Tires, How Long Will They Last?

The tires on my Beetle are getting old but, the tread on them is still
good.

I read somewhere that they should be replaced about every six years
and no later than every ten years regardless of tread depth.

There are some fine cracks on the inside of some of these tires.

I got a set of the stock 5.5 inch rims which are now made in China
from cip1.com.

I plan to get some 185/65R15 inch tires for them.

I think I will get Bridgestone Turanza EL400T tires.

They claim to have 5% noise reduction.

But, can I leave the old tires on for 11 or 12 years and be safe?

TIA!

In article
>,
Jim Ed > wrote:

> The tires on my Beetle are getting old but, the tread on them is still
> good.
>
> I read somewhere that they should be replaced about every six years
> and no later than every ten years regardless of tread depth.
>
> There are some fine cracks on the inside of some of these tires.
>
> I got a set of the stock 5.5 inch rims which are now made in China
> from cip1.com.
>
> I plan to get some 185/65R15 inch tires for them.
>
> I think I will get Bridgestone Turanza EL400T tires.
>
> They claim to have 5% noise reduction.
>
> But, can I leave the old tires on for 11 or 12 years and be safe?
>
> TIA!

I sometimes "treat' the exposed surfaces to old brake fluid. It is a
lube so keep from the road surfaces interfaces.
--
Money; What a Concept !

I once had Austrian Semperits( 401,s comes to mind but memory may be
failing) on my Type 3,s which I transferred from car to car. After 10
years the tread was still good but the rubber was perishing. Didnt seem to
affect braking/handling but I replaced them with Irish made Semperits. Less
said the better about them!. When got rid of the originals would have had
>100,000 miles.
John

"John Stafford" > wrote in message
m...
>
>> But, can I leave the old tires on for 11 or 12 years and be safe?
>
> IMHO - no. No way.

agreed....

Oh crap, my tires are 12 years old now.
I better change them when they have problems! lol

To be honest I do see some very small sidewall cracks though.

--
later,
(One out of many daves)

"Joey Tribiani" > wrote in message
...
>
> "John Stafford" > wrote in message
> m...
> >
>>> But, can I leave the old tires on for 11 or 12 years and be safe?
>>
>> IMHO - no. No way.
>
> agreed....
>



--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

"dave AKA vwdoc1" > wrote in message
...
> Oh crap, my tires are 12 years old now.
> I better change them when they have problems! lol
>
> To be honest I do see some very small sidewall cracks though.

when it comes to tires, and their age, there's alot to it... actual age
versus how long you've had them can vary... the problem with old tires,
especially if showing their age, is that it is a gamble... many folks have
used really old tires with no issues, at least issues that were apparent,
but there's always the chance of a catastrophic failure.. when it comes to
tires, and how relatively cheap they are, *I* personally won't chance it...

> I sometimes "treat' the exposed surfaces to old brake fluid. It is a
> lube so keep from the road surfaces interfaces.

Remember, Brake fluid is a great paint remover.

> > But, can I leave the old tires on for 11 or 12 years and be safe?
>
> IMHO - no. No way.

Thanks guys!

I will get a new set of tires as soon as possible.

At our local Hibdon's Tire they have a sale on. Buy 3 and get 1 free.

Here's an ABC News video on the danger of using old tires. And these
tires were new but had sat on store shelves for years -- 4 to 12 years
if I heard the video correctly.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897

Here's how to read sidewall information. The information should allow
you to determine what year and week they were manufactured. There are
also scads of links to tire topics.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...currentpage=37