Tires....

[pocketAA]

I just recently purchased a 99 RT/10 which has the original tires still on the car. Should I be looking to replace these soon or should they still be okay to drive on? There is still alot of tread left on the rubber, but I was somewhat concerned about how old they are.

 

[kcobean]

IMO, 7 years isn't terribly old if they've been driven enough to prevent flat-spotting and they aren't showing any signs of deterioration/cracking/dry-rot in the sidewalls. If it were my car, I'd keep 'em on.

 

[LETHAL GTS]

I just recently purchased a 99 RT/10 which has the original tires still on the car. Should I be looking to replace these soon or should they still be okay to drive on? There is still alot of tread left on the rubber, but I was somewhat concerned about how old they are. [/quote
Dry old tires = very slippery ride!
I would be extra careful if you are planning on wearing these tires out over time. These cars have so much torque that it would take practically nothing to get your car sliding sideways.
Personally I would have some fun burning them off while I had a new set waiting to be put on in the near future.
Give JonB a call at the Parts Rack. He can have tires for you likely as soon as tomorrow and with the best price as well.

 

[kcobean]

Ooh...good point, I didn't consider the whole dry rubber = poor traction thing. Learn something new every day.

 

[pocketAA]

Traction still seems good on the tires. I will check them for dry rotting....actually what does dry rotting look like? Cracks, etc???

 

[SNAKE BITE]

I just went through this. I doubt you will have dry rot(I did not with 12year olds) but they may be somewhat hard now and not get the kind of traction you need. My original tires were just replaced a month ago and they are 12 years old.

 

[V 10 MAFIA]

7 years old with tread are fine for a 99 Nissan Altima. However for the Viper, there is nothing like a new set of rubber that holds the car where it should be. On the road!!
Should you replace? Ask yourself if you would trust a 7 year old ****** and you have your answer. Sure it's fine if you take it real easy, but you need something new to do the right job!

 

[GT40DOC]

I think you have to ask yourself what kind of driving are you going to be doing. If you are just "cruzin" with a squirt now and then, use what you have till the tread wears out. On the otherhand, if you are a very aggressive driver and do autocross or tracking,then you definately want sticky, fresh rubber for the best control. My .02

 

[plumcrazy]

charlie, i love the analogy..

 

[DodgeViper01]

7 years old with tread are fine for a 99 Nissan Altima. However for the Viper, there is nothing like a new set of rubber that holds the car where it should be. On the road!!
Should you replace? Ask yourself if you would trust a 7 year old ****** and you have your answer. Sure it's fine if you take it real easy, but you need something new to do the right job!

I loved that analogy. Very well put though.

 

[Randy]

I think you have to ask yourself what kind of driving are you going to be doing. If you are just "cruzin" with a squirt now and then, use what you have till the tread wears out. On the otherhand, if you are a very aggressive driver and do autocross or tracking,then you definately want sticky, fresh rubber for the best control. My .02

I disagree. I've got OEM tires on my '00 (i.e. 6 years old and 29k miles), and their lack of traction *is* dangerous. They're still on the car only because I just recently convinced myself of just how dangerous; a few days ago when I lost traction while accelerating around 40 mph getting on the highway on my morning commute - feeling the back end kick out in heavy traffic is not my idea of fun.

And, as I've said before - tires are a lot cheaper than ANY body work on this car - if you have any doubt as to the traction of the tires, play it safe and replace them.

 

[Landman]

Old tires definitely dry out and get hard. On my old 2000GTS I had stock tires that had plenty of tread. I couldn't hook for anything. Once I put new tires of the same kind on it I couldn't believe the difference. Definitely worth every penny to replace them!

Colin

 

[DanAuito]

I noticed the same thing the other day, just spun'em with no effort. Original from 98 with 10,000 miles on them but hard and dry as rocks! What is best for street driving as replacements?

 

[ViperJames]

The actual shelf life of these tires are supposed to be 3-4 years coming from Michelin. they are given a shelf life for a reason....Once you change them, you will immediately understand why.

 

[Randy]

I noticed the same thing the other day, just spun'em with no effort. Original from 98 with 10,000 miles on them but hard and dry as rocks! What is best for street driving as replacements?

As far as I know, the Michelin Pilot Sports are the best street tire for the car, balancing traction (both wet and dry), cost, and longevity. Your choices for the rear are the Michelin Pilot Sports, Pirelli P-zero, Kumho Vecstra 700 (?), and a number of others best left to the track or autocross.

If you want more traction than the Michelin's as well as much reduced life (and probably rock chipped fender edges), a lot of people speak extremely well of the Kumhos; along with some discussion about whether the 700 Vecstra's are discontinued. I know that Michelin also makes the Pilot Sport Cup line which are stickier and more of a track tire, but I don't personally know anything about them - the Pilot Sport Cups are discussed here every now and then - I've not been tempted to put them on for street use.

I beleive that the only other really viable rear-tire option for the street are the Pirelli P-zeros, which are more expensive and reportedly don't drive very well (less traction and some irritating tracking/dartiness issues).

The remaining tires I know that will fit the rear are the Hoosier A and R-series (R4S04, A3S03, etc) and Kumho track tires, but I would not use those on the street - I've got a set of Hoosier R3 front/R4 rears on my track wheels.

You have lots of choices for the fronts, but I just stay with the Pilot Sports to match the rears.

 

[V 10 MAFIA]

Four Weeks until I put on a new set of Toyo RA-1's. Can't wait. The Michelin's I have on now are two years old and I can notice them fading fast. 2nd gear is spinning them more often than I like. A lot of people think these tires should last forever if there is tread left, meanwhile they don't understand if you want optimum performance the Michelins have a shelf life almost as bad as McDonald's fries.

 

[DanAuito]

Looks like the Pilot Sports are going on in the near future Randy. Thanks for the lowdown on the tire choices.

 

[GR8_ASP]

My experience is that Pilots deteriorate quickly with heat cycles. I get 4 or 5 heat cycles before traction is seriously affected. Some people may never heat the tires enough to get the heat aging impact and their tires may last 4-5 years. I have never had that benefit .

I do not believe storage in low ozone conditions ages the tires like normal usage. So the life expectancy after installation should be consistent, even if the start point is 3 or 4 years later.

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

FYI, Costco now sells M. Pilot Sports and uses Nitrogen for inflation.

 

[DanAuito]

Fred what is your take on the Pilots, any better recommendations? Thanks!

 

[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

I think they are the best option for the street.

 

[DanAuito]

Thank you Fred. I'll take that advice to the street! Here I come costco!