...jsp?techid=267

Basically, Goodyear's latest bulletin from December 8, 2011 says,

"Tires are designed and built to provide many thousands of miles/kilometers of excellent service.

Tires are removed from service for reasons such as: (1) the tread wears out (down to 2/32nds of an inch) (2) road hazards damage the tire (3) the tire is run underinflated or overloaded and is damaged (4) consumer’s choice or personal preference.

Tire materials (including rubber) have performance properties essential to the proper functioning of the tire itself. These properties evolve as a function of time, service and storage conditions: it is a physical property of rubber that it changes with time. However, for each individual tire, the degree and amount of change is affected by many elements such as temperature, storage conditions, and conditions of use (load, speed, inflation pressure, impacts with potholes, etc.) to which the tire is subjected throughout its life. Since service and storage conditions vary widely, accurately predicting the serviceable life of any individual tire in terms of years and/or months is not possible."

So, if I don't have the above mentioned tire issues as described, should I refrain from replacing them until they exhibit those signs?

Let me ask you this, is your life worth $1,000? Mine is and I don't have much going for me. If you don't want to spend a bunch, get some sumitumos on there.

[SBAquaLT5]

What is the date stamp?

Conventional practice is if I took a (never used) 5 year old set of tires to a good shop to install, the tire shop would not install them regardless of how they look due to liability. This is because even in the best environment, rubber degrades and looses it's performance characteristics; more of the compound turns from elastic to plastic, out-gasses, and what you can see on the outside is not always the same as what's happening on the inside. Aging, as mentioned is exacerbated by heat cycles and sun damage.

That being said, if you are not driving them more than back and forth to the market they *might* be OK for another year, but I would suggest looking for a replacement for piece of mind and safety. Tires are the #1 performance and handling component for a car and relatively cheap insurance.

[efnfast]

When I bought my car, it was 20 years old and still had the factory fronts. (Which I still have if anybody needs for NCRS). While on the highway, if I found a crack in the road, it would pull me right into the next lane. Scared the crap out of me. I new set of tires totally solved that problem.

[Bob Eyres]

Think of replacing your tires as insurance for your peace of mind. This is if you drive the car as intended.

In the garage,I still have the original tires that came on the car. But they’ve only been kept because I keep all original parts.
Because I exercise the car to 7K nearly every time I drive it, it would be foolish to put the original Gatorbacks on unless I was going to some judged event. Which I never do.
My formula is to calculate how many miles per year you put on the car, then multiply by 5, then buy tires that will wear out at that mileage.
Most ZR-1 owners put less than 5K miles per year, like I do, and don’t drive in the rain.
My last choice was Toyo R888’s, soft autocross gumballs that stick like glue, but still have some sipes that will not kill you if it rains. And they’re cheap.
Bottom line? Why wear tires that don’t allow this great car to do what it does? JMHO


Sent from my iPhone using ZR-1 Net Registry