# How long do tires last? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525 "2006-12-25T14:57:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/1 "2006-12-25T14:57:56Z")
I have a set of tires that _look_ almost new. I don’t know how old they are, but I would guess at least six or seven years. They were mounted on steel disc wheels on a car that sat outside. I need neither the tires nor the wheels. I intend to sell the whells on eBay, but what about the tires? I’d hate to toss them if they’re still good, but I wouldn’t want to sell them to someone if they’re unsafe. (Not to mention the extra shipping expense.) But the larger question is: How long do tires last if they’re not used? How long ‘on the shelf’? How long in the weather? How can one tell if a tire is good, or too old? Secondary question: I was watching _Dirty Jobs_ yesterday. One segment showed tires being removed from an illegal dumpsite. They mentioned that 80% of them are burned in a concrete factory as fuel (and the residue – ‘clinker’ – is added to the concrete), some are shredded and sent to a landfill, and some are cleaned and sold to other countries. What countries? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/2 "2006-12-25T15:14:20Z")
I wonder the same thing. My mother’s car only gets driven once a month, when I visit her. We just had it inspected (by a good, reliable service station we’ve been using for decades), but I worry about the tires blowing out on us while I’m driving Mom around. On the other hand, I don’t want to say, “sell us all new tires, just because.” ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/3 "2006-12-25T15:27:48Z")
Why not just sell the tires with the rims and let the buyer know that they are several years old. When I was younger and without funds I would take a tire wherever I could get one and be glad to have it because the one it was replacing was the REAL danger. Let the buyer beware AND be aware. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/4 "2006-12-25T17:12:01Z")
If they were supporting the car, most likely they are out of shape after so many years (months will do). The car will feel like it has some serious balance issue that just can’t be corrected. And this is without considering rubber degradation. I say throw them away (Actually, sell them for a buck at a used tyre joint if available) ---
**Author:** ![Schuyler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@Schuyler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schuyler)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/5 "2006-12-25T17:26:08Z")
Tires will not last indefinitely - they suffer damage due to exposure to ozone and UV light. Those tires, stored outside for 6+ years, are probably past their safe lifespan. What you decide to do with them is between you and your conscience. [link](http://www.foremost.com/PRODUCTS/RV/safety/tires.htm): > [@](#): > > Over time, RV tires are exposed to a great deal of UV rays and ozone poisoning. This can lead to cracks in the rubber, especially in a tire’s sidewall. Though a tire’s exterior may look just fine at first glance, further inspection may reveal small cracks on and within aging sidewalls that worsen with time. [link](http://www.pca-ggr.org/article.php?page=detailing5): > [@](#): > > Left alone, tires and other exterior rubber will fade, crack and eventually lose their mechanical properties through Mother Nature. The first environmental enemy of rubber is exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) light. UV attacks rubber through a process called photo-degradation (similar to the way UV light oxidizes paint). The second enemy degrading tires and other synthetic rubber parts is the ozone naturally present in the air. When ozone combines with UV light, a reaction occurs which attacks the rubber polymers. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/6 "2006-12-26T04:37:11Z")
The NTSB has released a handful of accident reports involving passenger vans which experienced tire failures. While other factors such as operator error and underinflation were contributory, degradation of the tires from prolonged UV and ozone exposure was a common factor cited. The vans were typically used infrequently, and were stored out of doors in church parking lots. Search using keyword “van” on the NTSB website if you’d like to access the full text of the reports-warning many are large .pdf ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/7 "2006-12-26T13:21:46Z")
Caravans, which stand outside all year and don’t cover many miles, feature in reports of this kind. After five or six years you are supposed to toss the tyres regardless of tread wear. Second-hand tyres are sold to other countries where the legal requirements for minimum tread depth etc. are less severe. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/8 "2006-12-26T14:37:52Z")
Toss the tires. As I think back, all of the used tires I ever bought were off the car and stored inside. Still, the ones I was driving on were definitly just as dangerous. I guess that I should thank God that the days of driving them til they blew out and fixing and remounting them have passed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/9 "2006-12-26T15:07:07Z")
[QUOTE=Mk VII] Second-hand tyres are sold to other countries where the legal requirements for minimum tread depth etc. are less severe. [/QUOTE] Apparently (from _Dirty Jobs_) selling used tires in other countries is a fairly big business. Do you know which ones? (They mentioned that a lot of truck tires went to Ireland, but not car tires.) Yeah, the ones I have will probably wind up in a landfill. To small to use for fuel (at least by the one factory featured on the show). I wonder if they have inner tubes? There are an awful lot of used tires around. Aside from burning them, or re-using the ones that aren’t too bad, what else can be done with them? ISTR hearing about rubber being added to asphalt in roadways. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/10 "2006-12-26T16:48:43Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] ISTR hearing about rubber being added to asphalt in roadways. [/QUOTE] The best track I ran on in High School track was a rubberized track, made with recycled tire rubber. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/11 "2006-12-26T17:39:52Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Apparently (from _Dirty Jobs_) selling used tires in other countries is a fairly big business. Do you know which ones? (They mentioned that a lot of truck tires went to Ireland, but not car tires.) [/QUOTE] They are probably sold to be retreaded. It is uneconomical to retread passenger car tires because they end up about the same price as new tires. There are several companies that sell retreaded tires for off-road vehicles and trucks. Fedima and [Colway](http://www.colwaytyres.co.uk/) come to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-tires-last/385525/12 "2006-12-26T18:19:30Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Yeah, the ones I have will probably wind up in a landfill. [/QUOTE] In California tossing a tire in a dumpster is against the law. I am not sure what they do with them, but there is a tire disposal fee that is paid every time a tire is replaced.