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My OEM Bridgestone (010s) still have about half the tread on them although they are about 4 years old now. I've been told that tyres age and they are actually looking a bit tatty now but no visible cracks and stuff. Should I be looking to replace them anyway or are they safe to keep using?

If I am going to replace them what are are the opinions on SO3's vs Pzero Neros? The Nero's are about 5 quid more. My car is a Legacy Twin turbo on 17".

Thanks

Claudius

Neros are tuning tyres. You should get high load rating tyres for your car because it's (relatively) heavy. SOmething like assimmetricos or the S-03s.

Claudius

Tyre Storage Advice from a Tyre Manufacturer's Association:

Tires should be stored in a dry, cool place, away from sunlight and sources of ozone, such as electric motors.

If you must store tires flat, (one on top of the other), make sure you don't stack too many on top of each other. Too much weight can damage the bottom tyre .

Also be sure to allow air to circulate around all sides of the tires, including underneath, to prevent moisture damage.

If storing tires outdoors, protect them with an opaque waterproof covering and elevate them from the ground. Do not store tires on or over black asphalt or other heat-absorbent or reflective surfaces, such as snow-covered ground or sand.

Claudius

From Continental:


Tyre tip


Don't abandon your tyres somewhere in a corner - you won't do them any good that way!

Before changing your tyres, use a piece of chalk to mark the running direction and where they were fitted (e. g. lf = left front wheel; rr = right rear wheel). Then clean the tyres thoroughly, removing bits of gravel. Tyres should be stored in a dry, cool, dark room away from oil, petrol, grease and any other chemicals, as these attack the tyre compound and can therefore drastically reduce the service life of your tyres.

Tyres on rims should never be stored standing up - they should be hung up or stored lying flat (ideally on a wooden pallet).

However, tyres which are not fitted on rims should be stored upright and turned slightly every four weeks to avoid pressure points occurring. They should not be hung up or stacked on top of one another.

If you wish to avoid the effort this involves, many specialist tyre dealers offer a relatively low-cost tyre storage service which ensures your tyres are kept correctly.

Before putting your tyres back into service after storage, you should have them checked for damage and wear, and also to assess the remaining tread depth and any potential imbalance. This is a service offered by all specialist tyre dealers and helps you to avoid uneven wear.

Claudius

4 year old OEM tyres that look tatty, with only half the thread...
I say junk them, not worth the risk.

You can get good tyres for under £90 a piece, dont take any chances. The tyres are the only thing that keeps your car in contact with the road. Using crap tyres or old tyres is saving money in the wrong place IMHO

AJbaseBloke

The wife had 3 year old P7000s on her car until recently, but I noticed they were poor in the wet even though they had 50% tread left...junked them and now on new Potenzas the difference is night and day. It is such an improvement that even she (who must be obeyed) agrees her 5 year old Skyline has a few years left in it. Guess FHI is gonna have to wait for a few years for another sale from this family

Even if yuo store tyres well, they never get better like wine Newer, better tyres are continually coming to market, and IMHO S03s will be significantly better than 010s.

I drive a Legacy TT too and the S-03s were fab on it. They needed a bit more air than std (for my handling tastes), and took a while to run in, but were very, very good. Pretty quiet and lasted a decent while too. I liked the Neros, too, but the S-03s get my vote.

Steve1138

I live in Switzerland.
The recommendation for Winter tyres (softer compound) is to change them every 3 yrs. for this very reason.
Rubber "degrades with time" as a function of temperature and atmospheric factors (namely oxygen, ozone and sunlight). They use various anti-oxidant additives in the mxi to control this... but one of the best "protective agents" for the rubber is actually the carbon black reinforcement which is what makes them black and what gives the rubber it's strength and toughness.

Typically - synthetic rubbers harden with age and natural rubber softens. Tyre compound is a mixture of different rubber types (mostly synthetics, but some natural is still used) but generally tyres will harden with age.
Hard means less flexible and that means less grip (although there are other things that also affect the grip).

If you're not a granny doing her shopping and you like to drive quickly... then I would replace them at 4 years certainly not later than 5... if you don't want to be caught out on a wet bend...

remember it's only the tyres that keep you on the road, and the combined contact area is no bigger than a sheet of A4 paper...

Dr. Stephen Youd
(BSC.Hons / PhD in Polymer Science & Technology, Manchester Poly)
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