Old tyres -nct

lipso

Hi

My daughter's Micra got a Pass Advisory on her NCT in May 2013 because all the tyres were 6 years old. Apart from their age they have lots of tread because the car only had 20000 miles on it from new (2002) - Her next NCT is now due. Will the tyres be failed if not replaced or would they pass again with Advisory?

challengemaster

Are you seriously saying the tyres on that car are now 12 years old?

lipso

Yes I am presuming they are on the car from new - an elderly woman owned the car and only did 20000 miles from 2002 to 2013. 28000 on it now

challengemaster

bazz26

Tyres are made of rubber which perishes over time, if they are 12 years old then they should be replaced irrespective of condition imo.

Peter T

Change them, those tyres are a hazard to your daughter and other road users.

emeldc

lipso wrote: »

Yes I am presuming they are on the car from new - an elderly woman owned the car and only did 20000 miles from 2002 to 2013. 28000 on it now

Do yourself a favour, change the tyres, they disintegrate over time. I had a BMW with perfectly good 8 year old tyres which passed the test with an advisory. A few months after the test one of them buckled and became very dangerous. When you have to stop in an emergency, the only thing between you and the road is good rubber. It's simple, you can't afford NOT to change them.

obezyana

To actually answer your question; no it won't fail it's just an advisory but as has been said they perish over time and that's not good, do the sensible thing and have them changed ASAP.

Jesus.

You're grand, they'll pass the test no problem. They'll just tell you to keep an eye on them.

JohnBoy26

challengemaster wrote: »

Are you seriously saying the tyres on that car are now 12 years old?

biko

They will pass again with advisory but do consider getting fresh tyres.

BreadnBuddha

Hang on a second lads. At the NCT in May 2013, the tyres were 6 years old.

It's 1 year later. 1 + 6 = 7. That's 7 years. Not 12 years.

If they're a premium brand tyre, and not too damaged by UV (Sunlight), they could be perfectly fine for another few years yet. Give them the detailed once over visually every few months (technically you should check them weekly for uneven wear or damage anyway, from new) to make sure they're not perishing at the bead (where it meets the rim), on the sidewalls or deep in the tyre thread. If it's minor tiny cracks around the lugs on the thread, but nowhere else, they're probably perfectly fine.

Find an independent mechanic nearby (not a tyre center, obviously!) and ask them for a second opinion. Then next year at the NCT, ask the tester when he gives the car back, whether it needs new tyres. They automatically give a fail advisory when the tyres are over a certain age, but he'll also have visually inspected the tyres to assess their actual condition. If he says they're okay, then they're okay. To only alternative is to fit new tyres and keep doing that in accordance with the schedule the tyre industry specify. Their industry, their schedule, their profit margins.

macrubicon

I had the same warning with my NCT.

In my case they were new tyres - only on the car 6 months but are an odd size so the stock is fairly old. Once they are stored correctly before you get them they are fine.

In the case of the OP - they have been on the car, in use and in the sunlight and elements for 6 or 7 years. It might be time to think about changing.

Gael23

Tyres deteriorate over time so they will need to be replaced. I saw a car a while back also owned by an elderly lady which had done 27000 miles from 1999 to 2010 but still needed new tyres as they were so old.

BreadnBuddha

ryanf1 wrote: »

Tyres deteriorate over time so they will need to be replaced. I saw a car a while back also owned by an elderly lady which had done 27000 miles from 1999 to 2010 but still needed new tyres as they were so old.

You can't say that. Well, you can, but you shouldn't. You're not looking at them, so you can't decide if they're good or not. That's why the OP should give them a good once over himself, and get a second opinion, then a third from the NCT tester.

Saying tyres should be replaced just because they're older than X number of years is foolish. If they haven't degraded badly, if there's plenty of thread left on them, and if they're in overall acceptable condition, why would anyone go out to spend money replacing what are quite likely perfectly good tyres.

It's a Micra, not a race car. It does 8000 miles per annum. If they're good enough for the use the car gets, they're good enough. Simple as. There's a difference between being safety minded and just pissing money away on something you don't need, just because tyre centres and barstool mechanics say you should. Don't waste your money OP. Spend it if you have to, but only if an experienced, independent and suitably trustworthy individual actually LOOKS at them and says they need swapping.

Gael23

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

You can't say that. Well, you can, but you shouldn't. You're not looking at them, so you can't decide if they're good or not. That's why the OP should give them a good once over himself, and get a second opinion, then a third from the NCT tester.

Saying tyres should be replaced just because they're older than X number of years is foolish. If they haven't degraded badly, if there's plenty of thread left on them, and if they're in overall acceptable condition, why would anyone go out to spend money replacing what are quite likely perfectly good tyres.

It's a Micra, not a race car. It does 8000 miles per annum. If they're good enough for the use the car gets, they're good enough. Simple as. There's a difference between being safety minded and just pissing money away on something you don't need, just because tyre centres and barstool mechanics say you should. Don't waste your money OP. Spend it if you have to, but only if an experienced, independent and suitably trustworthy individual actually LOOKS at them and says they need swapping.

They might be fit for safe usage but theres often a difference between that and being in good enough condition to pass the NCT.

BreadnBuddha

ryanf1 wrote: »

They might be fit for safe usage but theres often a difference between that and being in good enough condition to pass the NCT.

So, you're saying they might be suitable for safe usage. We'll agree on that.

The other thing is that I guess I jumped in too quickly earlier. You said the tyres will deteriorate and will need to be replaced. I agree. I just don't agree that now is automatically the time, just because of the manufacturers mark on the tyre sidewall.

A careful independent inspection is all that's needed, and you'll note I suggested at least getting a second opinion, and that it shouldn't come from an internet poster who can't see the tyres and isn't spending their money.

If they're safe they're safe. If they're old it doesn't mean they're not safe. If they're 2 years old it doesn't mean they're safe. Age CAN be a factor, but it's not as much of a factor as the tyre sales industry would lead you to believe.

Finally, safety first, NCT second. Always.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

Jesus.

The tester told me a couple of weeks ago that my two rears are over six years old. F*ck knows how old they actually are.

djimi

BreadnBuddha wrote: »

Hang on a second lads. At the NCT in May 2013, the tyres were 6 years old.

It's 1 year later. 1 + 6 = 7. That's 7 years. Not 12 years.

The OP said they think they have been on the car from new (its a 2002 car with 20k miles on the clock).

The other thing is that I guess I jumped in too quickly earlier. You said the tyres will deteriorate and will need to be replaced. I agree. I just don't agree that now is automatically the time, just because of the manufacturers mark on the tyre sidewall.

A careful independent inspection is all that's needed, and you'll note I suggested at least getting a second opinion, and that it shouldn't come from an internet poster who can't see the tyres and isn't spending their money.

If they're safe they're safe. If they're old it doesn't mean they're not safe. If they're 2 years old it doesn't mean they're safe. Age CAN be a factor, but it's not as much of a factor as the tyre sales industry would lead you to believe.

By all means get them checked out, but if they really are 12 years old then they need to be replaced; its extremely unlikely that 12 year old rubber is going to be in good shape.

djimi

Jesus. wrote: »

The tester told me a couple of weeks ago that my two rears are over six years old. F*ck knows how old they actually are.

There is a mark on the sidewall of the tire that tells you when they were manufactured.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

JohnBoy26

djimi wrote: »

The OP said they think they have been on the car from new (its a 2002 car with 20k miles on the clock).



By all means get them checked out, but if they really are 12 years old then they need to be replaced; its extremely unlikely that 12 year old rubber is going to be in good shape.

Indeed, but if they aren't cracked I wouldn't be too worried about them tbh.

Peter T

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Indeed, but if they aren't cracked I wouldn't be too worried about them tbh.

Just because they aren't cracked doesnt mean they are ok. Rubber dries up and goes hard over time which reduces grip levels.

beauf

Its obvious that rubber is less flexible as it gets older. Out of curiosity I looked up has anyone done studies into it. I had a assumed he problem would be less grip, but it seems they found an issue with failures.


"thermo-oxidative aging" - tyres

The most significant data that links tire age to failures was cited in the August 2007, NHTSA’s Research Report to Congress on Tire Aging. In 2005, a provision in the Safe Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act required the agency to report to Congress by August 2007 on tire aging, including potential regulatory testing to evaluate the risk of failure after a tire has been aged. The agency reviewed insurance company tire claims reported from 2002 through 2006 and found 77 percent of the tire claims came from five hot-climate states (including California) and 84 percent of these claims were for tires more than six years old. This is the strongest published evidence to date of the link between tire age and tire failures.

http://www.safetyresearch.net/safety-issues/tires/

Interestingly the older they are the more fuel efficient they are. Less grip, less tread. Less drag. etc.

http://cars.chicagotribune.com/fuel-efficient/news/chi-tire-mileage-20130510

Doesn't seem to be a lot of study into it.

Jesus.

Peter T wrote: »

Just because they aren't cracked doesnt mean they are ok. Rubber dries up and goes hard over time which reduces grip levels.

You'd know if you had reduced grip by driving the blooming car.

Newer, more worn tyres would probably have less grip.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

JohnBoy26

Peter T wrote: »

Just because they aren't cracked doesnt mean they are ok. Rubber dries up and goes hard over time which reduces grip levels.

They usually crack when this happens though. Not all rubber ages at the same rate. Some tires will age better than others due to a number of factors. If no cracks are visible upon a thorough inspection of the tires, I maintain that they should be fine. They just have to be inspected from time to time is all.

blackbox

If there is no obvious deterioration, 7 year old Michelins (or similar) are probably way better than brand new cheapo Chinese tyres.

dr.fuzzenstein

blackbox wrote: »

If there is no obvious deterioration, 7 year old Michelins (or similar) are probably way better than brand new cheapo Chinese tyres.

That.
OP is probably better off now than he would be on cheap, plastic ditch finders.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

alan partridge aha

I will never buy branded tyres again. My wife's 09 Yaris was due nct Sept 2013. I went to tyre centre as tyres had cracks on the walls. The owner said tyre thread was fine but because of the cracks (perished) in the walls of the tyres they would fail. They were the original tyres with 35000km on them and all 4 had to be replaced.

I drive VW and had high quality branded tyres on the rear. Got a puncture on the rear offside tyre and on closer inspection noticed cracks in the tyre threads. This is why I got a puncture and the tyre repair man said even branded tyres are now rubbish. So it's cheap chinese ones for me in future.

JohnBoy26

alan partridge aha wrote: »

I will never buy branded tyres again. My wife's 09 Yaris was due nct Sept 2013. I went to tyre centre as tyres had cracks on the walls. The owner said tyre thread was fine but because of the cracks (perished) in the walls of the tyres they would fail. They were the original tyres with 35000km on them and all 4 had to be replaced.

I drive VW and had high quality branded tyres on the rear. Got a puncture on the rear offside tyre and on closer inspection noticed cracks in the tyre threads. This is why I got a puncture and the tyre repair man said even branded tyres are now rubbish. So it's cheap chinese ones for me in future.

That's 4 years and 21k miles which is not bad IMO. What brand were they?

Tbh with the cheap Chinese rubbish you could still have cracks but far less grip as well and in most cases those cheap chinese yokes are much noisier tyres

alan partridge aha

On the Toyota was bridg****e and on the VW they were contin***al. If we both were doing 15kmiles+ per annum will I might buy the dearer ones as they will wear out before they perish. As we do low mileage I will spend no more than €50 a corner on the VW.
Her new Yaris is a 12D and I am hoping to change it every 2 years so I should not need to change them.

Neilw

blackbox wrote: »

If there is no obvious deterioration, 7 year old Michelins (or similar) are probably way better than brand new cheapo Chinese tyres.

In my experience they would be as bad. I had premium brand tyres that were made in 2005 and the grip level was as bad if not worse than budget tyres, they were terrible.

beauf

You have to check out the reviews online. To many fire tyres out there

BreadnBuddha

beauf wrote: »

You have to check out the reviews online. To many fire tyres out there

What?

Yeah. What he said.

beauf

Sorry I'm on my old phone. keyboard is dire on it.

Name brand or not you need to check out the online reviews of the exact model of tyre. There's too many mediocre tyres out there. The Chinese ones are truly horrific.

djimi

alan partridge aha wrote: »

I will never buy branded tyres again. My wife's 09 Yaris was due nct Sept 2013. I went to tyre centre as tyres had cracks on the walls. The owner said tyre thread was fine but because of the cracks (perished) in the walls of the tyres they would fail. They were the original tyres with 35000km on them and all 4 had to be replaced.

I drive VW and had high quality branded tyres on the rear. Got a puncture on the rear offside tyre and on closer inspection noticed cracks in the tyre threads. This is why I got a puncture and the tyre repair man said even branded tyres are now rubbish. So it's cheap chinese ones for me in future.

If you think branded tires are rubbish, just wait until the first time you try to stop a car in the wet on cheap Chinese ditchfinders...

Do your homework and youll be fine. The last few sets I have had have been Kumho, Falken and Uniroyal. All mid range, all perfectly fine (the Uniroyal Rainsports are especially excellent) and all lightyears ahead of the kind of lethal rubbish you would pick up for €50 a corner.

goz83

The old tyres might be ok. But, I wouldn't trust 12 year old rubber to keep me out of trouble, even if it was still sealed in foil packaging.