How do I know my tires are dried out?

[NiceGuyEddie]

169805

In 2014 my crummy Sumitomo's were replaced.

It's been 8 years and 8,000 miles and my Nitto NT-05's don't LOOK to be dried out, but how do I know?

Even wear everywhere, no visible cracking. Easily 1/4" of tread left everywhere, not near the wear bars.

It's unbelievably hot and dry in the garage 4 months out of the year if this is a factor.

The last 5 years or so I've only put on a few hundred miles a year, hardly enough to "keep them worn in" as I would guess.

Last time I cleaned the tires - after a few years and less than 1,000 miles, there was a TREMENDOUS amount of brown aggregates that I washed away.

I've recently seen a lot of videos of guys buying hardly-used Cobras, and often times they say, "...low miles but the tires were dried out."

No track time on these tires. I can't say I drive hard enough on the street to notice any lack of grip.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[MB750]

I always wondered what a Cobra would look like as a dually. ;)

[Tuftster]

My 2 cents. With the weight and power of these cars don't risk it. I had a set of 6 year old Nitto N2555G2 tires that looked almost brand new (bought used with the wheels). My car is at the body shop right now after a car pulled out in front of me from a blind driveway and I spun avoiding wrecking into him. Full 360 and not a single skid mark from those old tires. Probably would have been just fine if I had good rubber. Be safe.

[Jeff Kleiner]

8 years is too long. My rule is 5 years, regardless of mileage.

Jeff

[AC Bill]

Michelin's web site states, "After five years or more in use, your tires should be thoroughly inspected at least once per year by a professional. If the tires haven't been replaced 10 years after their date of manufacture, as a precaution, Michelin recommends replacing them with new tires."

No doubt the conditions a tire sees can play a role in their lifespan. Sunlight, and heat really take their toll on them much faster than if they are kept cool and in the shade.

[Jim1855]

I'll go along with Jeff's advice, but I do think that how you drive can be taken into consideration. A friend ran 10-year-old BFGs or similar for his first track event many years ago, nothing terrible happened but he was seriously traction limited. He replaced the tires shortly after.

I do find it unfortunate that a set of tires age out rather than wear out. More driving and spirited living are in order.

How to tell, well if they don't stick that's a good sign that maybe they are a bit hard.

Jim

[Jrmotorsports55]

Similar situation here, bought a car built 20 years ago, tires date coded the same. They look brand new and the car only has 2,000 miles on it, but a big tire bill will be in my near future to replace these as a precaution.

[mrmustang]

8 years is too long. My rule is 5 years, regardless of mileage.

Jeff

Times 2

Tires can be replaced, and should be at 5 years, again, no matter the mileage. Your life, or the life on the loved one riding in the car with you on the highway when a tire suffers a catastrophic failure cannot.

Bill S.

[bobl]

I had a set of NT05's and right at the 5 year mark(from the date code) they got really slippery. Still about 25% tread life left. It was like a switch was flipped from good to bad.

[john42]

Find a safe place to do some donuts and finish wearing them out and replace :-)

Seriously tho, echo what's said above. Better safe then sorry.