Say you’re in the market for a used car, and you’ve come across a gem of a 2005 model for sale. It’s clear that, with low miles and in pristine condition, the car was rarely driven and has been well cared for. There’s even a lot of tread left on the tires. Naturally, you’re interested in the purchase. Then you check out the sidewalls of the tires and find out they’re from 2005, too. Those tires are likely the original rubber. No matter how good a condition the tires appear to be in, they’ve got to go, according to tiremakers, auto companies, and safety advocates alike.
There is some fluidity as to when tires go bad by age, because the reasons for their degradation are numerous. But 12-year-old tires would exceed all age limits in the world of rubber radials. Most tiremakers say tires should be inspected after six years and replaced after 10, and several automakers recommend replacing tires after six years of use. Tires get weaker with age because of heat, oxidation, humidity, and other external factors, such as where they’re driven or stored. Even tires that are never put on the wheels of a car age as they sit. Let’s face it, tires are not the same as fine wine. Rather, aging tires can be thought of as similar to rubber bands, said Sean Kane, founder and president of Safety Research & Strategies. If you take an old rubber band and stretch it, you can see cracks, and if you keep stretching it, it will break. The r...