Can get some new pirelli snowcontrol winter tyres which get ok reviews for £39 each.... But they are 2015 manufacture date. It's from a big tyre seller, Tyreleader so probably been stored ok.
What's the general age that tyres are too old?
winter tyres
A little depends on how long you expect the tyres to last you. Are you someone who puts winters on the the winter only? Depending on your mileage tyres might degrade before you wear them out if they're a few years old to start with
If they're on all year round then you'd probably wear them out before they get too old.
How many years do you expect to keep the car?
I've just retired a set of Snowcontrols after 40k - very good tyres at that price
had the rears on the golf for 10 years and 55k miles.
About half worn!!
I swapped mine back to front each winter, and whilst they were comfortably legal I put new ones on last winter (as they were at the point that they were losing their edge in the snow), after about 25000 miles on them.
You might get more than that out of them, but £39 a corner is an absolute bargain if they're new, just swap them out when they get to 10 years old.
Rubber is oxidised by exposure to UV, oxygen and ozone so mileage is irrelevant. The oxidation process hardens he rubber and reduces grip. If you’re using them daily and all year round so will wear them out in a year or two you’ll be fine. Much longer than tat and they might be getting a bit long in the tooth. But at that price even if you run them for a couple more years and retire them before they are fully worn you’re probably still quids in.
Thanks for the replies, ordered them so that's a guaranteed snowless winter now!
Rubber is oxidised by exposure to UV, oxygen and ozone
Yes, and if you garage the tyres for 8 months of the year they'll last 3x as long - at least that's what I was told by a tyre man. So if the lifetime is 30 years you might as well not worry about it.