The day I realized junkyard tires aren't worth it

I was at Pull-A-Part in Atlanta last Saturday digging for a replacement door panel and got to talking with the yard guy about used tires. He told me most tires sitting there are 8-10 years old even if they look fine, and the rubber gets hard and dangerous. Ran the date codes on three sets and sure enough every single one was from 2015 or older. Has anyone else just stopped messing with used tires and started buying budget new ones instead?

2 comments

2 Comments

susanh4611d ago

Ran the date codes on three sets and every single one was from 2015 or older" - that's wild! I would have bet money at least one of those was under 5 years old. I've grabbed used tires before thinking I was saving a quick $40, but never checked the date code. Now I'm wondering how many of the ones I bought were basically hockey pucks on the road. I remember a set of 2012 tires I got for my old Civic that felt fine until it rained, then I was sliding through every intersection. Definitely leaning toward just grabbing a set of the bottom-tier new ones from now on, even if it costs a little more up front.

iris_green8411d ago

Wait, have you actually driven on 2012 tires in the rain? That sounds terrifying honestly. I had a similar experience last year with some used tires that looked fine but were from 2014. Drove through a puddle and felt the back end start to slide out on me. Scared me enough to never mess with old junkyard tires again. I'd rather pay $50 more for new budget tires that actually grip the road when it matters. Those few extra bucks are worth not ending up in a ditch.