Winter tyres vol 2

[nammynake]

Question: Do tyres have an expiration date I.e. when the rubber degrades? I’ve had a set of alloys in my dry garage for two years and the tyres are originally from 2012/2013. Loads of tread left and want to get rid but I’m wondering if I should sell as alloys only? They’re from a BMW M135i.

[Slow]

nammynake said:

Question: Do tyres have an expiration date I.e. when the rubber degrades? I’ve had a set of alloys in my dry garage for two years and the tyres are originally from 2012/2013. Loads of tread left and want to get rid but I’m wondering if I should sell as alloys only? They’re from a BMW M135i.

If they arent cracked then they are fine really. Even then people are more than willing to run them on their cars so just mention it and leave it up to them if they choose to want to use them.

[VerySideways]

nammynake said:

Question: Do tyres have an expiration date I.e. when the rubber degrades? I’ve had a set of alloys in my dry garage for two years and the tyres are originally from 2012/2013. Loads of tread left and want to get rid but I’m wondering if I should sell as alloys only? They’re from a BMW M135i.

Sadly yes they do. If they've been kept in the dark (like in a garage) then the degradation from UV will have been lessened, but the rubber will still turn very hard even if it hasn't started to crack yet.

Look for the oval marking with 4 numbers on the sidewall, they will look something like this: 4212
My example would be tyres manufactured in week 42 of 2012.

I recently replaced some summer tyres which were marked 2013 because they had no grip at all - they were like plastic. Winter tyres are softer anyway so may still work better after 7 years than summers.

Either way, i'd sell the set you have as complete, and if someone asks about the date codes on the tyres then answer. Some will place importance on the date codes, some will be more interested in the amount of tread left on the tyres. Either way, you'll get more selling them as a set than selling the wheels alone and binning the tyres.

And with the weather starting to turn now i reckon you'll get good money in the next month or two.

[bolidemichael]

VerySideways said:

Either way, i'd sell the set you have as complete, and if someone asks about the date codes on the tyres then answer. Some will place importance on the date codes, some will be more interested in the amount of tread left on the tyres.

I would absolutely declare the DOT code when advertising.

[VerySideways]

bolidemichael said:

VerySideways said:

Either way, i'd sell the set you have as complete, and if someone asks about the date codes on the tyres then answer. Some will place importance on the date codes, some will be more interested in the amount of tread left on the tyres.

I would absolutely declare the DOT code when advertising.

Oh so would i, but some people will care about that and some won't.

[Pica-Pica]

VerySideways said:

bolidemichael said:

VerySideways said:

Either way, i'd sell the set you have as complete, and if someone asks about the date codes on the tyres then answer. Some will place importance on the date codes, some will be more interested in the amount of tread left on the tyres.

I would absolutely declare the DOT code when advertising.

Oh so would i, but some people will care about that and some won't.

.. and price just what you think the alloys are worth.

[HustleRussell]

nammynake said:

Question: Do tyres have an expiration date I.e. when the rubber degrades? I’ve had a set of alloys in my dry garage for two years and the tyres are originally from 2012/2013. Loads of tread left and want to get rid but I’m wondering if I should sell as alloys only? They’re from a BMW M135i.

To answer your question directly, most manufacturers are in agreement that 10 years is the use-by date of a tyre. It used to be 5-6 years but tyres are much more resistant these days due to their high synthetic materials content. Also there is the environmental consideration which manufacturers are acknowledging.

In my opinion you can sell your wheels and tyres free from guilt and the tyres have some useful life left. The buyer can fit them and roll straight to the tyre shop, or they can postpone that outlay for some time.

[SwissJonese]

We bought a 2009 Audi Q5 Petrol Quattro and it came with brand new Michelin Cross Climate SUV tyres all round. I normally swap to winter tyres but this will be the first time using cross climates.

So far they have been excellent on both hot days and in recent heavy rain. No noticeable noise difference on the motorway so hopefully they will be good in the colder months.

[jon-]

Ron99 said:

Kawasicki said:

NGRhodes said:

And here is the promised all season tyre test:

https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/2020-Tyre-Revi...

Great work. Do you have the location and temperature for the various tests? I’ve noticed that surface roughness also has an influence on ranking, particularly in the wet. A tyre that has good grip on smooth german surfaces, might not be the best on coarse chip surfaces... the temperature also seems to have more of an influence on smoother surfaces.

During the video Jon mentioned the dry/wet testing was in France at temperatures close to 30'C, comparable to what we would encounter on relatively warm summer days in the UK.

But I have long suspected that the worn surfaces of British roads give somewhat different results to official tests, with all season tyres being better all-rounders than the tests imply.

On British B roads and minor roads all season tyres seem to really benefit from the clawing effect of aggressive tread patterns and the softer rubber which better conforms to the rough/pitted surfaces.

I also wonder whether that's why the likes of Uniroyal Rainsport (quite grooved tread pattern) are popular on British roads despite them not being particularly impressive in magazine tests.
On the other hand, high-performance tyres which impress in magazine tests seem too smooth and hard for rough, cold, damp British roads so end up sliding and scrabbling all over the place.

For dry handling the surface temp was 40+, not ideal but a result of covid.

Auto Bild test on low mu surfaces for wet braking, I prefer to use real world representative levels of grip. Obviously we can't test on every type of surface, and there will be some slight fluctuations in the overall results but the trends should be there.

As for the Rainsport 5, sure it works fine in the cold and wet, it's soft compound, but it's really average in the dry, which is where a lot of people also seem to rave about it. I'd put that down to a lack of experience.

[blue al]

Slow said:

nammynake said:

Question: Do tyres have an expiration date I.e. when the rubber degrades? I’ve had a set of alloys in my dry garage for two years and the tyres are originally from 2012/2013. Loads of tread left and want to get rid but I’m wondering if I should sell as alloys only? They’re from a BMW M135i.

If they arent cracked then they are fine really. Even then people are more than willing to run them on their cars so just mention it and leave it up to them if they choose to want to use them.

It’s a tricky one, find a low mileage 7yr old car at a good price, and no one is going to question or quibble about the tyre condition..... apart from me ;o)

I purchased a Mini roadster with 2,828 miles 2011, 7yrs old 200 miles away only viewed on video and actually asked the dealer about tyre tread, Only to be told they had just passed an mot and were legal, I was more than pleasantly surprised to find on collecting that they were almost new (Less than a year old)

[FunkyNige]

SwissJonese said:

We bought a 2009 Audi Q5 Petrol Quattro and it came with brand new Michelin Cross Climate SUV tyres all round. I normally swap to winter tyres but this will be the first time using cross climates.

So far they have been excellent on both hot days and in recent heavy rain. No noticeable noise difference on the motorway so hopefully they will be good in the colder months.

That's what I've got on my Disco Sport as it's not like I care about feel or turn in ability in a two tonne car! My plan is to use them over Winter to finally see what they're like in the ice/snow as I've had them on cars the past two Winters and there wasn't any snow.
On the all-season test above they didn't do very well in the wet which really surprised me as I had assumed that all-season tyres would be better in the wet than Summer tyres but the Cross Climates didn't do very well at all. As wet weather is more likely than snow I may change them next time to something more suited to the wet but that still keeps the snow ability but as they last so long it'll be a few years time now.

[ChrisCh86]

I've just recently put Michelin CrossClimate+ on our family wagon for the winter on 17" wheels, we'll put the 18" wheels back on for the summer.

First impressions are good. They did reasonably well on TyreReviews.co.uk (check out their YouTube videos) too.

[C7 JFW]

Drive Blind said:

North Ayrshire

Thanks for confirming - not surprised you're seeing such conditions.

I think another few weeks when the clocks go back I may swap. As soon as it's likely to get cold it's worth the hassle for the peace of mind.

[anonymous-user]

C7 JFW said:

Thanks for confirming - not surprised you're seeing such conditions.

I think another few weeks when the clocks go back I may swap. As soon as it's likely to get cold it's worth the hassle for the peace of mind.

I was thinking the same thing. I use Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons on my MX5 in the rain, as I'm a southern pansy most of the time and a good all season is a better balance that a full winter.

I quite like the lower grip in the dry, it makes for fun times in an MX5!

[C7 JFW]

stickleback123 said:

I was thinking the same thing. I use Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons on my MX5 in the rain, as I'm a southern pansy most of the time and a good all season is a better balance that a full winter.

I quite like the lower grip in the dry, it makes for fun times in an MX5!

I swap between summers and winters, but I travel nationwide for work and the idea of getting stuck somewhere is very unappealing - which happened a number of times before I begun using winters.

In relation to the Nokian's that are studded further up the page - awesome idea! Just checked and they're illegal to use on the road in the UK.

[Ron99]

FunkyNige said:

On the all-season test above they didn't do very well in the wet which really surprised me as I had assumed that all-season tyres would be better in the wet than Summer tyres but the Cross Climates didn't do very well at all. As wet weather is more likely than snow I may change them next time to something more suited to the wet but that still keeps the snow ability but as they last so long it'll be a few years time now.

It was mentioned that on the day of the test it was about 30'C.

When CrossClimate was tested against premium summer tyres at lower temperatures the Crossclimate had better wet braking, with a small advantage at about 10'C becoming a significant advantage at 2'C.

[FunkyNige]

Ron99 said:

FunkyNige said:

On the all-season test above they didn't do very well in the wet which really surprised me as I had assumed that all-season tyres would be better in the wet than Summer tyres but the Cross Climates didn't do very well at all. As wet weather is more likely than snow I may change them next time to something more suited to the wet but that still keeps the snow ability but as they last so long it'll be a few years time now.

It was mentioned that on the day of the test it was about 30'C.

When CrossClimate was tested against premium summer tyres at lower temperatures the Crossclimate had better wet braking, with a small advantage at about 10'C becoming a significant advantage at 2'C.

Thanks, I would've been surprised if I just made that up in my head so I must've watched the earlier video.
Here's a pretty graph justifying the money I spent

Taken from the Tyre Review site here
https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/Summer-All-S...
(graphs are top of the comments, the one here is wet braking but there's also dry and snow braking on the same page but watch out as the x axis swaps directions between wet and dry)

Edited by FunkyNige on Thursday 8th October 16:25

[FiF]

C7 JFW said:

I swap between summers and winters, but I travel nationwide for work and the idea of getting stuck somewhere is very unappealing - which happened a number of times before I begun using winters.

In relation to the Nokian's that are studded further up the page - awesome idea! Just checked and they're illegal to use on the road in the UK.

Actually not specifically illegal. Common misconception frequently bandied around. Folks frequently quote a particular clause in C&U regs, but that's not the intent of that line in the legislation.

They're largely unsuitable except in very extreme conditions in fairly localised places high up north. So for 99+% of us largely pointless, and now surpassed by developments in friction tyres.

[Speed addicted]

FiF said:

C7 JFW said:

I swap between summers and winters, but I travel nationwide for work and the idea of getting stuck somewhere is very unappealing - which happened a number of times before I begun using winters.

In relation to the Nokian's that are studded further up the page - awesome idea! Just checked and they're illegal to use on the road in the UK.

Actually not specifically illegal. Common misconception frequently bandied around. Folks frequently quote a particular clause in C&U regs, but that's not the intent of that line in the legislation.

They're largely unsuitable except in very extreme conditions in fairly localised places high up north. So for 99+% of us largely pointless, and now surpassed by developments in friction tyres.

Agree, for spikes to be worthwhile you have to be pretty certain that you’ll be driving on ice. In the U.K. (even in NE Scotland like me) there simply isn’t enough snow and ice to justify them.

I’ve used spiked tyres on a land cruiser in Iceland where they were extremely effective, but they get far harsher conditions than us.

[foliedouce]

Wondering if anyone can help on a winter tyre question.

I am looking at buying a Mitsubishi Shogun, which has 20 inch rims on it, currently wearing 265/50/R20 tyres

I will want a set of decent winter tyres (snowflake symbol) but it appears the range is very limited in this size.

I normally buy GG AT2s, but I'm also looking at BFG KO2s

I can get 265/60/20 but not sure they will fit without grounding out.

Does anyone have an recommendations of winter tyre with this size of rim, or real world experience if the higher profile tyre will fit?

Thanks