8 replies to this topic

[mementaurum]

Hi All,

 

the winter finally got in, I've been putting on the OEM winter wheels

I bought them second hand and think they were almost never used, the rubber seems to be ok, no cracks

Is it ok if the ABS is still switched ON?

 

thank for good advice

[Harry Hornet]

..why not.....thats what it is there for, slipping and sliding....

[hairy]

There is no abs off switch as supplied so Opel must have considered it to be ok

[KurtVerbose]

The winter/summer metamorphosis.

 

 

Check the age of the tyres - they're marked with the date of manufacture - MMYY. Anything older and you should replace them, cracking or no cracking.

[KurtVerbose]

Anything older and you should replace them, cracking or no cracking.

 

Anything older than 8 years and you should replace them, cracking or no cracking.

 

I should have written.
 

[hairy]

I thought 5 years?

[mementaurum]

Thanks for feedback,

 

I found out why there is a switch, the previous owner drove with TD's

 

good info about the rubbers, the tires are indeed over the date

smaller investment for safety of all!

 

 

[KurtVerbose]

Funny, I was told it was 8, so looked it up. Here's the advice from the AA: -

 

Tyres degrade naturally through exposure to heat, sunlight (Ultraviolet/UV) and rain. The amount of damage depends on the exposure and the severity of the weather. Damage through ageing is more common with caravans, trailers and other vehicles only used occasionally. There are no hard and fast rules on age. Check for signs of cracking on the sidewalls of tyres four or five years old if your car is parked outside and get them replaced if cracking is severe.

 

 

A couple of years ago I replaced the tyres on my trailer that were 11 years old. They looked fine and had plenty of tread left. I think they were ok as they hadn't been exposed to much sunlight/heat/rain. I think if I'd known the advice of the AA I would have kept them longer as they passed the Swiss MOT. The winter tyres on my VX are stored out of the weather/sun. In winter, when they're used, it's not very sunny anyway - and the car is garaged. I suspect mementaurum's tyres are still ok even though old.  

Edited by KurtVerbose, 04 December 2017 - 09:30 AM.

[anz3001]

There is no age related requirement to change tyres. Lots of manufacturer recommendations but then, they sell tyres. Tyres are warrantied by the manufacturer, against defects, for 5 years. Beyond that visual condition is the only real consideration. The rubber does harden and perish etc though of course. For summer hard use you wont want old tyres as they will be past their best in terms of outright performance but no less safe than some of the crappy budget tyres half the population run on.