Tyre age

[MikeR]

I hope you knowledgeable types don’t mind a non-Alpina question?! And maybe in the wrong place?

I bought used wheels with Bridgestone Blizzak winter tyres with decent tread
Went to a tyre shop who showed me the tyre age codes being 2009/2010 so wouldn’t swap over as above their recommended 5 year max age.
Any views - are they safe to use? They “appear” excellent… and I hadn’t budgeted for a new set!

[rc944]

lots of info out there re age vs effectivness of tyres but they are not wrong. people focus too much on tread depth and most folks dont even know that there is a 4 digit date stamp on the sidewall denoting week and year of production.

[PerryGunn]

Any views - are they safe to use? They “appear” excellent… and I hadn’t budgeted for a new set!

I think the answer is 'it depends'...

Tyre rubber tends to gradually degrade if exposed to the elements, if they're kept in a dark cool dry place they're likely to remain in decent condition for much longer.

I have a winter set of wheels for our X3 that have tyres that are (I think) 8 years old now but when not in use they're kept in tyre covers in the garage - they're in great condition and I will have no hesitation in using them this winter.

[Hector's Dad]

At its first MOT, my wife's X3 had only covered approx 8,000mls on its summer tyres and the tester noted "age related cracking" - very tiny cracks at the edge of the tread. I contacted Bridgestone as I was not expecting tyres to "age" within three years. The answer I had was that tyres have a substance in which is released with use to prevent this so with such little use, ours was not being released. They confirmed the tyres still safe to use.

If you use two sets of wheels, you too may have lower than ideal usage.