I know this is bad, but how bad? (old tires)

[Quickstep192]

The tires on my car are 15+ years old. The car is kept in a garage and only gets exposed to uv light when driven. (And it fast been driven much in the last several years) The tires don't show any cracks or the kind of stuff you see on old tires, but I'm still concerned about a blowout. Am I safe driving 30 miles to my tire guy, or should I take the wheels off and deliver them?

[Justin@Athens]

You can probably drive it, just be aware the rubber has become much harder than when the tires were new. You don't want to be hot rodding around on them fore sure. Just take it easy, and you should be fine as long as they are properly inflated.

[porsche930dude]

as long as you dont drive there as fast as possible youll be fine

[Nico911]

I think you can drive the car for a short distance, just go easy.

Your concern is legitimate : I have a friend who had a blow out with old tires on his 3.2 Carrera on a road trip.

[virob]

When I bought my 3.2 Carrera the previous owner had it for 20 years and put only 8k miles on it during that time. The tires were 22 years old but looked great. I drove a few hundred miles on them before I could replace them. They were hard, but OK so long as I keep the speed down.

[SilberUrS6]

Originally Posted by Quickstep192

The tires on my car are 15+ years old. The car is kept in a garage and only gets exposed to uv light when driven. (And it fast been driven much in the last several years) The tires don't show any cracks or the kind of stuff you see on old tires, but I'm still concerned about a blowout. Am I safe driving 30 miles to my tire guy, or should I take the wheels off and deliver them?

Thirty miles ought to be fine at a reasonable speed, but if it were my car, I'd take them off and drive the wheels/tires to the shop. I'd do that anyway, because I have found that even careful shops aren't as careful with my lug nuts as I'd like them to be.

[Ronnie's.930]

Originally Posted by SilberUrS6

T . . . I have found that even careful shops aren't as careful with my lug nuts as I'd like them to be.

Eric, excellent word choice above; without "lug", you would have caused readers quite a bit of confusion!

[Plays with cars]

Industry guideline is six years, then they need to be replaced. I really struggle with this for cars that see a lot of garage time. My car has 12 year old S03s on it and they still get sticky and throw gravel into the wheel wells when driving to car shows.

Wise not to push them hard, but I think you're okay for a short trip.

[porsche930dude]

Originally Posted by SilberUrS6

Thirty miles ought to be fine at a reasonable speed, but if it were my car, I'd take them off and drive the wheels/tires to the shop. I'd do that anyway, because I have found that even careful shops aren't as careful with my lug nuts as I'd like them to be.

not only that but they dont know how to lift them without crushing the oil lines

[LUFTKUL]

If your tires are sitting outside in the Arizona sun they can start to show cracks in as little as two years or even sooner. The same tire kept inside a cool garage that never sees sunlight can be perfectly fine well beyond 6 years. That being said 15 years is pushing the boundaries for interstate speeds. If they look good I wouldn't hesitate to drive them to a shop, but I probably wouldn't go above 50 mph.

[CCM911]

I would totally drive the car to the tire store.

But as others have said, avoid driving in a "frisky" manner, or those old, hard tires will throw you and your car into the weeds, LOL.

[zippy_gg]

I would take the wheels off and take them to the tire shop.
1) old tires are unpredictable
2) Watch the air gun jockeys work on other cars and decide if you want that treatment on YOUR car
3) as posted earlier, most shops are not aware of the location of the oil lines... You fill in the blank
So why take a chance unless you don't have another vehicle to use to transport your wheels?
Also your valves are as old as your tires... If one fails you will find yourself riding on a rim. Is it worth it? JM2CW...

[DRACO A5OG]

Bring your Jack Pad and have them do side to side and ask them to be careful with the paint. More work but safer for the car. Or they can cough up $750 for each new oil line

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by CCM911

But as others have said, avoid driving in a "frisky" manner

+1

Ixnay on the riskyfay.

[rfloz]

Originally Posted by Plays with cars

Industry guideline is six years, then they need to be replaced. I really struggle with this for cars that see a lot of garage time. My car has 12 year old S03s on it and they still get sticky and throw gravel into the wheel wells when driving to car shows.

Try Hoosier A6s. At 1,000 miles/year they'll be done in less than 6 years. Plus better grip, unless you live in Seattle.

Lug nuts are reason enough to haul the tires in; 30 years old too, no thanks.

[wayne robson]

Not a problem,like others have said take it easy,if you really do decide to drive it there, but like , Porsche 930 dude, Zippy, and rflox , have said, take my advice leave it at home,
you would not believe some of the problems that idiots in tire shops can do,and with normal everyday driving family cars, let a lone a Porsche, scuffed outside rim edges ,scratches marks on any painted area,not using correct lead balance weights and in the proper area of wheel, and of course over torquing and incorrect tire pressure,etc, etc, etc,
take 2 front wheels first ,then the 2 rear wheels a few days later,this then gives you the chance to see what the shop is really like and the job they do, make sure you take your vin number details etc for receipt and warranty, some shops are not that happy not taking car to them for that reason. good luck.

[OsoMoore]

If there are other Porsche gearheads in your area, ask them. I found a place about 25 miles from Milwaukee that regularly does work on classic Porsches, and use them for any tire/alignment work I need done. They know the cars and how to treat them right, and they aren't much more expensive than the local Midas guys.

[wayne robson]

Quickstep192, take a look at page 1 wes r
lifting a 911 with such bad form------.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by wayne robson

Quickstep192, take a look at page 1 wes r
lifting a 911 with such bad form------.

Lifting a 911 with such bad form

[Quickstep192]

Yup, I read it-with great interest. My wheels will be going without the car. My guy is a good guy, but the risk doesn't seem worth it!