Tyres. Do old tires with plenty of thread left increase risks?

I've a neighbour like that, I try to avoid eye contact etc.

He was really just updating me on his car. It was hit in the rear while parked. It's a 911. Damage looked minor and superficial. A Merc SUV travelling at 20 mph had swerved to avoid a cat and hit a parked BMW. Which it pushed into the Peugeot in front, which in turn hit his Porsche.

Seems Porsche have said it's a write off. As were the other three vehicles involved.

He's replaced the 911 with a little Fiat. ;-)

Yes.

Is it enough to worry about? Well, is it keeping the air in? Are you sure? If it wasn't, then I'd change it.

If you're not wearing tyres out in 10 years, how much are you driving it? Do you need to store them weight-off, shaded and deflated? (easiest way is two sets of wheels)

I learnt the hard way that when street parking it's worth varying the direction the car faces so the tyres get more or less equal exposure to UV.

Tyre age is usually more of an issue with caravan and trailer tyres. For them, the general rule is six years, replacement recommended. Ten years, replacement essential. Crazing is not a good sign.

go on take a chance...

Depends whether you just potter around London or do motorway driving. As your tyres are quite old I guess it's the former. For me, tyres and brakes are of equal importance so I'd slap on mid range tyres. YMMV

an organisation that is more than a tad biased

Perhaps, but if approached with a modicum of intelligence, their advice is sound.

A quote from there: <q>

Tyres – working hard for you Just because your tyre is 6, or even 10, years old does not automatically make it unsafe. As aforementioned, it may have been fitted two year after manufacture and was perfectly safe at the time of fitting, but it is still worth getting it checked, as tyres work very hard, day in, day out. Tyres should be checked regularly for signs of ageing, damage and tread wear.

Rubber compounds used in tyres contain anti-oxidising chemicals that help to slow down the natural ageing process of untreated rubber. However, tyres will always deteriorate with age, which increases the risk of tyre failure, and there are many ways in which this can be spotted. </q>

Just because an organisation has a vested interest doesn't invalidate their advice.

To be honest if slight crazing was an issue most of te parked cars in my road would fail, since two wheels on the curb is encouraged by white dotted lines on said footway, and you can hear the scuffing and bump as they drive on and off of it. Brian

I have had an MOT advisory on tyre inner wall cracking.

I once had a motorbike with tyres cracked on the sides - the rear one was showing canvas in places. Still got through the MOT when I explained that the rear tyre ran at 7 psi and the front at 10 - 11 psi. It was a trials bike, so the tyres had bolts to hold them in place and lube to prevent chafing. The rear tyre had gone flat once and I repaired the tube about a week later, as it didn't affect the handling at the usual cruising speed.

Another bike, Sunbeam S8, had been in a garage for a long time and had been ridden for years before that. The tyres were gum-dipped and the sides were perfect.

Inner wall cracking is often regarded as worse, because they're shaded from the light. So what's presumed to have caused it could well have been prolonged use when underinflated, and that's much worse because it often leads to internal reinforcement damage.

A flat tyre is a small problem. A blowout from the internals failing is much worse.

I have a feeling that motorcycle tyres are constructed differently from trailer tyres. There is rather less emphasis on leaning over at an angle while going around a bend with a caravan.

Nobody has mention the effect of age on tyre rubber in terms of grip. AIUI, rubber hardens with age and grip will be significantly reduced compared to a new tyre.

Tim

I have followed the 6 year rule for my caravans. Annoyingly this means that I have disposed of spares which have never touched tarmac.

My present car still has its original tyres, and because of low mileage for various reasons, it looks like they will easily reach

Chris

Doesn't seem to be in my case. Pulling away on lock (like out of a side street) it's all too easy to spin a wheel in the wet, being a rigid rear axle and auto. Not noticed this get worse with age.

Same here - about half worn. The spare has barely been used and even older.

I've taken a deep breath and ordered 5 new tyres to be fitted Monday.