Does tyre age matter?
Old tyres can be a ticking time-bomb that could dangerously fail and lose air. If you haven’t done so recently, it could be time to check how old the tyres on your vehicle are and if they need replacing.
At Tyrepower Glen Innes, we recommend that in addition to your own personal regular inspections, you have all your tyres, including spares, inspected regularly by a qualified expert at least once a year once they reach five years of age. Specialists, such as tyre dealers, will let you know whether or not your tyres are safe to continue using. Tyres should be removed once they reach ten years of age, regardless of appearance, mileage or actual wear.
If the tyres were original equipment on the vehicle, follow the vehicle manufacturer’s tyre replacement recommendations, when specified (but not to exceed 10 years). As well as this, we strongly encourage you to be aware not only of your tyres' visual condition and inflation pressure but also of any change in dynamic performance such as increased air loss, noise or vibration.
The first photo below shows where to find the date of manufacture of the tyre - the week and year of manufacture.
The tyres pictured belong to a @tyrepowerinverell customer who had only travelled 21,000kms on these tyres but changed them for safety due to their age! The tyres still had plenty of tread but as shown were cracking in the tread.
What happens to tyres as they age?
Tyres are made of various types of textile, steel and rubber compounds that have properties that evolve over time. As the rubber in a tyre gets older and is exposed to the elements, the strength of the bond between the rubber and the steel belts is reduced. When an old tyre is put under load, cracks in the rubber will begin to form.
These cracks may appear on the tyre’s surface, but they can also appear out of sight within the structure of the tyre. Eventually, the cracking can even cause the steel belts in the tread to separate from the rest of the tyre. Driving on such a tyre is a serious safety risk.
For a professional tyre safety check see Matt and crew @$$--store_instagram--$$ or phone (02) 6732 2825" onclick="ga('send', 'event', 'Phone Call', 'click-number', 'phone-number', 1);"> (02) 6732 2825.