Old-but-new spare tyres

jase1

This has been something that has been bugging me (as a self-confessed miser) for a while now.

The second car has four good tyres on at the minute, so this isn't an urgent thing. But there is a full-sized spare which looks as if it has never been out of the boot of this (8 year old) car. It's a Goodyear NCT5 as well, hardly a bad tyre. It's on a steel wheel which is a bit irritating, but still.

When the time comes, is there a problem with asking my garage to swap the tyres around a bit and, rather than buying two new ones, instead buy a matching tyre to this new-old tyre and put them on the car as a matching set?

I can't see anything wrong with the wheel or tyre (not surprising -- the bobbles are still there so it is effectively NOS). There's a potential £70 saving here, so not to be sniffed at. I was thinking of swapping the tyres over when one pair gets down to 3mm or so (my usual cut-off point for replacing) and of course replacing this Goodyear as a spare with the better of the 3mm old tyres.

But, I do know that when they are on the car, tyres should be replaced after 5 years or so. Does this apply to a tyre that has been sat in a dry, covered environment and not used?

jase1

Well, I have to say that after looking around on the net about this one the answer seems to be an emphatic "don't do it!". I think I will take this advice

I wasn't sure if the aging process applied to a spare, but it seems that it does indeed. So the next question must be: how long can a spare be safely used even as a spare? Would it be prudent to replace this spare at some point, even if it's replaced with a budget tyre?

Should I be selling this steel wheel with old tyre (evil I know) and replacing with a cheap, used alloy, putting a new tyre on it and rotating this around like I would do normally?

property.advert

My old motor had a full alloy spare but because of maths and it not being even in tyre depth terms, I never rotated the spare into action. Front wheel drive so new ones on the back (use spare and 1 new one) and back ones to the front. Next time buy 2 new ones and then junk the spare when say 3 years old replacing with one taken off your car.

Now I have a small spare so either 4 new tyres or 2 new for the rear, they going forward.

King_Nothing

I don't have a spare, but if i did i wouldn't put it on the car unless i got a flat, and even then it wouldn't be on long before the flat tyre was replaced and put back on to the car.

mikey72

I rotate the spare onto the car as soon as possible with a new tyre to make up the axle set that needs changing. The best of the two just legal old tyres goes onto the spare then. When I change again, I'll keep the best as the spare, if it's any better.

patman99

I'm currently running with the spare on. I hit a lump of concrete on my way to work two weeks ago and bent the alloy and am not going to spend £80 on a new wheel + another £40 on a part-worn tyre when there is a perfectly usable wheel available. So long as there are no cracks in the rubber then the tyre is perfectly fine.

BTW, I also have a van that does about 1000 miles a year. The tyres are at least 5 years old and it passes every MOT.

custardy

jase1 wrote: »

This has been something that has been bugging me (as a self-confessed miser) for a while now.

The second car has four good tyres on at the minute, so this isn't an urgent thing. But there is a full-sized spare which looks as if it has never been out of the boot of this (8 year old) car. It's a Goodyear NCT5 as well, hardly a bad tyre. It's on a steel wheel which is a bit irritating, but still.

When the time comes, is there a problem with asking my garage to swap the tyres around a bit and, rather than buying two new ones, instead buy a matching tyre to this new-old tyre and put them on the car as a matching set?

I can't see anything wrong with the wheel or tyre (not surprising -- the bobbles are still there so it is effectively NOS). There's a potential £70 saving here, so not to be sniffed at. I was thinking of swapping the tyres over when one pair gets down to 3mm or so (my usual cut-off point for replacing) and of course replacing this Goodyear as a spare with the better of the 3mm old tyres.

But, I do know that when they are on the car, tyres should be replaced after 5 years or so. Does this apply to a tyre that has been sat in a dry, covered environment and not used?

is it the same size though?

mikey72

jase1 wrote: »

Well, I have to say that after looking around on the net about this one the answer seems to be an emphatic "don't do it!". I think I will take this advice

I wasn't sure if the aging process applied to a spare, but it seems that it does indeed. So the next question must be: how long can a spare be safely used even as a spare? Would it be prudent to replace this spare at some point, even if it's replaced with a budget tyre?

Should I be selling this steel wheel with old tyre (evil I know) and replacing with a cheap, used alloy, putting a new tyre on it and rotating this around like I would do normally?

You're read all the reports, that all show a migration of plasticisers, and ultimately cracking of the tyres.
I have had tyres that show this, and scrapped them, I've has older ones that don't, and used them with no problems.
You can see a bad tyre. I had one that looked perfect, on the rim, but no air in, and had been stored flat. When I put air in, and left it a couple of weeks to see if the rim was good, it still had air in, but the tyre had cracked and perished, simply from being blown up.

Incyder

My spare has never been on the road and has sat in its spot for 18 years. Its in perfect condition and i keep it topped up to 36 psi. It is on a steel wheel or else i probably would have used it by now. I can't be done with all the faffing of swapping it. It can stay there, waiting for its moment of glory when it gets to be driven on and have some fun like all its friends.

jase1

Thanks for the replies so far

Yes, I would normally either rotate the spare, or keep replacing it with the better of the discarded tyres whenever I replace a pair of tyres. Problem is of course that this particular tyre is clearly one that came with the car and hasn't been out of the boot since. Waste is bad

Yes, the spare is the same size (195/55/15) as the other tyres.

I think I'll examine the tyre in more detail at some point in the near future -- much as I heed the various warnings there doesn't seem to be that much point in wasting something worth £70 that might still be perfectly usable.

The tyre does also appear to be overinflated -- so I am wondering if this has been done deliberately by the previous owner.

mikey72

The datcode is stamped on the tyre, there is an oval flat rubber spot with wwyy stamped in it.
Stored on it's side is good, they seem to last better that way.