Do tyres age?

As the only point of contact between your car and the road, good quality, well-maintained tyres are essential for providing safe, efficient and comfortable motoring.

But like all components on your car, they do wear out over time and will at some point need replacing. Exactly when this occurs is variable as the serviceability of a tyre is affected by a number of factors including exposure to sunlight and other storage conditions; and conditions of use such as load, speed, inflation pressures and driving style.

Michelin Australia Product Marketing Manager Peter Heatley says that for this reason, all drivers need to pay close attention to the external appearance of their tyres, to any loss of inflation pressure or any abnormal vibrations, noises, or steering pull which might demonstrate the need to replace them.

He says Michelin also recommends regular inspections by a tyre specialist.

"After five years or more of use, it is recommended that this inspection be carried out at least once a year. And as a precaution, if the tyres have not been replaced 10 years from their date of manufacture, Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres — even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator," Heatley says.

Michelin’s maximum 10-year recommendation is in line with most other major tyre manufacturers with Continental, Hankook, Bridgestone, BF Goodrich, Kumho and Yokohama in the USA. Organisations such as the Japan Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association also recommend tyre replacement after a maximum of 10 years since the date of manufacture.

So how do you know how old your tyres are? Every tyre produced is marked with a Tyre Identification Number (TIN) which, for those manufactured after 2000, comprises a four digit number. The first two digits indicate the week of the year, and the last two, the year of manufacture. As an example, a TIN of 2006 means the tyre was made in the twentieth week of 2006.

Knowing when a tyre was manufactured also comes into play when buying new tyres.

With so many different tyre sizes and specifications in use, tyres are manufactured in batches. In the case of low volume sizes, the tyres may already be a couple of years old before you buy them.

Generally buying older unused tyres is not a problem as long as the rubber has been stored appropriately.

To ensure they remain as new, tyres need to be stored in a cool, dry environment out of direct sunlight and away from electric motors or other sources of ozone that can degrade the rubber.

When properly stored, new old-stock tyres can still provide all the comfort, dynamic performance and durability to keep you and your car safe and secure on the road, whether they were made in the past five weeks or five years.