[Closed] Would you buy 5yr old new old stock winter car tyres?

Tyres degrade within 5-7 years, BUT largely from being outside due to UV and atmospheric ozone. You are advised to change say caravan or trailer tyres even if they aren't worn, for this reason, but we are told (on the internet) that winter tyres for cars don't have this time limit because they are kept inside and in the dark usually.

Also, used alloys without tyres are often no cheaper than those with. So you may get yourself a few years of extra tyre coverage for not much cash.

I've had the same Winter tyres on for seven years (stored in plasitic bags in the dark in Summer), they were still gripping just fine on ice earlier this year and remarkably well on snow considering the wear.

If 5 yrs is the legal limit I'm sure there's some margin built into that - a bargain's a bargain after all! 🙂

And winter tyres can be spendy.

Hmmm - less likely death looming than I was expecting.

Even if I only got a season out of them I'd be up (But realistically I'd get two I hope).

5 years might be the legal limit of sale, but not of use.

I'd be happy to buy them if they have been stored indoors correctly, I would just be aware that they could be due for replacement after 12-24 months. If the price is good enough to account for the reduced lifespan of the tyres then you're getting a good deal.

I've had winter tyres that were 3year old stock when I bought them (also on alloys as a deal). Also, I have a caravan so have done a bit of research into tyre life and when they should be changed due to keeping a van for 12yrs.

The figures I learned are that tyres are ok up to 10yr old. After that, change them asap.

Retailers may only be able to SELL up to 5yr old. So there must be an expected user lifetime after this. Hence 10yrs.

As has been said, keep them dark when not on the car & they should last years. Mine did about 5 seasons before wearing out so technically were 8yr olds.

Seems a bit pointless, if you're worried about grip, buy new tyres, if you're not worried about grip why are you buying winter tyres.

I just got my car back on the road after it was in storage (with the wheels off) for 7 years, so the tyres were about 10 years old (but still had 6mm of tread at least). Even on a dry summer day it was like driving on ice!

If you only use them for half the year then by the time they've worn out they'll be 10+ years old!

Sounds not a bad deal convert. I suppose a minor quibble would be about them being on alloys - usual default option is to get them on cheap and cheerful steel wheels.

I have dual sets of alloys (for summer) and steel (winter). Tread wear is good on the winter tyres, they almost stayed on all through summer as mileage was so low.

Grip is very good and reassuring.

Not a simple answer I don't think. Are they good tyres? And are you likely to get a higher quality tyre this way, than if you bought a full price one? Is it a common car/wheel size? (buying used winters can make a ton of sense, because people often sell them separately from their cars)

I think probably winter tyres will suffer a bit more from aging than normal summery tyres, just because they're doing more clever stuff with sipes and compounds and that. And also, they tend to last a long time, since they spend probably 2/3ds of their life in storage. But personally I'd expect even an old and a little tired winter tyre to do the job and be miles better than a not-winter tyre.

We've just replaced the tyres on our 6" pump due to cracks in the tyres. Okay, they were 5 years old and only done about 2000 miles and it sits mainly in our depot outside.

And apparently it was cheaper to buy new wheels with tyres than just tyres alone.

I went for them so I hope they are ok.

Alloys vs steel - would usually agree. But the car is relatively sporty and steel options that fit are slim pickings. These alloys are genuine manufacturer OEM, new but with a tiny scratch in the smallest 17 inch diameter that fit around the discs. The wheel & tyre combo is an option recommended by the manufacturer but the unpopular 17 inch size (summer rims are 19 inch) - most go for the 18 inch for the better aesthetics. I want the smaller rims for more pothole proof and inadvertently taking to the rough stuff on tight lanes in virgin snow. They (the winter pack wheel/tyre combo) have sat in a main agent unsold for 5 year in their cardboard boxes.

The tyres are Dunlop sp winter sport 4d so pretty good. Cheapest I can find them in this size new is £127 a corner. I've bought the tyres and rims for £499 so cheaper than the tyres alone.

Now to sort something for the Yeti.....

Convert, I'm not convinced about the 5 year limit.
Audi, for example, state in section headed Warning in the owner's manual 'Avoid driving on tyres more than 6 years old.
I don't know about other manufacturers but would guess they say similar.

The issue is you're buying new 'old' tyres at 5 years old. You're probably going to have them for another 5 years or more. If I'd bought the tyres 5 years ago I'd be happy to run them for another few years, but buying them new at this age? I'm sure you wont die...plenty of people driving around on all kinds of crappy tyres and getting away with it.Tyres do degrade...our very atmosphere attacks them in all kinds of ways. UV, Oxygen, Ozone, various chemicals thy might be exposed to. The rubber is loaded with all kinds of chemicals and agents to resist and slow down the effects of all these things...the reason tyres are black is due to additives mixed in with the rubber...that is not the natural colour of the rubber. So the aging of the rubber will make it more brittle and they will perform more poorly.

If they're dirt cheap then maybe buy them and just run them for a few years then get rid, but if they're not alot cheaper than even low end winter tyres then I'd go with the low end winter tyres...they will be better.

You’re probably going to have them for another 5 years or more.

Much to my shame I sadly won't. Up here winter tyres are probably the best option for the best part of 6 months a year especially if you commute (and therefore are on the road early before air temp has reached the 7 deg crossover) and my annual mileage means they probably will be shot in 2 years, max 3.

I've swapped my winter tyres for all seasons.

Fed up of not wearing out the summer nor winter set before having to replace due to age. Also pissed at having to swap and store every six months.

Although saying that, last set of winters were part worns for not much cash.

If I was bothered about having dedicated winters I'd go part worns purely due to cost.

Sounds Ok to me, at my pre-Covid mileages I'd expect to get a couple of years out of a set using them for 6 months of the year (it's not like you'll run a winter tyre down to the last 2mm is it).

At that price, two winters, bin the tyres and you've likely still got nearly £400 of wheels left over.

If the limit on selling them is five years I suspect but don't know that the safe working life is nearer 7 years. Not many people would wear out a pair of tyres in a year.

Yes, it's the UV that kills tyres. I live in a desert and you can see the huge difference between cars kept in a car port or not.

I'd have one that was 10 years old over one stored outside for just one year.

I think probably winter tyres will suffer a bit more from aging than normal summery tyres, just because they’re doing more clever stuff with sipes and compounds and that.

My Avons wore in a wierd way, the blocks wore into wedges so every 3rd block would appear to have about 4mm of depth, but the back of the block 3 up from it would be at the legal limit.

Not sure if that was summer or the tyres that caused that. Never had anything wierd with summer tyres.

Bought part worn for £50, but I only intended to use them for one 3 month job so age wasn't an issue.

@molgrips - I've heard about the caravan/motorhome tyre age issue. I can understand how a tyre failure can rip through the bodyshell and cause serious damage (£s).   There's no mention of it in my motorhome policy wording doc.  Is this just best practice, a rumour or is there truth in it?

As far as I understand it’s UV exposure that is the biggest contributing factor for tyre life degradation.

Also again as I understand the 5 year rule is for selling the tyre but you can use it for another few years after that. Different manufacturers state different times, I think a range of 7 to 10 years is common.

If the tyres have been stored inside I’d be less worried. I’d err slightly on the side off caution and replace the tyres after a couple years use if not already worn.

If the economics still works out factoring in you only use the winter tyres for two years and you want a second set of wheels anyways go for it, I see it as low risk and they should work more than adequately.

I’ve heard about the caravan/motorhome tyre age issue. I can understand how a tyre failure can rip through the bodyshell and cause serious damage (£s). There’s no mention of it in my motorhome policy wording doc. Is this just best practice, a rumour or is there truth in it?

Not sure what you mean but yes, tyres do age when exposed to the sun/atmosphere and they can blow out causing crashes. It doesn't seem to happen immediately at 7 years though, those oft-quoted guidelines are quite conservative.

The manager of a local tyre place told me he knew of an insurance claim being rejected after the loss adjuster checked the tyres on the motorhome and they were deemed too old. It sounds like an urban myth to me.

He told me that my tyres were manufactured 5 and 6 yrs ago. They were fitted in Aug 2015 so that makes sense. He might be touting for business but he was convinced it was a "real thing" and that 7 years is the max age "allowed" by most motorhome insurers.

I guess it's good practice to change them when perished or showing signs of wear but I'm unconvinced that an arbitrary age limit is an adequate measure of tyre condition.

Unused tyres are at more risk of Ozone degradation (the actual main cause of the tyre cracks) because when tyres are used, the constant flexing of the tyre causes protective waxes to come to the surface to inhibit the Ozone attack. When the tyres are not used, the ozone is more likely to damage the tyres:

http://www.sasolwax.com/products-applications/paraffin-waxes/rubber-and-tire/

Tyres that have been sitting around are more likely to crack or fail completely

The British Rubber Manufacturers association says:

“BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over 6 years old"