Agreed with the previous 2 posts. If any doubt at all, get it changed.

As an aside, most tyres start with 8mm of tread. The legal limit is 1.6mm, but you really have minimal grip with 2mm remaining. I change tyres when I hit about 3mm, as grip greatly diminishes from 3mm to 2mm.

So looking at it from the positive side, you've had at 50-60% of the 'good' wear out of the tyre.

If it's cracking in the tread, change it due to poor condition.

I change mine at 3mm - below that and wet grip starts to tail off very quickly.

There are industry recommendations that trailer tyres should be changed within 7 years from their date of manufacture but they can spend long periods in one position - and anyway sometimes need changing before that due to cracks in the tread

Reassuring to know that my attitude to tyres is backed up by others ( non neurotic people )

I have one tyre that has a DOT code from 2010 and slight cracking in the tread. Is it still ok to use.........? Tread still has 5mm.

Yes, unless it has been internally damaged by a pothole. Five years is no age at all for a decent modern tyre. Slight superficial cracking is of no significance. My records show I changed my TR7's 1988 tyres in 2011. Apart from hardening up over the years with less grip in the wet they were still in perfect working order passing annual MoTs - I just fancied some new ones.

Doubtless this will generate the usual opprobrium from the usual dogmatists, some of whom are clearly interested in generating as much servicing work and expense as possible. So you should weigh up the pros and cons with whatever physical and mechanical knowledge you have and do what suits you. You could check it by inflating to its max tolerated pressure and look for bulges.

It's not you that's taking the risk that your advice is plain wrong - the fact that you've "got away" with it doesn't mean that you or anyone else will continue to.

You could check it by inflating to its max tolerated pressure and look for bulges.

You have written some nonsense in your time, John, but that really does take the biscuit.

Then again, you seem to do oil changes every decade or so, and have the only TR7 that hasn't rusted back into iron ore. So quite possibly it fits in with your usual postings !

Also, as Smileyman points out, a loss of grip from your tyres does kind of indicate that you might want to think about changing them. Or maybe that is a bit too 'dogmatic' for you.

No wish to derail thread, but I'd be grateful for comments on my 'tyre dilemma'.

I run a 2004 Xtype 2.0d, bought coming up to 3 years ago on 130k miles, now coming up to 160k. (Paid £2700, now worth very little.) Serviced every 9 months or so by local trustworthy independent, very few problems, has averaged about 50 mpg, and old enough that I take the supermarket car park 'dings' in doors etc. philosophically (after an initial rant!). Live in rural west Wales, most journeys fairly short, but a 300+ mile mixed trip every few months, and at least once a year a 2500 mile round trip to Andorra incorporating 130 km/h autoroutes and rural mountain roads.

Was on 16" 205/55 until about 6 months ago, with mixed 'mid cost range' tyres as necessary. Then I bought from a friend a set of Jag alloys fitted with Pirelli P Zeros - 17" 225/45. (£100). (My 16" Jag alloys were quite shabby/corroded.) No doubt the road holding is better (though I rarely push the car hard enough to test it) but the ride quality is worse and mpg seems to be about 5 mpg worse.

The Pirellis will need changing in about 3 months and I am considering my options.

I could get my old 16" wheels refurbished for about £50+ per wheel and go back to 55 profile. Better comfort, cheaper tyres, better mpg, but not sure it's worth it in view of low value of car. Or new tyres on the 17" wheels.

In the past I've used the local branch of a national tyre fitter. No problems, but not cheap. Lately I had cause to check the 'Asda tyes' website (I didn't know they sold tyres). Good range at good prices. They use local firms to supply/fit. My local supplier is a small independent who I know well, and he tells me he can undercut the website prices by at least 10%.

To get my 16" wheels refurbished and reshod would cost about £400+, which seems to me to be an unwise investment in a car worth so little. Reasonable new tyres on the 17" wheels would be about £200. I don't need high performance, and I may not need longevity.

I think I may have answered my own question in the process of writing about it! But I'll post it anyway.

(Or would it be possible to change to 225/17 x 50 or 55 profile?)

Edited by joegrundy on 02/01/2016 at 09:39

Would you be prepared to agree that, at least for a car used frequently, old tyres are a risk not worth taking?

There is minimal 'risk' in this case and a car used frequently is unlikely to have tyres on long enough to get old.

The 'risk' is losing control through loss of adhesion. There is no appreciable risk of sudden 'blowout' from a pressure less than half that in my skimpy thin ancient bicycle tyres.

Most drivers are usually aware of roughly how hard they can steer or brake before their car is likely to skid. My TR7 is indeed a 'fun' car now, although not as much fun round roundabouts as it used to be! Even with new tyres its grip is still fairly poor by the modern standard of a fat flat wheel at each corner. I remember there was not a huge improvement with the new ones so the risk of slightly more slippery very old tyres was pretty small in my view; a view endorsed by the MoT inspection rules - age is not mentioned. So perhaps you should argue it out with those who set the MoT rules, not me. I just try to counter the pervasive expensive fear-mongering of the motor trade who, quite understandably, cause so much unnecessary expense for those who often can least afford it. (e.g. great aunt Minnie's annual 2000 mile oil changes).

6 years old, slight cracking in 5mm tread, replace? No way!

Clearly there are people on here with plenty of money.

I have one tyre that has a DOT code from 2010 and slight cracking in the tread. Is it still ok to use.........? Tread still has 5mm.

Yes, unless it has been internally damaged by a pothole. Five years is no age at all for a decent modern tyre. Slight superficial cracking is of no significance.

The only way to ascertain if a tyre has internal damage is to remove it from the rim. IMHO if any tyre fitter was prepared to re-fit a tyre showing cracking he should be sacked and possibly prosecuted for endangering life.

The cracking may be superficial but it is a hint that the tyre is suffering from degredation.

A few years ago I had a set of Michelins on my car that were about 3 years old and down to 5mm. The sidewalls were showing signs of surface cracking so I contacted them. They asked me to return them via ATS which was not a problem since I have another set of wheels. Once deflated and off the rims the cracks looked much worse. Within a few days I received a cheque for the value of the remaining tread, bet they would have done that if they had been OK to keep using.

Tyres cost peanuts compared to other motoring costs. If you use my Caterham as an example over 5 years and 10,000 miles I spend about £600 on insurance, £750 on VED, probably £500 on servicing and MOT's and about £1500 on petrol, grand total £3350. On top of that there will be other occational expenses, parts do wear out. I replace tyres when they have been on the car 5 years at which point they will be less than 1/2 worn. They are due early 2017 and a set of good quality 184/60 x 14 work out at about £250 all in. That is about 7.5% of my other motoring expenses so why would I want to risk my safety for such a small additional cost.

If you are not prepared to take motoring seriously you should consider returning your licence. Its not a challange to find out who has the oldest tyres or who extends their oil changes the longest. Its a serious matter as a blow out can kill.