Ever since tire mfgrs were mandated to put the date of mfgr on tires they make sure their tires won't last any longer than that. I'd rather see quality long lasting materials mandated so you wouldn't have to think about how old your tires are. My friend has a '40 with the original tires still on it. Not a single check, and he bought the bike 45 years ago. When I sold my '71 wrecker about 5 years ago it had the tires I had bought for my '70 CST/30 with utility body on it that I bought in '89, no cracks. I have a utility trailer that I bought new in '97. I just changed the original tires a few years ago because I was concerned with their age. I think they did have some checking started, but still hauled a load. Just got to be worrisome, so I bought new tires. I bought bias-ply so they would wear out before coming apart. They already look pretty far down. Thinking about replacements already. Why buy good tires that give long miles if they become dangerous before they wear out? The original tires were Goodyear. I also bought a couple sizes oversized, just because. It was an old school way of reducing road wear and heat build up, whether effective or not I don't know. Looks cool with taller rubber, though
