Originally Posted by
+fireamx
Living in what use to be known as the "Rubber Capital of the World" all my life, I worked at that "Halfway decent tire company," (B.F. Goodrich) for about 14 years. I installed the 1st. generation Goodrich Radial TA's on my AMX in 1971, and kept them on my car for the next 27 years and 35K miles. I replaced them with the metric TA's that are currently on it before I took the car to Florida for a car show in 1998.
Now I don't claim to have "perfect pitch" so I can't say the sound a squealing tire makes as it ages, changes the older it gets. But it does harden, and that in turn noticeably decreases traction, which is a very good reason to get new tires.
I absolutely do not endorse keeping tires on your car as long as I have in the past, but IMO, changing a perfectly decent looking low mileage tire every 5 years is being premature. I'm certainly no expert, so use your best judgement, and inspect them on a regular basis.
Well said. Wow, 27 years!!!! I wish you had pictures of them after 27 years. What did they look like on the inside after they were dismounted?
Mine has the originals on the front.
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37th week of 2004. 34k miles on them. Hold air fine, but as you can see they are cracking. They are performance tires (Michelin Pilot Sports) with higher speed rating, so I am sure that helps. I am going to replace them soon.