Changing tyres purely based on age

[williaa68]

The front tyres on my 993 (Continentals) will be ten years old when it comes to its next service / MOT (April). They still have 4.5mm on them and have no obvious cracks etc - the car spends most of its life in a dehumidified garage. Should I change them anyway?

[williaa68]

i think you are probably right. They're not that expensive either. I assume there's no reason to change all 4 - rears are about 4 years old?

[SRT Hellcat]

As you say tyres are not expensive for a 993. I would put four decent tyres on and enjoy the new found ride quality and grip levels. Old tyres go hard and sidewalls crack. The EU have taken dirty oil (whatever that is) out of tyre production in Europe which causes this issue.

[supersport]

You really need to drive it more!

I changed my fronts this year, I think they were 5 years old. The difference was unbelievable, so much smoother.

[RDMcG]

Made the mistake on my SL500...had same tires from new (2003), but car only had 22,000 miles on it, none of it rough. Rear tire blew to bits..shredded. I had been meaning to change them even though there was little wear.

[stewart rix]

What a coincidence. At its annual service just before Christmas the OPC pointed out that my turbo's rears are dated 2006 too and recommended they're replaced. I keep an eye on tread depth (even 3.5mm) but it hadn't occurred to me they would be past their 'use by' date. The car's probably done less than 10k miles since they were new.......

[stewart rix]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

What?! Drive it in the rain..................... I should be OK then for another 10 years on those rears.

[williaa68]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I think a full new set of boots may be in order. How do I ensure that they are as new as possible? If I ring camskill (or wherever) will they be able to tell me the manufacture date?

[ClaphamGT3]

I think it's a real shame that you guys are using your cars so little. Porsches aren't delicate Italian exotica; they were designed to be everyday cars - to sit outside, to be used for everything from trans European honing to taking stuff to the tip, to rack up six figure mile ages and come back for more.

If I were you guys, I'd just use them - in 15 years of Porsche ownership, the issue of tyres passing their use-by dates Has been totally academic for me!!

[battered]

williaa68 said:

Thanks everyone for the comments. I think a full new set of boots may be in order. How do I ensure that they are as new as possible? If I ring camskill (or wherever) will they be able to tell me the manufacture date?

There's a code for month and year of mfr on the sidewall. Or maybe week number. Google it to know how it works.

[red997]

Get them changed;

When I bought my 996 GT3, it had 5 year old Conti's on
no cracks, looked in great condition with loads of tread

However...

Went on an airfield to get a feel for the cars handling characteristics;
Despite all my best efforts, I just couldn't get the car to oversteer !

Consensus was that the tyres had totally changed the handling characteristics of the car.

I changed them for new tyres, - normal (oversteer) service resumed

It's just not worth it - tyre rubber changes over time.

I'm going to change the tyres on my 991 GT3 soon - they still have plenty tread left, but will be nearly 2 years old according to the date stamps. I'm guessing that they will have gone off somewhat !

[Big E 118]

Google says "The date your tyres were made will be on the sidewall in the form of four numbers usually preceded by the letters DOT. These numbers represent the week number and year, so 3410 will be week 34, 2010."

I've got through 2 sets in 18 months on my GTS! Am I doing something wrong....

[red997]

I'd say you are doing everything right !

[KEVS500]

Has anyone any experience with OPC attitude to renewing warranty with 6 year old tyres that have plenty of tread left? Small print seems to suggest a 6 year age limit.
Mind you, I replaced a 7/8 year old set on a '89 Carrera 3.2 and it completely transformed the car, so maybe I've answered my own question anyway!

[supersport]

ClaphamGT3 said:

I think it's a real shame that you guys are using your cars so little. Porsches aren't delicate Italian exotica; they were designed to be everyday cars - to sit outside, to be used for everything from trans European honing to taking stuff to the tip, to rack up six figure mile ages and come back for more.

If I were you guys, I'd just use them - in 15 years of Porsche ownership, the issue of tyres passing their use-by dates Has been totally academic for me!!

Not sure about others but my car doesn't seem to wear the fronts much. Rears only last a couple of years.

I generally fit in about 4000 miles a year, really find struggle to find more time. Have done Euro goons a couple of times, including the ring. Really does the car a world of good.

[Searider]

A friend of mine is a chemical engineer manufacturing the rubber stock for tyres. She says that tyres have a life of 3 years due to exposure to uv and the atmosphere.

[AndrewD]

When I bought my Countach it still wore its original 31 year old P7's.
Test drove it in Jo'burg traffic.
With Valentino Balboni at the wheel