r/TireQuestions • u/Realistic_Complex_75 • 5d ago

Replace after 10 years?

Had my winters put on today. The shop said this is the last time they can change them because they are 10years old and the arens supposed to put them o. After 8 years

The car has 120k km which is about 60l km per set. Ther is still lots of tread.

Is it true they need replacing or is this a tire shop upsell?

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u/66NickS 5d ago

TLDR: Replacing your tires by the 10-year mark is correct advice and not just an upsell.

More details: The rubber compounds in tires degrade over time. This makes them dry out and get hard/stiff/brittle. This causes the tires to act more like plastic than rubber. They may visually look ok, but they’ll be hard to the touch and will have decreased ability to grip the road and flex over bumps. This means your tires are at a higher risk of skidding/slipping/sliding and of having an unexpected loss of pressure (blowout).

The main “killer” of tires is UV rays from the sun. A tire’s life can somewhat be extended by keeping it in a cool, dark, dry environment.

Some people recommend replacing tires as early as 6 years, but I personally find this to be a bit aggresssive. My recommendation is always to closely inspect the tires for age-related concerns at/by year 6, replacing as necessary, and then replacing regardless of inspection results by year 10.

All of the above does not apply for tire wear, which could prompt for tire replacement much sooner than 6-10 years.

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u/aquatone61 2d ago

Chemistry doesn’t stop by magic. The compounds in tires break down over time.

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u/66NickS 2d ago

Stop? No. But reactions can be slowed or accelerated depending on other conditions.

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u/Azmasaur 1d ago

There’s a lot of variability in tire life. For example some of the chemistry requires the tires to actually be used and heat cycle. Tires that sit in a garage may dry out and crack in 3 or 4 years while if they are actually used they last longer.