Tire shelf life

Very good write up. I've always been pretty keen on air pressure in all of my vehicles. Good to hear it has significant value and not just being anal! :)

I won't purchase tires that are more than two years old. I don't drive many miles per year so motorcycle tires will last me 4-5 years or more. I would have a hard time not replacing a tire that's 8-10 years old, even without visual concerns, good to see the manufacturers are saying up to 10 years old is still safe.

Why would anyone risk their safety trying to get extreme age (more than 10 yrs) out of any tire? Bouncing off the road or getting into an accident doesn't fair well for the riders.

I think most bikers only get a few years or less from their tires, so most don't have to worry about this subject.
 
It's interesting that there is relatively little concern about tire age in the aviation world, but there is a lot of concern about proper storage conditions for aircraft tires. The generally accepted practice is that aircraft tires need to be kept in a cool, dark place and "rotated" 90° on the storage rack once every 3 months.

Michael
 
I think all the "word of mouth" warnings about tires only lasting 5 years, probably comes from folks having their tires step out on them, blaming the tires, rather than the fact it was sitting outside indirect sunlight, extreme heat, snow, etc.
I personally would not want to push a tire very hard that was 5 years old, that was sitting in a carport its entire life, in the direct sunlight etc.
That said, I have trusted tires up to 10 years, that were stored in my garage, rotated every few months, and kept at the correct pressure.
And yes, even the tires mounted on the bikes, would be rotated monthly, just to avoid flat spots etc.
And keeping the bikes on lifts to reduce the pressure on the tire helps IMHO.
For me, the only tires that would be on a bike for 10 years, would be on a collectable classic bike that is not ridden much ;)
I wear my tires out in less than a year.
 
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I personally have never bought in to the 5 year tire life limit, because I have never seen this specified by the people who make the tires.
I have actually purchased motorcycle tires at deep discounts because they were old stock and wouldn't sell. Their age wasn't a concern to me.

In all of my years working in automobile, aircraft and motorcycle maintenance, I can not recall ever seeing a tire life limit based on calendar time referenced in any technical manual. I have seen many shelf life specifications which mandate recurrent inspections of mounted tires that are not in service, but never a discard criteria based solely on time.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
In all of my years working in automobile, aircraft and motorcycle maintenance, I can not recall ever seeing a tire life limit based on calendar time referenced in any technical manual. I have seen many shelf life specifications which mandate recurrent inspections of mounted tires that are not in service, but never a discard criteria based solely on time.
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And all of us 1100 owners hope the same applies to timing belts. :oops:
 
I'm inclined to believe it's all about proper storage after watching this video -
 
Igofar said:
I wear my tires out in less than a year.
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I can do a season/12,000km on my "ancient" G547/548 Bridgestones...
All oh so modern tires are shredded within 1/2 of that... hence couldn't even do a two week vacation/tour with those...
(the case for a "new" type that a) works and b) provides sufficient lifetime is still open... till proven otherwise I'll stick with my Exedras... )

Interesting conversation at the car workshop during my annual changeover to M+S tires:
the mech actually advised against replacing my >5 year old sets, because they observe that new, current tire types show cracks after less then 24 months...

Thinking "by design"?... pff, nah, they wouldn't... would they... :rolleyes:
 
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My thinking is if I am paying my money I don't want any tire car or motorcycle more than a year old. Come this spring I am going to have to replace my front tire and will be ordering it this winter. It currently has 15K miles and is 4 years old.....now don't you guys laugh i know what you are thinking...hell I do that in one season:rofl1:
 
red one said:
It currently has 15K miles and is 4 years old...
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Dunno how you guys do that... (flatbedding? :think1: ;) )

We're legally bound to 2mm min thread depth (across 60% of the surface)...
On Exedra I'll get 12,000km/7,500miles, other types/models barely give 6,500km/4,000miles...
 
ST1100Y said:
We're legally bound to 2mm min thread depth (across 60% of the surface)...
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just curious regarding the practical side of this requirement, is anybody actively checking tire tread depth on vehicles? In other words, do you actually change the tire at that point, or do you ride it a bit further?
 
ST1100Y said:
Dunno how you guys do that... (flatbedding? :think1: ;) )

We're legally bound to 2mm min thread depth (across 60% of the surface)...
On Exedra I'll get 12,000km/7,500miles, other types/models barely give 6,500km/4,000miles...
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No thats normal for me. It's still got about 2.5 mm tread at that mileage. Back tire is usually replaced at 16 to 17 K . And this is with the oem Bridgestone tires. I think I have good luck with my mileage because 80 percent of my riding is on the highway where its smooth and gentle curves and I always check my tire pressures. I am a solo rider so my bike seldom gets over loaded and I ride at a senior citizens pace mostly 75 to 85 mph on the roadway.
 
dwalby said:
just curious regarding the practical side of this requirement, is anybody actively checking tire tread depth on vehicles? In other words, do you actually change the tire at that point, or do you ride it a bit further?
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I have an old tire depth checker but I seldom use it. With the 547 tire you can see where the threads are. To me I would rather replace it a little earlier and not worry about it. Heck that way if there is a RTE or RTC event I can just pack and go and not worry if my tire will make it there and back.
 
dwalby said:
...is anybody actively checking tire tread depth on vehicles? In other words, do you actually change the tire at that point, or do you ride it a bit further?
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Mandatory annual MOT test...
LEO's can/will check on the road (even a parked vehicle), prohibit further use (vehicle not roadworthy) and possible confiscate your license plate for enforcement...
In case of an accident the insurance can/will bail out of coverage; yet even while you're not the causing party, smart lawyers can flip the liability 180 over such...

And it's common sense: for water drainage and that wear changes ability & performance... flat spots, cupping, etc...
 
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