Life span of tyres

[ianoliver57]

Just bought an XJ8 X358 2009 my with 33K . One of the front tyres had a crack in the tread and I had both tyres replaced with Pirelli’s P Zero. Both rears look ok and the car passed MOT with no advisories. However, manufacture date on the rears is 2018. Question is, even with good tread, when is it unsafe to keep them in view of their age?

Regards

Ian.

[JimMann]

Hi Ian, there are many factors at play in the life of quality / premium tyres. Given the amount of trust I need to have in my tyres (on an XKR), I hedge around 5-years. This assumes regular summer use and ignoring the remaining tread. Of course the environment - UV degradation, potholes and general poor carriageways, mileage, etc. all play a part in how a tyre is degrading. As long as you keep an eye on the sidewalls and tread wear, you should be okay. However, I would want to replace them if it were my car, but I accept that is me!
Jim M

[PaulGover]

I'm sure the manufacturers would love us to replace tyres every few years regardless of mileage. There's a legal requirement for the front tyres to be replaced no more than every 10 years and checked regularly after 5 years on commercial vehicles, but they tend to be loaded and used more heavily than cars.
For example, see this article and this one.

[ianoliver57]

Thanks for your thoughts. I’ll keep an eye on them meantime, but I suspect I’ll end up replacing them sooner rather than later. Shame really, both have 6mm depth!

Regards

Ian.

[PaulGover]

You could of course ask a reputable tyre shop what they think. I went to one to replace a "kerbed" tyre, and the guy running said something along the lines of don't be silly, that protruding rubber band is only there to protect the tyre from kerbing, so a nick there doesn't affect it's strength. Cost him the £120 sale of a tyre, so I gave him a £20 tip.