my 05 gt vert will be 7 years old this june; it only has 20,000 miles and the tires are still the original; i have read several safety articles saying that tires older than 6 - 7 years should be replaced regardless of tread remaining due to the higher probability of failure. have any of you replaced your tires because of age? i don't really want to drop $800 but will if there is a concern - i drive the curvy and hilly roads in the NW Arkansas mountains to get the most out of the GT and would not want a tire failure and possible accident due to me being cheap. What do you all think - would you replace them?

 

Yes replace them when you can. It's not safe. If you remember all the explorer/firestone problems a few years back. Just about all the cases on those were out of date tires. I personally don't trust a tire past 4 years.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...jsp?techid=138

 

If a tire is not showing any obvious signs of dry rot or cracking and has been on a garaged vehicle and not subjected to weather extremes, I'll sometimes be willing to go as long as 5-6 years, maybe up to 7 on the outside, but IMHO you should replace them this year for sure.

 

Mine have been on 6 years this month and I've got 40000 on them and the tread still looks good. I plan on changing them soon just because of age. Might as well throw in a new set of chrome bullet wheels too.

 

since i will need to get new tires, i looked at wheels at american muscle and they have some complete packages for about $1300 shipped with tires mounted; has anyone here bought wheels from american muscle? just getting a quality check before i order. also, i have 17 inch wheels and will be getting 18 inches. the rep told me i wouldn't need to recalibrate my speedo since american muscle sets are the exact same ratio (diameter); has anyone heard of this? thanks

 

yep American muscle is a stand up company to deal with and their customer service is second to none. 18 inch tires will have less side wall than the 17 inch tires and therefor have the same outside diameter. I bought a set of older tires and they seemed to have less traction due to the tires being harder. They seem to stiffen up over time, I used them for a good while before replacing them. Make sure to do some burn outs before you replace them lol
Post a link to the wheels and tires your looking at please.

 

the tires on my Jeep CJ are 20 years old...

 

20 years? they havent returned to the earth yet?

 

since my car is a legend lime vert with black top and interior i am trying to keep the black theme: these are the 2 i am looking at: not convinced on the all black but like them; otherwise it will be the second set:
http://www.americanmuscle.com/charco...18x8-0512.html
http://www.americanmuscle.com/machin...18x8-0512.html

 

I likem both but I like the first one better.

 

I like them both as well. Both would look great on your car. If it was up to me id get the first ones

 

I plan on doing the same thing. I now have 17 inch wheels and I'm getting the 18 inch chrome bullits and tire combo from American Muscle. The tire diameter is the same so you don't need to recalibrate your speedo.

 

6+ year old tires, I certainly reccomend that. 800 bucks is cheap insurance IMO. Also make sure the replacement tires are two years old or less and have been properly stored (in a cool dry place out of the sunlight and not exposed to harsh chemicals).

27" dia is the optimal OD for the S-197, most of the stock fitments are around this size with the GT500 being an exception. the 285/35R19 and 285/30R20 are a bit less than 27" (IIRC 26.8") but not enough to matter (well except visually 2/10ths can certainly stick out).

Also consider the wider 18x9 wheels if your looking at a 255mm section width or above since this can have effect on steering response and handling. In short as a tire approaches its maximum approved rim width, it will produce crisper handling and steering response. It also has some effect on the contact patch (wider is better).

If you value comfort over response then go with a rim that approaches the minimum approved rim width.

Some other things to consider is the type of tire your looking for, be it summer or all season or with an emphasis on luxury. Even a tire that is the same size across that spectrum, the handling will be very different.

A not so funny example of this would be Michelin's MXV4 tire - they are speed rated, and alot of dealers sold them as performance tires, but they were indeed touring tires and installing them in a performance application lead to some sticky situations for the drivers and a bad rep for Michelin.