How old are my tires? Are they really 15 years old?

[festiboi]

I just bought my 1992 Explorer four weeks ago and while doing the check around the car before buying, looked at the tires. "Yeap, they have plenty of tread and life in them" I thought to myself. In fact, I thought they were almost brand new. They are a really nice set of Goodyear Wranglers

The next day, just out of curiosity, I looked at the side of the tires to see their age. If memory from high school mechanics serves me right, there's a four digit code on the sidewall of every tire showing the week and year when the tire was manufactured. The tires on my Ex read "3600", or the 36th week of 2000

I just want to confirm; are my tires really 15 years old?!? Am I reading that correctly?! That's old enough for them to get a learner's permit! It would make some sense, as the Carfax shows the truck only put on 30k miles in that time.

I think I know the dreaded answer to this, but if yes, would you replace them? They look fine, have loads of tread, and show no cracks or age. However, this being an Explorer, there's that whole tire issue that comes to mind. Being the cheapskate that I am, it's painful to see visually good tires go

 

[1996EB]

Produced 36th week of 2000 is correct. Amazing that there is no cracking. At least they aren't Firestones!

 

[Sitcoms]

They're not the firestone tire so I wouldn't worry too much about it, for now at least. Amazing they're not cracked/worn.. How many miles are on the truck?

 

[festiboi]

They're not the firestone tire so I wouldn't worry too much about it, for now at least. Amazing they're not cracked/worn.. How many miles are on the truck?

The Explorer has a total of only 61k miles on it. The elderly, original owner barely drove it the past decade

 

[beepinX]

Its real amazing how mint the condition of those tires are.

 

[festiboi]

Its real amazing how mint the condition of those tires are.

Seriously, it's a testament to Bridgestone and their quality. I seriously doubt that today's off-brand Chinese tires would hold up as long

 

[DjDom]

Seriously, it's a testament to Bridgestone and their quality. I seriously doubt that today's off-brand Chinese tires would hold up as long

Bridgestones..? Those are Good Years.

I know of people who put some weird cream on their tires before putting them in storage. It keeps them very hydrated and prevents cracking. No idea how that really works but just an idea.

 

[festiboi]

Oops! My bad.... they are Goodyears. It was too early this morning when I posted that.

 

[2TimingTom]

Where was the tire(s) kept all these years?

 

[festiboi]

Where was the tire(s) kept all these years?

They were just kept on the car, but the car itself was kept in a garage for 15 years without seeing much light of day

 

[festiboi]

Even though they looked good, I went ahead and purchased four new Goodyear Wrangler tires for it today. The paranoia was just eating away at me. Given the Explorer's notoriety with tires and blowouts, it wasn't worth the risk to have my husband, myself, or anyone else on the road be injured or killed to save some money.

The installers were really impressed with the Explorer's condition, and said they have never seen tires last that long on any car.

 

[festiboi]

.

 

[1996EB]

Good idea to change them anyway. Can you post more pics of your vehicle? Some interior shots would be nice to see. It looks in great condition.

 

[festiboi]

Good idea to change them anyway. Can you post more pics of your vehicle? Some interior shots would be nice to see. It looks in great condition.

Thank you; it is! It was impossible to say no to when I bought it last month, even though I already had three cars at home. The condition is incredible, and it came with all service records and the window sticker from 1992. Even the delivery inspection report from the Ford dealer dated May, 1992 is in there.

Here are some more pics from the day I bought it. I've added the taillight guards since:

 

[colintrax]

That's beautiful. My 2014 Spark is in rougher shape

 

[festiboi]

That's beautiful. My 2014 Spark is in rougher shape

I've heard about some of the trouble that you've had with your Spark. What have the issues been with it?

 

[colintrax]

I've heard about some of the trouble that you've had with your Spark. What have the issues been with it?

Mostly sticky gas pedal, but it'll stall occasionally, AC is useless, dash rattles, clutch shudders, and it's just a turd.

But I meant I've torn it up more than your ex is lol not any fault of chevy. It's just not a good vehicle for dirt roads, hauling tools, and kayaks/bicycles. Rims are gouged, back seat is torn open on the back side, back doors are gouged, paint is scraped in a couple spots, and a few dents.

 

[1996EB]

Wow, I love this 1st gen Explorer. It's in truly amazing shape. It reminds me of the 93 XLT that I used to own. Mine was loaded and had the same 5 spoke rims as yours, along with the same style sport seats. I believe the my interior color as "Mocha". Those are great seats with the "pull out" thigh support, along with the back AND thigh power lumbar support It's also really nice that you have all the documentation.

 

[festiboi]

Mostly sticky gas pedal, but it'll stall occasionally, AC is useless, dash rattles, clutch shudders, and it's just a turd.

But I meant I've torn it up more than your ex is lol not any fault of chevy. It's just not a good vehicle for dirt roads, hauling tools, and kayaks/bicycles. Rims are gouged, back seat is torn open on the back side, back doors are gouged, paint is scraped in a couple spots, and a few dents.

Wow! That poor Spark has had a rough, young life.

Your issues were a little surprising. I've rented a few Sparks and we had one as a company car that was worked hard everyday, and they were durable, solid little cars. My husband's 2008 Aveo, that came from the same Daewoo factory in South Korea, has also been dependable

You should work as a durability tester for the manufacturers!

 

[festiboi]

Wow, I love this 1st gen Explorer. It's in truly amazing shape. It reminds me of the 93 XLT that I used to own. Mine was loaded and had the same 5 spoke rims as yours, along with the same style sport seats. I believe the my interior color as "Mocha". Those are great seats with the "pull out" thigh support, along with the back AND thigh power lumbar support It's also really nice that you have all the documentation.

Thanks! This gen of Explorer has always been my favourite. A perfect balance of being a rugged and robust truck while coddling passengers in car-like comfort. I always loved these as a kid and wanted my parents to get one as our family car (they never did). I ended up collecting model cars of this gen Explorer instead.

There's a lot of smart ideas in this gen; the thigh support extenders are unique, the inflatable side bolsters are something I've never seen on any other car, and the overall design is, IMO, one of the most attractive, handsome SUVs ever.

I'm so glad that I get a chance to relive my childhood fantasy of owning one of these.

How many miles did you get out of your '93? Your memory does serve you well; the interior colour, according to the window sticker, is mocha