Not so new tyres

[Nick Lettington]

I bought 4 new tyres for my ORT. The only thing I can find resembling a date code is 11 22, suggesting these were made 21/2 years ago. Does anyone else think this is unreasonable?

[Chris KC]

Hi Nick

The 4 digit date code is in the format WW/YY, so 1122 would be week 11 of 2022.

Generally speaking I'd have no qualms in using tyres up to say 10 years old, providing they've been stored properly and show no signs of damage or degradation. 

After that it's a bit of a lottery, and common sense should be applied. 

Any tyre which has only the 3-digit code (or worse still, no code) is now at least 25 years old and you should probably think twice before using them on the road. Sure, they'll make it to the pub and back; but in a tight spot they might not perform as they should.

[Reckless Rat]

I doubt that tyres for the Ruby will be a big seller for a merchant compared to more modern sizes so I don't think it's out of the ordinary for them to have languished for a year or two on the shelf. I wouldn't worry unduly.

[Nick Lettington]

As a parsimonious sevener, I'm reluctantly changing my tyres because the old ones are 10+ years old, not because they areworn out... so having 1/4 of the life expired already seems counter productive.

[Colin Bromley]

A lot depends on how tyres have been stored, I have fitted 8 year old radials to my 2CV before, knowing that they have been kept in a dry dark environment. The kind of mileage most of us do in Sevens it is unlikely we will wear a set of tyres out in ten years. I keep an eye on the tyres on the Chummy for cracking etc, they have been on a few years now and still look new, despite 15k miles.

[Nick Lettington]

A lot depends on how tyres have been stored, I have fitted 8 year old radials to my 2CV before, knowing that they have been kept in a dry dark environment. The kind of mileage most of us do in Sevens it is unlikely we will wear a set of tyres out in ten years. I keep an eye on the tyres on the Chummy for cracking etc, they have been on a few years now and still look new, despite 15k miles.

So are you saying that you would keep the tyres on your 2cv until they were 18 years old overall?

[Colin Bromley]

If they are not cracked and show no signs of the compound going hard, probably, in reality they wear out within 2 years normally, as it is my daily transport.

[andrew34ruby]

To me, the whole thing about throwing away tyres due to age is a minefield thwart with problems.

It is all so vague, but if we are to replace tyres at ten years old then anything over maybe 3 months old needs to be at a discounted price. To buy tyres that are already over two years old is not good. Far from good. Stored in a cool dark room makes little difference, you can still only use them for less than 8 years before you are expected to replace them.

Most customers have no way of knowing how old tyres are when purchased. That is wrong.

I have 4 new tyres on the seven, but the spare is about 14 years old. My other Austin has tyres that look like knew, but are probably around 15 years old. One of our modern cars has 2 tyres that are maybe 14 years old, but they still pass the mot.

It's all a nonsense.

[Tony Press]

If you know about the storage and tyre life go ahead and try your luck. 

Tyres harden over time and slowly lose their road grip and flexibility. 

Both give an Austin 7 a difficult time with early suspension and very basic brakes.

Bit like regular oil changes-. The cost of new tyres every ten years is not excessive when compared to regular maintenance on a modern in my experience.
But try extending your tyre life- you could get away with it- or not. 

[Duncan Grimmond]

Never mind the cost of new tyres, I was horrified to be charged to dispose of old ones! If you buy tyres from a fitting company they take and dispose of your old ones as part of the price. Our local tip (oops sorry, amenity disposal facility) charges you if you want to dispose of tyres that have been pulled out of the back of the garage or wherever. Small wonder that one often sees them in hedgebacks!