Tires

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I’m planning a trip from FL to OR. My car is 9-1/2 years old (VW beetle) and I have 45,000 miles on my tires. They are the original tires. How do I know if they are still good enough to take me across the country?

Thanks!

2

I just replaced 9 year old tires with only 35k miles on a 1993 Caprice. I was only using the car occasionally for local (< 50 mph) driving for the last year or two. The tires were horrendous in the rain as they got older.

Here is a good article on tire age and replacement. He suggest 6 to 8 years, 10 at the most under ideal conditions. I think he’s a little generous.

http://searchwarp.com/swa59705.htm

If I were you, I would replace the tires and have the car inspected before attempting the trip.

Good luck,

Ed B.

3

Thank you for this article. I better get them replaced. How do I find the best tire for my beetle?

4

www.tirerack.com is a good site to do research and to purchase. I’m leaning toward Yokohamas or Dunlops for my wife’s 2006 Sienna, but I’m not comfortable making a recommendation for a Beetle.

Ed B.

5

If you like the performance of the current tire, and if they are still available in that model, you can go with exact replacement. Otherwise, EdB’s tirerack suggestion is a good start to do research. I would also suggest an alignment check when you go get the new ones installed.