Re-using OLD tires?

[huyzel]

Hi tire experts!
I have an old set of kumho ecsta supras sitting in my garage. 205/40or45/17

The tread seems to be decent, but they've just been sitting there (rims & tires) for the past 3or4 years :blush
Now, my question is: is it safe to use those tires? or do they get flatspots or deteriorate over time?
Should I just chuck them and buy new tires to mount on the rims?
(I think the rim is 40 or 42 offset - how do I check?)

Thanks,
Huy

[Unoriginalusername]

i would look visually for any cracks or tears but in general you should be fine, especially if they haven't been sitting with the weight of a car on them, i.e. unmounted

[Fuman]

your speedo will be faster than your car if you use the tire.
and do the checks Unoriginalusername mentioned.
hope that helps.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[Wild Weasel]

Yeah, the tires are too small for the car so I wouldn't recommend using them. If they're 45's, they'll be a bit too small. If they're 40's, they'll be WAY too small.

[huyzel]

ok... i saw that they were too small... was planning on selling the tires and putting new tires on.
However, I didn't want to throw away good tires or sell someone bad tires.
I'll get them checked out by whatever shop takes them off for me before I sell them.

Thanks Guys!
Huy

[rallyboy]

Tires have a life span of 5 to 6 years whether they are on a car, in your garage or in a warehouse. The rubber dries out, and even if they look ok, they may have lost a substantial amount of flexibility and grip.
Check some of the tire websites like the wheel and tyre bible: http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html
The manufacture date is part of the number stamped in the sidewall.

rallyboy

[huyzel]

hmm... good information there also.

[RX9]

Tires have a life span of 5 to 6 years whether they are on a car, in your garage or in a warehouse. The rubber dries out, and even if they look ok, they may have lost a substantial amount of flexibility and grip.
Check some of the tire websites like the wheel and tyre bible: http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html
The manufacture date is part of the number stamped in the sidewall.

rallyboy

i heard about that as well <== the tire shelf life is around 4 to 5 yrs. :pop