As above, just wondering how long a new tyre would last in storage before
it goes hard or deteriorates?
Thanks.

Does "storing it on a shelf" or "storing it out of the sunlight" or "driving on it since new" make any difference???

I know that road tyres are usually buggered after 15 years (seen 1980's cars driven around by oldies with the original tyres still fitted, but cracked to buggery) as they basically go hard or the belts let go...

5 years is about the most for my liking. Even if they have had hardly any wear, they lose their strength and their grip.

As for racing slicks..... 2 years tops, I would say. They just dont handle right if theyre older than that. Takes longer to get em up to temperature, and the grip isnt there.


How many times have you looked in a car boot and seen a perfectly unused spare tyre My 850 had a couple genuine unused tyres from 1963.... still inflated after god-knows-how-many years of shed storage. Definitely wouldnt drive on those.

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[NATHAN] -- Sold everything mini related and am back in big beautiful BMWs

These are brand new, fitted to rims and currently living in the garage. Never driven on.
Just been having thoughts lately what to do in the unlikely event I don't use them.
Thanks SC850.

If on the car, I have been told not to leave them sitting on concrete. Put some strips of carpet between the rubber and the concrete, as the concrete is porous and will draw the 'oil' out of the rubber at the contact area.

What my local tyre bloke told me. may be a myth, i dunno.

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68 Deluxe.... it's shiny..... I like shiny!!

I would bag them in plastic, cover and keep them in the dark...
A bit of talcum powder in the bag would be good too.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Good question Harley! I am just about to 'store' some tyres for my GT.

Nothin suss there!

5 years from the date of manufacture.

The tyre date of manufacture code is given as a group of three digits. The first two show the week—and the last digit shows the year of manufacture. For example, 253 tells us that the tyre was manufactured in the twenty fifth week of 1993. This marking may be placed on one sidewall only.

I have a set of 15 year old tyres on the rear of my mini.
It had new rears on it when I bought the car and I basically had to store the car for 12 years before i could do anything with it.

It was stored in a mixture of outside and in a garage on concrete. The tyres hold air and look new but the grip is simply not there especially in the wet (haha, hasn't happened here in some time)

Other things always seem more important to spend money on than a new set of tyres to replace a "new" set of tyres

But how do we not know it's the twenty-fifth week of 2003, 1983, 1973, or even a
tyre from the future of 2013?

Well if its 2003, it still feels like rubber, if its 1993/1983/1973 it probably feels like cement. If its 2013 you can tell by reading your tarot cards.

5 years is what the manufacturers recommend but I like 8 is OK. I have have set of old tyres delaminate under me, not good. There was nothing visibly wrong with them until the tread peeled off

To prolong their life I would ensure that they have minimal air in them (just enough to keep shape) and are stored in a nice cool shadey area.

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But he's thriving and striving and hugging the turns.

Yep, storing them in plastic is the usual "good technique". Better to be a heavy black plastic which wont let light (of the ultra-violet variety) onto the tyre too.

Inflated or deflated..... as mentioned, better to have about 5 or 10psi in em rather than street pressures (if they are still fitted to a rim)

I too have seen a perfectly good looking tyre just fall to bits after getting it out of unprotected outdoor storage and onto a project car. The tread basically peeled off right down to the steel belts, but only enough to get caught and lock the front wheel solid (luckily at a slow speed). Funnily enough, the remains of the tyre stays inflated even with all the tread removed. Mmmmmmm sparky sparky burnouts

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[NATHAN] -- Sold everything mini related and am back in big beautiful BMWs