I have a 04 XFire with about 6500 miles. Since I don't abuse my car, the tires are practically brand new. However, I read an article which mentions that after 6 years of useage, the tires should be changed regardless of the condition. I'm wondering how far can I push the envelope without being reckless. Thank you.

 

Seems a myth encouraged by the tire-men. Tires are tires in my view, and I'd only be interested in the wear indicators. This is not to say that you shouldn't inspect your tires now and then for checks/separations and the like, but beyond that, be grateful that tires do not have a shelf-life. Just imagine the costs to commercial fleets or the military if this where true. Yikes.

 

i would check them for cracks tires do dry rot around town they should be alright but would not trust them on open highway

 

Not a myth, by any stretch.
Tires suffer from UV exposure if they are outdoors in the sunlight.
They suffer from ozone degradation.
The rubber material hardens over time and becomes less pliable, which means the tires don't conform as well to the road surface.

They will dry-rot over time, and this can lead to severe failure.

My recommendation is to examine the tires carefully, and if there's any cracking in the sidewall, replace them.

But overall, drive the car more.

BC.

 

Your tires will probably be fine assuming that there aren't any visual issues with them. Check for cracking & sidewall bulges. If you are storing outside you may have issues with UV but if it's holed-up in a garage somewhere you should be OK.
Just make sure you get the tires off of the ground if you are indeed storing it.
Beyond that, as mentioned above - drive the thing more !

At nearly $800 - $900 for all 4 (depending on brand, of course) it all depends on just what your pocketbook looks like & how secure YOU feel driving on them. Personally, I wouldn't have any problems doing so. I just wouldn't push the car to its limiter to see what happens!!

 

Yeah, I know I should drive my X-fire more. However, being that I live in NYC where the roads resemble the surface of the moon. I usually take my main car out for everyday mundane chores or take the subway. I'm lucky if I can drive the X-fire 2 or 3 times a month.

I do keep the car in the garage and I have never driven it in the snow. None of the tires have any crack or any indication of dryness. Am I pushing the envelope if I go 80 to 90 mph on the highway with those tires?

Thank you.

 

As long as they have no cracks or dry rot or bubbles on the sidewalls they should be fine.

 

Thank you much for your informative and timely advise.

 

One thing to remember is if your tires are summer tires like the pilot ps2's they don't have as good of traction in colder weather like they do in the summer.

 

Hey dudes. If he lives in NYC and garages his cars, then the price of new tires is not an issue. Just the garage rent alone in the Big Apple would cover my mortgage in Michigan. And then some.

But mouser, keeping it garaged should minimize the UV damage and as long as no cracks, I'd drive it a little longer. You may not want to wind it up to 150, but at street legal+ speeds it should be fine for another few years.

 

I have the original all season Continental. I still haven't utilized the W botton yet since I never take my X-Fire out in the snow.

I cannot afford to live in Manhattan,NY. where the monthly garage rental is somewhere around $300 to $600. I live in the outer boro, Sheephead Bay in Brooklyn. It's a lot cheaper than Manhattan but is still very expensive.

It's funny that there are BMW and Mercede all over my neighborhood, hardly anyone will give them a second look, but my X-Fire can still turn some heads every once in a while.

 

Six year old tires on the wife's van had less than 10K miles on them. Took a trip and one of them separated at highway speed. There was a warning as I could feel what felt like a wheel out of balance before it let go.
Replaced the tire along with the one on the other side (fronts). A month or so ago one of the back tires let loose on the highway (again). This time with almost no warning.
Be aware and careful if you hit the highway. My experience.
My (new driver) son drove one leg of the trip without incident on the 2nd trip. Thank goodness the tire let loose when I was driving (both times)!

 

I know trailer tires can fall apart at highway speeds when they get old. They don't get the wear of steering or drive tires, so they stay in service longer. And they rarely blow when you are close to home.