Run 'em or Don't run 'em? >15 yr old tires!?!!

[ZeeBass]

What's your opinion? I need to pick up a 2000 model yr truck that is about 600km outside of Calgary. I believe the truck has somewhere around 60,000km on it and it's still running it's original tires. Truck was stored indoors from day 1 up until a couple of yrs ago. Tires appear to be in good condition but I know that can be deceiving. Would you drive it back to Calgary as is or find another way to get it home?

[speedog]

The 16 year old kid who bought my El Camino about a year back drove it for 2 hours back to Picture Butte (near Lethbridge) on Michelin Sport EP-X tires that were bought somewhere around 1986-1987. I personally wouldn't have attempted a 2 hour highway trip on 30 year old tires - don't know if they got home that night as I never heard back from them.

[Sugarphreak]

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[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I recently had a tire manufactured on the 51st week of 2004 blow out completely on the highway nearly 400km from Calgary. It had minor cracking in the tread blocks and I expected to just run them out until I replace them this coming spring. It was a major inconvenience as my car is AWD and the spare had too much of a diameter difference to make it the rest of the 600km home without damaging the driveline.

It's your risk, I never expected it to happen to me but it did.

[cancer man]

What's your life worth? anything after 10 years goodluck especially if parked in the sun.

[AndyL]

2000 is around the cusp... If you ask me - tires since don't last as long - old 70/80s/90s RV tires - many are still running to this day - no care or attention... At best they get pumped up before the Roadtrip.

Bring a good fullsize spare and run em till they blow!

[RealJimmyJames]

If I had to drive that car in that situation, I'd stick to 90 km/h, and maybe hit them with an infrared heat gun after the first 20 minutes to see if one of them is heating up.

Highway speed blowouts are no laughing matter.

[nzwasp]

Up until this year I was using my trailer with 35 year old tires on it. Didnt even realize until I went to get it fixed that it had the original tires.

[Kloubek]

I'd say 99% chance you will be fine, but I'd still be very wary. That is a long trip to be taking on aging tires, and I believe if it was to give, it would be catastrophic - immediately causing loss of control.

I think RJJ has the right idea. If you're gonna do it, keep the speed down. I'd even say less than 90k; better to take a couple hours longer in your trip than to increase the risk of an accident.

[Lex350]

I wouldn't do it but i'm pretty vigilant when it comes to tires. Why cheap out and risk a blow out?

[mr2mike]

This truck sounds like a government vehicle that was up for sale. Good buy for sure if it's the one I'm thinking of.

[ZeeBass]

Originally posted by mr2mike
This truck sounds like a government vehicle that was up for sale. Good buy for sure if it's the one I'm thinking of.

Nope - it's been in my family from day 1. It's an S10 that I plan on using as a daily driver for the next couple of years.

[killramos]

Originally posted by ZeeBass


Nope - it's been in my family from day 1. It's an S10 that I plan on using as a daily driver for the next couple of years.

In that case why don't you just put new tires on it for the journey since you will be buying them anyways ( i assume DDing on questionable tires is not your plan). Costs you nothing extra, except maybe a trip if you are going to go get the rims first to mount the new tires and bring them back, and doesn't put your safety in question for the sake of getting the truck here a bit sooner. Works even better if you can just buy and mount the new tires wherever the truck actually is as no extra trip.

[Sugarphreak]

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[ZeeBass]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
Serious question.... has anybody ever actually had a blow out on a passenger car? Because I've actually never heard of that happening to anybody I know, ever.


And this is coming from somebody who used to buy tires from the junkyard for $20, then pay another 5$ for mounting with no balancing at all, and run them until they bubbled out between the cords :rofl:

Really if I bought a car as a casual DD and it had 15 year old tires, so long as they were not cracked, I'd just run them without even worrying about it.

I've only ever experienced a blowout on a trailer before and that was my own fault - they were passenger tires on a trailer I had just bought. I knew this so I bought brand new trailer tires and had them mounted on new rims the night before I was taking the trailer on it's first trip. Was in a rush and so never got them on that night. Threw them in the back of the truck for the first trip. Blew a tire not even a half hour out of town and I changed both of them out on the side of the road.

As for a passenger vehicle, I've run some gnarly looking tires but that's when I was younger and didn't care as much as I do now - never did have a blowout though. Not sure if tires back then were better or if I had a horse shoe up my ass but I've driven on some that I'd never consider driving on now.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
Serious question.... has anybody ever actually had a blow out on a passenger car? Because I've actually never heard of that happening to anybody I know, ever.


And this is coming from somebody who used to buy tires from the junkyard for $20, then pay another 5$ for mounting with no balancing at all, and run them until they bubbled out between the cords :rofl:

Really if I bought a car as a casual DD and it had 15 year old tires, so long as they were not cracked, I'd just run them without even worrying about it.

As stated above it happened to me a few weeks ago out in BC. It was a proper blowout too.

[Sugarphreak]

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[dj_rice]

I purchased my Pathfinder in 2005. They installed brand new tires before delivery from the dealership. I picked the car up at 72K. Still driving on the same tires, its @ 180K now. Tire tread still at 60% I think. Still looks okay. Drive to Calgary every few months as well. Kinda scurred now after reading this thread. I do have a dedicated winter package so not driving on these year round.

[ZeeBass]

The truck was just taken into the closest tire shop in the area today and the shop owner said the tires looked fine and do not need to be replaced – he would drive anywhere with them as is. He said they've obviously been stored mostly indoors (he got that part right - truck literally hasn’t spent a night outside from the day it was picked up at the dealership up until a couple yrs ago) and had very little ozone cracking (never heard the ozone reference before today) and even though he is in the business of selling tires he would not suggest replacing them at this time.

This guy has been right before with tires I’ve questioned so I’ve got a bit more confidence now and might attempt the trip now. If so, I still won’t be driving very fast. Will need an OOPI when I get it here so now I’m curious if those guys will say anything about the date code on the tires? Truck will only be used once or twice within Calgary in the next few months before becoming my primary winter vehicle at which time brand new winter tires will be going on it.

[ZeeBass]

Originally posted by dj_rice
I purchased my Pathfinder in 2005. They installed brand new tires before delivery from the dealership. I picked the car up at 72K. Still driving on the same tires, its @ 180K now. Tire tread still at 60% I think. Still looks okay. Drive to Calgary every few months as well. Kinda scurred now after reading this thread. I do have a dedicated winter package so not driving on these year round.

Don't watch any of those "are your tires dangerous?" news stories on youtube then. That's what got me second guessing myself. Then after watching more and more of them it seemed to me most of these news stories were based out of the Southern states where there is more of a risk when tires bake out in the sun all year round. Still don't think I will use these particular tires for regular highway driving though - new tires will give me peace of mind when I start driving it regularly.

[HiTempguy1]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
Serious question.... has anybody ever actually had a blow out on a passenger car? Because I've actually never heard of that happening to anybody I know, ever.

And this is coming from somebody who used to buy tires from the junkyard for $20, then pay another 5$ for mounting with no balancing at all, and run them until they bubbled out between the cords :rofl:

Really if I bought a car as a casual DD and it had 15 year old tires, so long as they were not cracked, I'd just run them without even worrying about it.


Originally posted by Sugarphreak


I find tires are usually designed with pretty high safety factors... I've driven home on corded tires a few times from Fort McLeod and Red Deer, haha


All of this. The liability for tires is so high (relatively speaking) that they can't be crap. I have never blown a truck or car tire at highway speeds, in order to have an honest-to-god blowout versus the tire just going flat and shredding itself, you REALLY have to work at it.

[ZeeBass]

Made it the 600km without any issues. A couple of surprises though - truck is a 1998 not a 2000 and it has under 60,000km on it. Now the fun begins - will get it into the garage this weekend and see what I'm working with. Thanks for all of the comments.

[ExtraSlow]

Zee, you should start a build thread and post some pics.

[ZeeBass]

Will try and get some pics this weekend. Not much of a build - just gonna get it cleaned up, get it through an OOPI, correct the stance with some 2-inch drop coil springs, some 1 or 2-inch lowering blocks in the rear (don't wanna go very low as this is gonna be my winter vehicle), install winter tires likely on some old school steelies, get the front bumper painted, and just drive it.