I know most of us S2000 owners drive our cars in such a way that tires get worn out well before they reach a dangerous age, but sometimes when we buy a used set (or even "new" sets at shady retailers) we risk buying tires that have dry rotted or simply gone bad with age. Rubber generally isn't meant to last a long time, and while I don't know exact numbers, I try to never use a tire much more than 2 years old. To determine the age of a tire, use this link: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=11

As for my story, I bought a used set of wheels and tires from a local member that came from a car that likely spent a lot of its life sitting. Now in NO way am I blaming said member, because I bought these FULLY knowing their age, and mostly wanted the wheels. Well, as I was driving to work Friday morning at around 5 am, I felt a vibration that got really intense over the course of about a minute. I pulled over, and saw this:



Thankfully, Jesus (drkphnx) was able and willing to bring his truck out along with a jack and a spare set of wheels and tires I could use temporarily. When we took the wheel off, this was what we saw:



Again, I'm ONLY posting this as a caution for members to keep an eye on tire age when they're buying tires, especially used. I'm fine, my car is fine, and even my wheel actually seems to be fine, but it could have been a lot worse because I didn't do a better job of replacing my tires, despite having adequate tread.

Stay safe, everyone! It's never good when rubber breaks!!

 

Stop lying and tell the truth. You were drifting aren't you?

 

We just purchased a 2001 Silverstone with 36k and the tires are dated 2002. Looks like a good excuse to purchase a new set of wheels (17's) next year with new rubber..

 

Glad you and your car are OK. Thanks for the Tire Rack link, good to know.