Tire age

What is your philosophy of the age of tires on low mileage vehicles? My 4Runner's tires are just under 10 years old. I have heard that tires are good for between 6 and 10 years dependent on if the vehicle is garaged kept of always outside. My 4Runner is a garage queen and has been for the last 15 years. I know that the spare is probably 20 years old and definitely needs to be replaced. I put about 2k to 3k miles a year on it at best and rarely go over 60. I really can't afford new tires but if I need to I will.

 

Do they have any cracks in them? I've seen old tires dry-rot and develop small cracks.

 

Some times the tires just dry out, lose their chemical bonding, get hard, start cracking, i would replace tires that are 10 yrs old, but to each there own, i like fresh rubber on the ground.

 

6-10 years is correct. https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/how-old-and-dangerous-are-your-tires.html

Make sure you rotate in the spare. My Taco had the original spare from 05. No miles on it but untrustable so it was trashed.

 

No cracks. In fact you would never know they are 10 years old by looking at them.

 

How do they feel in the rain? Any noticeable loss of traction?

Out of curiosity, what brand are they?

 

I rarely drive it in the rain but when I do they feel fine. The brand is Nexen. And they have lots of tread left.

 

Sounds like you take care of them and drive pretty easy.

I think it's reasonable to keep them on there for now so long as they continue to hold up and don't show signs of cracking. I would also start saving up now for a new set. Maybe put $100 away each month and when you have enough, get a new set.

 

My spare is 29 years old. I just checked the date. I definitely need to replace that one.

 

Maybe off topic but I just can't wonder reading this why you keep so little miles on a 4Runner and never take it out of the garage. I mean I get a collector car corvettes, Porsches, etc but a 4Runner??? Just a different type vehicle to treat like that.

 

In my experience most tire shops won't touch tires that are 10 or over years old. If you get a flat you can't fix you'll end up buying atleast 1 new tire. I would replace them.

 

I understand how that happens. I just sold my 2001 tacoma 4x4 with 98,000 miles (bought a 2016 4runner sr5 with 19,000 miles). We have 4 vehicles and keep at least 2 motorcycles. It is just my wife and I that drive. Kids are too young. Vehicles last a long time. It would be different for people that just have one vehicle.

Prior to selling my Tacoma the wheels on it where from my 1989 Tacoma and the tires were over 10 years old, cracked, but plenty of tread. Put them on Craigslist and gave them away. I found a set of tundra wheels with 3 year old KO2s with 60% tread for $200.

 

No cracks I would still roll with um.

I will most likely never have to change mine due to wear either.

I have a company car for work so my 4R doesn't get driven on weekdays. And if we go out on weekends we normally alternate between mine and my wifes so it might get driven every other week. Not to mention living on an island not much mileage to put on.

 

One puts a lot of faith on those 4 tiny contact patches where the rubber meets the road.
I try to replace them every 4-5 years for relatively cheap insurance against bent metal.
Heck, I pay more for a cell phone in 24-36 months than a set of tires cost and I rely on my tires a great deal more for keeping me safe.
Personally I would never run 10 year old tires, but we all have our priorities and opinions on this, just providing mine.

 

I used to drive it a lot. Taking dogs to dog park, going on camping trips but got busy with work and the dog park got too expensive so I basically only drive it maybe once a week. I would sell it but my wife won't let me. I dated her in it and it has a lot of sentimental value for her. We have been married for 20 years now. I have always had 2 vehicles so it never was a daily driver.

 

If they're over 5-6 years old, replace them regardless of tread. Ever heard of Paul Walker? He and Roger Rodas died because of old tires (and driving irresponsibly). I know these trucks aren't sports cars but if you get into an emergency situation or a kid runs in front of you and you need to make a sudden move, an old tire will not perform the way it was designed to.

 

Driving irresponsibly was more the cause than the old tires, plus doing so on a vehicle that was widely known to be tough to handle.

 

Irresponsible driving, but very skilled drivers with old tires. Is saving a few bucks on tires worth wrecking or injuring someone or yourself. Old tires ( > 5 yrs) have been shown to have greatly reduced grip characteristics. Saving a few dollars isn't worth it for me. Overkill, maybe. But 99% of the shit all of us on this forum do to our trucks is overkill for what we do with them. Why ignore this one piece of equipment that may literally save your or someones else's life?

 

My $0.02, my 02 4R has had two sets of tires, both Michelin M/S. The first had 92k on them at 7 years and still hadn’t reached the tread wear indicators but were marginal. No signs of drying out or cracking. The second set is still on the truck with another 78k on them in the 11 years they’ve been on. The first set were garage kept in Florida and had lots of highway miles on them. This current set was kept mostly outside in sun/shade, driven cross country to CA, remained outside there until driven to St. Louis where they now get to experience salt, crappie roads and freezing winter to summer 3-digit weather. No sign of cracks or uneven wear. Note that this is a 2x4 Sport Ed. No off-roading.

Aside from the spare, if you’re confident in normal, non-interstate driving that they appear safe by all means keep them but inspect them regularly - outer, inner and tread walls. And as stated above start saving now for your next set.

 

Just to add to the information here. The US Tire Manufacturer Association along with DOT recc. replacement at 5 yrs and deem a tire non serviceable at 10 yrs of age. This is due to the degradation of the rubber and other components within the tire. Even if you can't see any cracks doesn't mean there isn't some issues with the tires beyond the scope of what you can see.

 

Double/triple like. Just because there aren't cracks doesn't mean the tire isn't f'ed. Also love you guys stuff.

 

Thanks my man. Go check out our vendor area without spamming this thread there are some deals to be had.

 

I look at the stuff you guys make probably more than is healthy. Did when I had a 2G taco and still do with the 4R. Keep it up.