[motorcritter]

All the major tire retailers I have worked for had policies that tires of a certain age would not be installed for highway use. The usual age declared to be 'unacceptable' was 6 years. I usually saw 'flat-spotted' tires that were our-of-date- not everyone stores the vehicle properly. The deterioration occurs from within, the steel belts and bead cables corrode (moisture gets trapped inside the carcass), the various aromatic (volatile) chemicals that provide stability to the rubber compound evaporate and deteriorate (tires are big mixtures of a lot of 'stuff', akin to a loaf of bread) and slowly the tire disintegrates over time. As mentioned before, replacing them is a lot cheaper than the consequences of a sudden failure- even a low-speed blowout can damage bodywork and/or suspension components- at high speed, loss of control and instability can be fatal. Some shops had use cut the bead wires or hole-saw the sidewall- no one wanted to assume the liability for a failed, out-of-date tire. Ozone attacks the rubber compound, and improper storage near ozone-producing equipment (electrical generators, in particular) can 'age' a tire prematurely- one reason those covers get put on parked RV tires. Proper storage doesn't extend the lifespan, just help prevent early breakdown of the tire. It sucks to scrap a set of low-mileage out-of-date tires, but not nearly as much as coping with some severe damage, or injury, or loss of life.
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