So I recently found out that tires could be potential danger not only from being worn out, but also from old age. This prompted me to check the tires on the Z I bought a couple months back.

Uh oh.

Tires were manufactured back on '05, which means I'm running on 10 year old tires when the recommended life expectancy is 6 years

As I looked through some more on dry rotting, I remembered that this Z was only summer driven. So my question is, if these tires have only seen action for a couple months a year and been stored in the garage when not in use, then are they still good? From what I've read, it's mainly the exposure to chemicals and sunlight that induces dry rotting, which means garage storage should prolong the life of the tires as oppose to street parking. I'm going to have a shop look at it tomorrow while I'm there, but I just want to gather opinions in case they tell me it should be fine.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm all in for changing them if needed. The thought of one of them exploding on me while cruising on the highway scares the bejesus out of me

 

Bin them for goodness sake !

Put some decent rubber on there and enjoy the thing.

 

Go get some new tires. It's the last thing you really want to ignore or put off.

 

Where have I heard that one before?

Wondering if it's worth getting the tires inspected first. Anyone who garages their Z most of the year want to chime in?

 

haha.

But seriously, put them in the bin - why on earth would you want to drive on them, I don't understand.
I wouldn't even use them for a few laps at a track day.

Up to you but nobody in their right mind is going to help you rationalise that.

 

I know what you mean, but I'm just saying that the math's there. If the car has been summer driven say, 5 months a year, then over the span of 10 years it has been driven a little over 4 years, which is below the 6 years recommended. But this is, of course, under the assumption that dry rotting is induced by driving/explosure to sunlight and chemicals on the road, which begs the question, does dry rotting occur over time regardless of how little you drive?

 

Ive seen tires dry rot sitting in a shop for a long time, its going to happen eventually, however you would be able to tell if they are dry rotting, depending on the severity it may be a tad harder to tell. But you can tell they are extremely dry they may start having hairline cracks throughout and on sidewalls and you will be able to pull chunks of the tire off. Regardless I think you should throw em out.

 

OP, I'm surprised even with 5 or 6 months of driving that your tires aren't bald in 4 years. I store my Z in the winter, and I'm replacing tires every 4 or 5 years depending on several factors.

10 years is too long, in my opinion.

 

As someone else mentioned, I've seen tires on the rack in the shop that were starting to dry rot. It's like any rubber product, they stiffen up (and do not flex properly) even when you can't visibly see any damage like cracking or even discoloration. I don't mean to be vulgar (but I will be anyways), would you or your s.o. want you to be using a 10 year old condominium?

Seriously, new tires are just cheap insurance. Good set for a Z starts around $600.

And yes, all my Zs are garaged.

 

So I took a second look at the tires this morning, and turns out I read the numbers wrong. They were actually manufactured in '07 which makes them 8 years old. Still bad, but arguably not as bad.

Actually they're pretty close. Had a mechanic measure the tread and he says only got about a year left on them.

You're absolutely right, and I'm all for switching them out for the sake of my safety (and more importantly my car). I just want to know whether dry rotting is a matter of time or usage.

Here are some pictures if anyone can point out some obvious signs of dry rotting.

 

I can't look anymore. Your Z is dirty. It hurts my eyes.





















I keed! I keed! Sort of.

There are lots of articles written about dry rotting tires. Judging from your pictures, I don't see a lot. However, the common theme regarding tire rot or dry rot is that if you see cracks in your sidewalls, you should replace your tires.

 

The Z is street parked man. I try to wash her every week but for her to stay clean is impossible unless I stand by her with a bucket of water day and night

Tires seem to pass visual inspection, but I will probably switch them out after summer just to be on the safe side.

 

I'm just giving you a hard time.

At least you have a time frame with which to start shopping for new tires. Use whatever you have left this summer and get them replaced for next driving season.