Ten year old tires? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

jcyuhn · #16 05-04-2005, 04:06 PM

Ugh. I did some research on tire age a few months ago. There is no one firm recommendation out there. But every company/expert/organization was in the range of 6-10 years before tires should be replaced. At sixteen years, you are way outside the safe range. I would refuse to ride in your car.

- JimY

blueeagle289 · #17 05-04-2005, 04:59 PM

It will be interesting to see what Michelin says..... anyway, I am not planning to put the tire on the car, but will use it for a spare if all appears to be OK.
I still think it will be fine for normal short range running at lower speeds. I certainly would not take it on the Autobahn .....BC

blueeagle289 · #18 05-05-2005, 07:21 AM

Well, I got my reply from Michelin quickly -- in regard to the safety of my 16 year old spare .... and here it is:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mr. Carter:

Thank you for visiting our Web site and sending us your e-mail.

In response to your message: Question has arisen on my Mercedes owners site about the safety of older tires that come with a car. I just bought an 89
420SEL with the original Michelin spare, like new, still in it. Is that 16
year old tire safe for normal duty at that age?

(Michelin's Reply) No, this tire is not safe for normal duty. Tires can fail from age.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

So, I guess it prob is better to replace that spare tire with one of the same size -- just to be safe. I will go to Discount Tire, our big Texas tire company and get one that fits -- but not neccessarily the quality of the new Goodyears that are on it. The odds still are that I won't have a flat on the road; have only had one of those was about 20 years ago!

blueeagle289 · #19 05-05-2005, 10:16 AM

Michelin responded to my email about their 16 year old, like new tire that I have in my 89 420SEL trunk as the unused spare..... They said it is not safe to use ...... I am taking it to Discount Tire here in Dallas to have them check it .... they seem to think it may be OK, but will advise me. I will replace it if there is any question of its condition of course.

230/8 · #20 05-05-2005, 10:28 AM

Let's see, you've asked the forum members for their advice, and you've asked the manufacturer for their advice, all of which is to not use the tire because its age makes it unsafe. So now you are going to a tire shop where they seem to agree with your desire to use the tire as is. Hmmmm...sorta sounds like you are shopping for an opinion that agrees with your desire to use the old tire.

So, how about this, go ahead and use the tire, it's your car and your safety you're valuing, not mine.

Cheers,

230/8

p.s. Just in case I'm in the neighborhood, what does your car look like coming down the road?

blueeagle289 · #21 05-05-2005, 11:33 AM

As I said in my last post, if there is any question about the tire's safety, I will replace it..... however, I really like to check all sides of an issue and get opinions from everyone ... I guess it is the management consultant in me .... It will be interesting to see what Discount Tire says and also to possible examine the inside of the tire to check condition.... stay tuned for more good info .... I think the tire manufacture will always lean to the side of total safety in a reply; they would not want to be quoted as saying that maybe the tire is OK, even if it could be. BC

jcyuhn · #22 05-05-2005, 04:27 PM

I don't believe it's possible to determine whether the tire is safe by inspecting it. The steel belts and/or nylon cords which hold the tire together may have rusted and/or become brittle. Since they are imbedded inside the rubber, you cannot inspect them. The risk is they will fail catastrophically at highway speeds. Several members here have had old spares fail on them. In at least once instance I recall the car was totaled by the resulting accident.

- JimY

Hatterasguy · #23 05-05-2005, 06:14 PM

Just spend the $50 and have them mount a cheap new tire on the wheel already.

I would not trust anything that those tire shops say, most of them are idiots.

Forum votes no
Luke says no
Michelin says no

I bet the tire shop guy knows far more then they do.

ccooper · #24 05-06-2005, 12:04 AM

Just to jump in the fray here ...

Your tires are arguably the most important safety feature on your car. Why take any chances? I forked over $550 for a set of four new Michelins for my car. It hurt, but I don't even have to think about them while I'm driving. I had a girlfriend once who insisted on getting the "Pep" Boys special $19 tire. We were driving in Arizona in the summer and the tread came right off the tire, leaving only the steel webbing. The tire was still inflated and I thank God it didn't blow. The same applies to old tires as it does to newer cheap ones. Why even think about taking a risk? This is normal maintenance and should be a no-brainer.

My wife's uncle has a mint '87 420 SEL w/ 33,000 miles. Everything (but the radio) is original. He had steadfastly refused to get new tires because his looked to be in good condition. In fact, he noted the Michelins on my car (which are about 16 years newer) looked a little worse for the wear than his. He finally caved and bought new tires all around, and was amazed at how much better his car drove and handled. Funny how that works.

On a related note. The tires (and wiper blades) on our older Benzes are really the only rubber parts likely to be replaced on a regular basis. However, we have countless bushings, mounts, etc that are made from rubber. The same rule for rubber decay that applies tires applies equally to the other rubber parts. While there is not the safety issue as there is with tires, there is the matter of comfort. For relatively cheap and not overly much labor, I have changed out most of the rubber bushings (subframe mounts, upper control arms, anti sway bar, etc). The difference is remarkable. Just like the difference new tires make in ride comfort.

Anyhow, that's my 2¢ worth. Cheers.

blueeagle289 · #25 05-06-2005, 06:24 AM

Well, this post really generated a lot of dialogue .... anyway, it is good to get all the views out in the open..... it will be interesting to see what the Discount Tire co. guy says. Also, if that spare is kept and ever used, it will be for a few miles only, to the nearest repair shop or new tire store to replace the problem tire if necessary. I certainly would not go out and drive 70 or 80 on it. It is not a money question to me; I can afford lots of new tires .... I just hate to not use something which is still good...... If it isn't, then I will discard it, or perhaps mount it on the wall as an unusual work of Art?!

oxymoron · #26 05-06-2005, 10:00 AM

you sir, are forum shopping in the shop forum

Kestas · #27 05-06-2005, 09:09 PM

For reference, I ran a set of tires for 19 years in my Cutlass before replacing them. After removing them and inspecting the tires, I could see they were WAY overdue. One of them had a small bubble in the tread area, and the grooves had lots of fissuring, as I can best descibe it, similar to the photos I've seen on the Firestone tires featured during the Explorer debacle.

Also for reference, the DOT is requesting that tires have an expiration date (or born-on date) on them and have them expire after 6 years. I believe they are pushing for legislation on this.

fahrgewehr2 · #28 05-07-2005, 01:48 AM

I don't get it.

Someone has a top of the line Mercedes, but hesitates to shell out money for new tires? I would hate to see this car 10 years from now.

Bob I · #29 05-07-2005, 08:53 AM

Luke with the Tire Rack has been in the tire business for many years. You can rely on his advice. I have purchased many sets of tires from him and his recommendations have always been right on. If you go to the local Discount Tire, how do you know the "technician" really knows what they are talking about? You could be taking advice from someone that has been in the tire business for all of a few weeks.

There is a policy I follow in my life ever since the bungee jumping craze many years ago - I don't put my life in the hands of anyone making minimum wage.

blueeagle289 · #30 05-10-2005, 10:31 AM

Well, I did take that 16 year old Michelin in my spare slot on my 89 420SEL to the Discount Tire guys. They physically inspected it and put it under their screening device that looks at tire structure -- and pronounced it AOK.... I am not going to keep that spare for any long time, like another 16 years, but I really think it is reliable for the next year or two..... I know several of the Forum "experts" don't like to have their opinions questioned, but I think there are some variations in old tire condition .... BC