The Effect Of Old Tyres On Your Car
Many people have heard that you can tell the age of your tyres by the “DOT Code “ on the side of your tyre, also that the age of the tyre is important.
But how many of us shrug our shoulders and say that we do not drive fast so that’s OK! Or go to the tyre service and try to do the right thing, like I did, taking the spare tyres off my cars ( which in my case were like new with full tread and were manufactured in 2004 & 2012 ) and go to the tyre service to get “new” tyres fitted.
The tyre service people tell you that “you are doing the right thing “ and you ask for tyres manufactured in 2021, as you know these spare tyres may never see active service on the cars. You will get reassured that of cause no problem!
So you can imagine my surprise when I got home and took the “New” out from the back of my SUV and found that it was manufactured in early 2019 (nearly three years old!). Tyre manufactures say that their tyres should be changed every 6 years and the Australian authorities agree with this guideline.
I phoned up the tyre service and told them of their mistake only to be told that they could not ask for tyres manufactured that year that they take what they were given.
I did not believe this answer and phoned another tyre supplier whom said that there was no problem in requesting a tyre manufactured in 2021.
I next phoned the head office of the tyre service that sold me the tyre who told me that yes I could in fact get a 2021 tyre and to take the tyre I had been supplied back to the local tyre service and they would fit a “new” tyre manufactured this year.
This was done and a new tyre fitted after a couple of days.
The problem with old tyres is that the materials used to manufacture the tyres dry out and deteriorate giving us a tyre which can cause the following problems.
- The compounds dry out and harden giving us a tyre that does not brake well or corner. I have had this experience with my wife’s car and changed the tyres because of this.
- The other more dangerous problem is de lamination of the tread from the case causing a blow out in some cases.
Our problem is we have cars which we do not use much hence our tyres look like new with full tread still after many years so we need to treat this like a service on our car and change our tyres like we would do our engine coolant on a time bases.
A few years back Paul Walker and Roger Rodas were killed in Paul’s car and it was found that one of the causes of the crash was that their tyres were 9 Years old. I know that we are not fast drivers but is it worth taking the risk with our loved ones and cars!
Please consider these words and “Safety Fast!”