Unused tyres

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I have nearly new conti 4 seasons hanging up in my shed on wheels.These have been there about thirty months.
I have heard that after a few years unused tyres dry out and crack.Is this true as I’m thinking of replacing these with my worn ones.?
 

Sharky

Guru
Location
Kent
Don't know for sure. I've had some wheels/tyres in my attic for many years and when I brought them down, they were still OK. But I've had a couple of winter tyres that I took off for the summer and when the winter came round again, discovered the side walls appeared to be cracking.
I've also heard of pro's hanging their tubs up for a couple of years before they are used to "season" the rubber and make them more puncture resistant.
So a mixed answer. Just need to examine them before re using.
 

DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
It seems to depend on the tyre; I've used tyres that are 5+ years old without issue. My Raleigh Pioneer was running on the original tyres from 1996 until last summer.

However others seem to crack after a year or so. Conti ones seem OK however - fit and inflate them; if there's no cracks I'd guess you're fine. The only issue with hardening is that they lose grip.
 
It depends very much on the tyre. If it’s a decent properly constructed multi layer tyre, it’s unlikely to be as affected as a cheap single piece vulcanised number, in my experience. It will depend a lot on how they’ve been used, and then stored as well, to an extent.
 
OP
OP
The Central Scrutinizer
Location
Essex
I pumped them up about six months ago,just checked them again and they have hardly gone down.
No cracks so when I have a chance I will replace them with the old tyres.
As always very helpful comments.
 

Milzy

Guru
Slightly off topic but how many thousand miles would a set of conti gp 4000 or 5000 last in use? My mate says my 5000 TL will be worn out after 1 season. Hope not as they cost more than the car tires.
 

Jenkins

Legendary Member
Location
Felixstowe
Slightly off topic but how many thousand miles would a set of conti gp 4000 or 5000 last in use? My mate says my 5000 TL will be worn out after 1 season. Hope not as they cost more than the car tires.
I got 5000 miles out of a pair of the original version of GP4000s (23mm) on my main commuter, but only around 2500-3000 miles on the GP4000 II (23mm, 25mm & 28mm) on other bikes as they seemet to cut up and split a lot more than the original version.
 
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