Lifespan of new michelin TB15's

[Outlaw_singer]

Guys,

I've been messaging with a guy (not here on the forum) who has a recently finished set of fuchs for sale with brand new michelin TB15's mounted. The deal was almost closed untill I asked him about the age of the tires. Honestly, i have no idea about the limits related to tire age but I felt I had to ask to have an idea. So, the tires appear to be from 2009! Unused but of course I'm wondering now, how should I put this in perspective?

Thanks,
Robin

[darrin]

straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak, https://www.michelinman.com/US/en/help/do-I-need-new-tires.html

[MARISOL78sc]

5 year rule for me regardless of tread remaining.

[Noah930]

Probably fine, if you're just puttering around town and to the weekend Cars and Coffee gatherings (unless you're a Mustang owner), but if you wanted to do spirited driving, I'd opt to replace them with something fresher.

[Outlaw_singer]

Exactly what o was afraid of. These are almost 10 years old and even while they look immaculate, I'd rather not take any risks.

Related to the use I have I mind, there is almost no chance I will be taking these to the track or anything like it. Honestly I dont make that much miles a year but I'm not suckering around town everytime I take it out.

[skinnerd]

Yeah....they are way too old.

[Outlaw_singer]

Ugh, such a bummer as these are so damn tempting!

[da Vinci Dan]

They’re fine for normal around town stuff.

Good Lord, the bias ply tires on my ‘74 Dart in 1989 were probably the originals and they got me through high school and half of college.

[mepstein]

I don’t have any proof but I would think that tires stored inside should have a longer lifespan.

[MAH77]

If they’re radials, what are you worried about? I put over a 1000 miles on a set of 12 year old tires last year with cracked sidewalls driving on the highway.

[786]

In another thread on here a guy with these tires said they were good for around 8500 miles from new.

[safe]

Originally Posted by Outlaw_singer

Guys,

I've been messaging with a guy (not here on the forum) who has a recently finished set of fuchs for sale with brand new michelin TB15's mounted. The deal was almost closed untill I asked him about the age of the tires. Honestly, i have no idea about the limits related to tire age but I felt I had to ask to have an idea. So, the tires appear to be from 2009! Unused but of course I'm wondering now, how should I put this in perspective?

Thanks,
Robin

As long as they haven't been heat cycled and not stored in sunlight they will hold up fine.

I have a set on my car that had been unused for a long time until the car finished.
There is no dry rot, the grip is fine, for competition use you would probably want newer rubber, preferably new rubber every race.
I do track my car, its the only thing I do with it.

Maximum 5 years, yada, yada.... 95% bull****. Even a really old tire will get grippy again when you rub away the harder surface.

[Outlaw_singer]

Okay, many different insights here. I understand that the guidelines set up by Michelin have been set up in a way to not take any risks. With that in mind i will just take the risk and try and determine the actual condition of the tires once they have arrived. They do look great on the pics but so have i bought cars before.

Thanks for all the feedback guys, i appreciate it!

[mepstein]

I would run them but I sure wouldn't pay retail for them.

[Outlaw_singer]

I have come to a good deal i guess paying 2500€ for the set as pictured.

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by Outlaw_singer

I have come to a good deal i guess paying 2500€ for the set as pictured.

FYI, weekend racers (mostly dirt track and kart guys/gals) that are budget-conscious have been known to use various homebrew and off-the-shelf tire softeners. They all seem to claim that they can soften and increase the life of track tires. I've never tried them and YMMV. Be careful whatever you decide to do. Tire Claw seems to be popular for asphalt tracks.

https://www.amazon.com/Formula-FORMULA-Tire-Traction-Treatment/dp/B003FUY4BI/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_263_t_2/145-3031305-1721708?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=VB5TCBWQ05572ZHHMNBV

Home brew recipes. Most of it sounds like scary stuff.

Homemade Tire Softener Recipes - The DIRT Forum

[speednme1]

Those look like TB5 and not TB15

[skinnerd]

I think the only way to sum up this discussion about using tires that are getting old in the tooth is: penny wise pound foolish.

Sure you just might make a set of 10 year old tires last a bit longer.
Heck they could last 5 more years and 50k miles; maybe more.
But is it really worth the risk?
And yes....there is a risk.
You're just kidding yourself if you don't think so
How much, how bad...who can say for sure?

Just think back to the Paul Walker Carrera GT accident that they think was likely due to aged out tires.
In 2012, there were supposedly 233 fatalities and 300 injuries caused by tires older than 6 years old.
So stuff does happen that may or may not be directly linked to old tires.

Even if I had all the liability insurance in the world, I wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that my decision to run on obviously out of date tires (older than 6 years) might cause an accident that had killed an innocent family.
I just wasn't brought up that way.
I was brought up to be responsible and make "adult" decisions.

I just don't think it's worth it to score a set of great but aged tires just because the price is killer.

ps I'm almost on Social Security, so obviously I've moved on in life and am pretty conservative in many things I do.
ps2 I've also got a set of "aged out" TB5's on my RSR hotrod. Haven't driven the car and don't plan to until I replace with new tires. I don't
want to risk losing the car due to an accident from some tire catastrophe.

[tdw28210]

Originally Posted by speednme1

Those look like TB5 and not TB15

Agreed. Definitely TB5's. The 15's have more tread grooves that cover the entire width of the tire.

[gumba]

Back in 2011 I bought a set of TB15's from Coker. When I finally checked the manufacturing code turns out they were manufactured in '08.
On my 930 I got approximately 13,000 + street miles over 7 yrs. The rears were starting to show cracks in the side walls and I was just coming down to the wear bars.
This time when I ordered a new set through Cocker I had them confirm the manufacturing date of the tires I would be getting before I paid. Turns out they were manufactured few months prior.
I would be more concerned about the manufacturing date on how many miles I drive per year.
They say as long as the tires are stored correctly the wear starts when they are mounted. But who knows how they are stored.
Also, These tires are very sensitive to camber set up. I run 0 camber on the rears and had even wear across the 335 tire.