Hi All, here is a road safety tyre check you can do yourself.
Tyres are one of the most important components on a vehicle with high temperatures created on long motorway driving conditions your tyres need to be in good condition.
The rubber in your tyres will perish with age and sunlight so check them often and make sure they are not dangerous by being out of date.
All tyres have a manufacture's date on them and should be replaced every 5 years regardless of condition to prevent failure.
Tyre date can be seen on every tyre as 4 numbers usually with a ring around the numbers:idea, the first two numbers are the week of manufacture from 01 to 52 followed by the last two for year.
Example 1315 13th week of 2015 :idea:

I'm not as sure as you are that after 5 years tyres become dangerous.

I do agree regular tyre checks are a very good thing indeed.

The British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) recommended practice, issued June, 2001, states, "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over*sixyears old and that all tyres should be replaced*ten*years from the date of their manufacture."

Just another point of view.
Mercedes-Benz , BMW and other manufacturers may have their own advice .

I've always been a firm believer in putting the best tyres I can afford on my cars and checking their condition regularly, especially before long drives or motorway driving, check pressures, under inflated tyres cause sidewall damage, which can lead to heat build up and blow outs! Check you have plenty of tread depth across the width of the tyre, one side can wear more than the other, this can indicate your tracking is out.
At the end of the day tyres can save your life I've known people who will spend £100 or more on a pair of trainers but will spend no more than £25 on a tyre!! Avoid part worns and remoulds

Nothing wrong with remoulds, in my opinion, never had any trouble with the Colway Super Plus 4's I used to run.

Part worns, well, the gamble is that you don't know how they were treated, what position they were on the vehicle etc, then again, I've never had a problem with any of the used tyres I've bought either.

New tyres however... 2x sidewall blowouts within 50km of eachother, new tyres from a major French manufacturer, apparently an isolated quality control issue

My tester agrees with above, 5 years is fine if the tyre looks ok, 10 years is getting a bit old.

Perhaps even more important, particularly for those in the UK where it isn't law, is having matching tyres on the same axle. Any French, German or most other European tyre fitters will look at you aghast if you suggest just replacing one tyre. Like brakes, suspension components, they should really be changed in pairs, obvious when you think about it.

Same tread pattern, same level of tread wear (or close enough) and preferably same manufacturer (as compounds differ), it does make a difference.

Steve145 said:

Nothing wrong with remoulds, in my opinion, never had any trouble with the Colway Super Plus 4's I used to run.

Part worns, well, the gamble is that you don't know how they were treated, what position they were on the vehicle etc, then again, I've never had a problem with any of the used tyres I've bought either.

New tyres however... 2x sidewall blowouts within 50km of eachother, new tyres from a major French manufacturer, apparently an isolated quality control issue

My tester agrees with above, 5 years is fine if the tyre looks ok, 10 years is getting a bit old.

Perhaps even more important, particularly for those in the UK where it isn't law, is having matching tyres on the same axle. Any French, German or most other European tyre fitters will look at you aghast if you suggest just replacing one tyre. Like brakes, suspension components, they should really be changed in pairs, obvious when you think about it.

Same tread pattern, same level of tread wear (or close enough) and preferably same manufacturer (as compounds differ), it does make a difference.

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This opens up a whole new can of worms! The great tyre debate, remould, part worn, budget versus new quality branded tyre, I know which one I choose, I value my life and those around me
However 'you pays your money you takes your choice' The original post was about tyre safety checks, I do mine and was offering my thoughts and considerable experience :- 35 years driving, 10 of those on 2 wheels!! (you learn a lot about tyres and how critical they are to grip riding motorbikes )
My own personal advice would be to choose the best tyre you can afford and check them regularly, tread, pressures, damage, condition etc
1. Remoulds- are remanufactured tyres, a tyre is built to last a certain length of time, they wear out and the structural integrity of the tyre weakens over time and use, the sidewalls especially due to constant loading and flexing will weaken, rubber degrades, sometimes you can see the hairline cracks!
2. Part worns- ask yourself are you really saving money!? The tyres are usually nearing the end of their life, you might get 3-4mm of tread if your lucky, if your very lucky you might get a fairly new tyre and a pair the same!! I had one fitted just to get through an MOT later that day, the MOT tester condemned it!
3. Budgets- Well there are some good ones but a lot that compromise on quality, compound and strength in order to keep costs down. I had a pair fitted to the rear of a car I bought 2nd hand, they were scary in the wet, let go around very slow roundabouts, I wouldn't like to think how they would have performed in an emergency stop! I changed them pretty quick, transformed the car!

Whilst loitering around my TA. I noticed a buckling of the sidewall... ( where Large moulded motifs are) its the factory fit Continental..so now 5 years old.in use for 4

The 25 year old pirelli's that recently came off the x1/9 were straighter...