Tire Age Question
 

Question:
I have OEM bridgestone potenzas re050a installed with about 24k miles on them. The tires were probably mounted in 2007. Take a look at the picture. Thoughts on how my life I have on the rear tire? Even if there is some tread left, should the tires be replaced due to age? If no, would your opinion change if I am taking a long trip - over 2000 miles? Thanks.

With this car, tires are much more likely to be replaced from wear as from age. You can see when the tire was manufactured by the code on the sidewall. I suspect with normal driving you will wear them down by winter. Once you are hitting the wear bars somewhere on the tire, you need to start thinking about replacement ESPECIALLY if you are driving on wet roads. The S does not suffer fools well who ignore worn tires.

Usually 10 years is the limit on passenger cars. I had a set of Toyos with 9 years on them (but only 1/3 of tread life gone) fail on the freeway as the cord delaminated from the tread. Not good. The S is a different animal.

Replace this fall.

i would change em. I had originals on my 2007 as well and they had life left but had some cracking on the inner walls. and since you going on a 2000 mile trip, just be smart and get some new rubber! and id even get an alignment as well. If you have a local costco near you and your are a member they have $70 off a set of 4 Bridgestone tires. I purchased the RE-11A's.

-Mike

Thanks for the feedback. This gives me good perspective on how long these tires can last.

Thanks. Good advice. Rather take the convervation approach. How do you like the Potenza RE-11A overall performance? How about in the wet/rain?

I just put RE-11A tires on my '06 but haven't driven in the rain yet. They seem wonderful -- so far.

This type "summer" tire has a Tread Rating of 200 which is pretty low for passenger car tires. Your 24,000 miles is good data and I just saw an '06 with over 30K on the original tires last weekend. The experience of others here (since we're all driving S2000s) is the best indicator of how long tires will last. If you're only driving in the summer just about any tire will provide several seasons.

Buying tires now is much cheaper and faster than in East Boondocks. S2000 tires are not stocked anywhere locally I'm aware of.

-- Chuck

Alignment before a road trip is important. Don't want to buy new tires and have to replace them after the road trip because your toe is was off.

The Bridgestone RE-11A is a great "extreme summer performance" tire. Therefor it will wear faster than other tires due to a 200 tread wear rating (the OEM Bridgestone Potenzas RE050A had a 140 tread wear rating) . I would look into what tire is best for you and your driving requirements. Another great tire I like and own is Continental Extreme Contact DW (not DWS), great rain performance and higher tread wear rating. It is actually my wet autocross tire, my dry autocross tire is Dunlop ZII.

Look at the date code on the side of the tire. If the tires are at least 6 years old, then you should absolutely replace them. Almost all tire manufacturers recommend replacement at 6 years, regardless of tread depth.

I had a set of 6 year old Primacy MXV4 on my Acura TL and they were dangerously lacking in grip even though they had enough tread. I almost had a couple accidents because of those tires.

9 or 10 years is way too long - as you unfortunately found out.

I am disappointed with the RE-11A wet and cool performance. If I was buying again I would buy the Michelin pilot super sport.

I just replaced the OEM tires on my 2005 S2000. They were the original tires and had 28,869 miles on them, but still had enough tread to go another year for me. I've been itching to replace them and did it when Costco put the rebate on the Potenza RE-11A tires. I don't drive my car when rain's in the forecast, but since I'll drive it to Seattle a couple of times a year, rain is hard to avoid and I wanted a tire with better rain performance than the ZII's and RS3's. Two months ago I got caught in a storm over there and knew it was time. Plus, I could get the rear end to step out any time, even when hot or dry. The rubber had become noticeably harder over the last two summers.

I've been really happy how much the ride quality has improved. The new tires make the old ones seem like hockey pucks. I went with the 225/255 front/rear sizes on AP2 V1 wheels.

[attachment=64606:225 vs 215.JPG]

My question is similar, but my tires are older. I purchased the 17" OEM AP2 V1 wheels with OEM Bridgestone Potenza RE050, with a manufacture date of 1204. That tells me the tires are 10 years old. Tread depth is 6mm on one tire and 5mm on the other 3. There are no visible cracks or disfigurements. Current sizes are 215/45 R17 (front) and 245/40 R17 (rear).

I'm planning a longer trip in about two months and will be driving some mountain roads at less than "spirited" speeds, to keep the motion-sickness enabled gf from ruining the interior.

I have a set of four unused Hankook Ventus V12 tires in all the same size, 245/40 ZR17.

What's your recommendation?

Are 10-year old tires still OK?

Should I change the tires out to the four Ventus V12 for a square set up? Will the V12s fit my wheels?

Or should I put the 245/40 on the rear and buy slimmer tires for the front?

The tire industry says 10 years from the date of mfg of 6 years once they are put on the car. I would not run 10 year old tires in fact we would not even mount them here at Tire Rack. I would look for a couple front V12's in either 215/45R17 or 225/45R17 to match up with the 245/40R17.
If I can help let me know.

Thanks for the advice. I am sure there are many threads about this here, but I see you recommended staying with 245 (not 255) in the rear and 225 in the front as an option. What are the cons of the doing that? Will it change the balance of the car, VSA engagement, create move oversteer, etc? How about rubbing? I know the CR comes with 255 in the rear. I want there to be absoutely not rubbing. Thanks.

Want to thank everyone for the timely and helpuful replies! What a great community we have here. :tipwink:

Let us know what you decide to do.

not sure if OP purchased already, but Costco will have Michelin tires $70 off of 4 Sept. 1 and the bridgestone $70 off is still good till Aug. 31st. If you not a member, using tirerack is a no brainer. Good luck. Also, if you looking to do long road trips and not a casual spirited driver, id look into A/S tires rather than extreme performance tires due to tread life. just a thought.

You can go with the 225/45R17 and 255/40R17 on the AP2 no problem. They are just a little wider than stock. It will handle a little better without any rubbing issues. There will not be any issues with anti loch or traction control. If I can help let me know.