My 87 year old dad has 10 year old tires on his car and only 38000 miles on them.
He has nitrogen installed in the tires.
would this car be safe to drive on a long trip (350 miles)
I would replace them. Tyres wear and the get old. Under normal to good storage conditions 10 years is very old for a tyre. Under extremely good conditions they might be OK. Have they been keep in the dark and away from ozone and heat? Are there any cracks in the sidewalls?
Personally I don't think I would want to drive across town on them.Another vote, replace them.
I have a 93 Caprice with 8 year old tires with about 31k miles. I drive the car once or twice a week keeping the speed under 50 mph. I check the air pressure and the condition of the tires on a regular basis. Except for an occasional trip to Philly (~75 miles), the driving is local. I would not drive it on a 350 mile trip. I plan on replacing the tires in the spring since I feel I’m pushing my luck at this point.
The various articles I’ve seen recommend replacing tires after anywhere from six years to ten years. You’re at the top end of that range, so I’d replace them.
Take a look at http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=138.
I just replaced the tires on my utility trailer this past summer. They were 10yo and only about 5k miles…PLENTY of tread left…But the side walls were squishy. Tires deteriorate with age.
Replace the tires.
I’ve seen some tires last that long and be fine, I’ve seen some younger tires exhibit “age cracking”. WIth no other information, I have to recommend replacement.
As I said before, replace them. Even without visible cracking tires harden with age, bad for wet weather handling.
Personally, I would inspect the tires for cracks, and if there were none or very few, I would leave them on. However, for your 87 year old dad, please replace them to ensure his safety. He will have enough traffic worries on his long trip!