Tread

[Nemo]

My tyres are now seven years old (retired - low mileage). I had tyres this old on a car previously and they went a bit 'hard' and I suffered a few punctures until I realized what was happening.

I'm aware that the legal minimum tread depth for car tyres in the UK is 1.6 millimeters, mine are above this.

In terms of convenience (not having punctures) and safely (stopping) when should I look to be changing the tyres? I'm fortunate in not having money worries about any costs involved.

Thanks

[88V8]

...In terms of convenience (not having punctures) and safely (stopping) when should I look to be changing the tyres? I'm fortunate in not having money worries about any costs involved.

I reckon ten years at the outside.
Sooner if you have a high-performance car, or the car lives outdoors where UV will degrade the rubber.

As you say, the compound hardens and grip is reduced.

V8

[Nemo]

Sooner if you have a high-performance car, or the car lives outdoors where UV will degrade the rubber.

As you say, the compound hardens and grip is reduced.

It's quite a powerful Q5 (petrol) and it's kept outdoor.

[DrFfybes]

Sooner if you have a high-performance car, or the car lives outdoors where UV will degrade the rubber.

As you say, the compound hardens and grip is reduced.

It's quite a powerful Q5 (petrol) and it's kept outdoor.

With a fairly heavy powerful car like that I'd look at new ones sooner rather than later. We have similar with some 7 year olds on the wifes Z4M, the tread is low on the rears but 350Hp and old rubber is not ideal.

Paul

[bungeejumper]

My wife's Golf got an advisory on its last MOT that her seven/nine year old Goodyear tyres were starting to crack. (Fair enough, we'll deal with that.) And my bro in law got the same on his SUV, where the monster tyres were only four years old. Maybe he should have put more air into them?

O/T, but from memory the spare tyre is not exempt from the incoming rules about the age of tyres. Although it may well be clean, shiny and unused. Of course, they can't check a spare wheel at the MOT if it isn't present....

BJ

[swill453]

O/T, but from memory the spare tyre is not exempt from the incoming rules about the age of tyres. Although it may well be clean, shiny and unused. Of course, they can't check a spare wheel at the MOT if it isn't present....

What incoming rules? I've heard of rules for lorries, but not for cars.

Scott.

[bungeejumper]

What incoming rules? I've heard of rules for lorries, but not for cars.

Looks like you're right, thanks. I stand corrected. (BTW, the new rules also apply to vans, buses and minibuses. But not, as far as I can tell, to low-mileage vehicles such as caravans or campervans, where they might be truly ancient.) - https://blog.greenflag.com/2023/old-tyres/

BJ (who once watched a caravan ahead of him turn over on a French motorway after an old tyre failed. Sheesh.)

[Nemo]

Thanks everyone.

I'm due an MOT in a few weeks so I'll get them changed then.

Any suggestions as to the make? Grip and stopping when I need to are my priority.

[mtk62]

I used to have the Bridgestone All Weather tyres on my old Avensis - as I live in a rural area (Peak District).
They weren't hugely expensive but they had amazing grip - even in wet weather.

[Arborbridge]

I've had tyres lasting 10-15 years, but recently it seems the quality has changed, and people talk about them "perishing" in three years or so. Almost like they have engineered in a defence against us low mileage drivers.


Arb.

[bungeejumper]

I'm due an MOT in a few weeks so I'll get them changed then.

Any suggestions as to the make? Grip and stopping when I need to are my priority.

On a Q5? Well, I wouldn't buy budget, for a start. Or any Chinese brand.

Have a look at the owners' discussions forums for an idea of what works well on your car, because different brands tend to suit different makes and models. My old diesel Focus was quite heavy at the front end, and I settled on Pirellis after some hair-raising experiences with Avons that just wouldn't corner.

My Passat estate would get an extraordinary 35K out of Dunlop SP Sports, which are generally infamous for scrubbing out at 15K. Whereas my present trusty Toyota estate does well on Michelins, which can be a bit squashy but which hold the road very well. Note, though, that none of these cars are SUVs. Get some model-specific advice or read the reviews before you start shopping.

Bridgestones? LOL, they've improved a lot since the bad old days when they were as skiddy as nylon in the wet. The first thing you always did when you bought a new Japanese bike was to dump the Bridgies before they dumped you. Times change.

BJ

[Nemo]

On a Q5? Well, I wouldn't buy budget, for a start. Or any Chinese brand.

Have a look at the owners' discussions forums for an idea of what works well on your car, because different brands tend to suit different makes and models. My old diesel Focus was quite heavy at the front end, and I settled on Pirellis after some hair-raising experiences with Avons that just wouldn't corner.

On an Audi site these come highly recommended - Pirelli Scorpion Verde ( all season)

https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-gb/car ... all-season

[Nemo]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Today I've had Pirelli all terrain tyres fitted. They look the business and reminded me a bit of the old cross ply tyres my father had on his cars many years ago. Haven't seen cross ply for years. Do they still sell them?

[bungeejumper]

Haven't seen cross ply for years. Do they still sell them?

Farmers still use them on tractors and agricultural vehicles because they like the way they handle in deep mud.

Some motorcyclists still buy them, and not just for vintage bikes, but I'm less sure of the reasons. (When radials first became standard, it took a long time to make the relatively squishy sidewalls feel right for cornering. I was still buying them for my Honda in 1982.)

And then there are the vintage cars, which just look and feel more 'authentic' in cross plies.

https://www.footmanjames.co.uk/blog/cro ... dial-tyres

BJ

[Nemo]

Farmers still use them on tractors and agricultural vehicles because they like the way they handle in deep mud.

Reminds me of a farmer client that I had. He was quite prosperous and always used to have fairly new Range Rovers. My OH used to keep his books and she said that he would always buy second hand tyres or remounds for his RR!

[MonsterMork]

What incoming rules? I've heard of rules for lorries, but not for cars.

Looks like you're right, thanks. I stand corrected. (BTW, the new rules also apply to vans, buses and minibuses. But not, as far as I can tell, to low-mileage vehicles such as caravans or campervans, where they might be truly ancient.) - https://blog.greenflag.com/2023/old-tyres/

BJ (who once watched a caravan ahead of him turn over on a French motorway after an old tyre failed. Sheesh.)

Rules for MoT testing on tyres were changed a few years ago. Over ten years old is a fail on trucks, buses and minibuses, and vehicles with more than 8 passenger seats (eg: old lwb landy station wagons which may not be considered as minibuses, depending on circumstances), but is NOT applicable to vans (transit, sprinter etc) or cars with 8 or fewer passenger seats. Note also that "vehicles of historical interest", ie: those over 40 years old and not substantially changed from original, are also exempt from the 10 year rule.

Section 5.2.3 of the MoT Testing Manual:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mot-inspect ... tion-5-2-3

"Low mileage vehicles"?? Er ..!!! Yes, know what you mean For those who may be deaf in one eye there is no upper or lower mileage limit for MoT purposes Camper vans are subject to MoT same as any other vehicle, but as they fall into class 4 they are outside the scope of the ten year rule. Caravans are not MoT tested (but sensible owners should get them looked at annually anyway, and I have heard of some insurers actually requiring this).

None of this however changes the fact that tyres seem to be a law unto themselves once fitted to vehicles. I have seen fifteen year old tyres pass an MoT with no problems whatsoever, yet ones less than a year old fail due to structural issues in the carcass (ok, mostly at the cheaper-than-free end of the cut-priced budget scale, but you get my drift), and all points in between.

MoTMork