I have a friend that will give me some steelies that have been sitting in his garage (not on a car) for like 3 years... the tires are just about brand new, but will the tires be in good condition (granted no dry rot) after sitting that long ?

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how were the tires stored?

 

On the stock rim on the side, stacked.

 

I had a Corvette that sat outside for two years and the tires held up pretty well. Mich. Pilot XGTZ or somethin like that.

 

I just want to make sure I don't get any surprises at 80 on the highway... like a 'new' tire popping for no good reason...

X2

 

3 year old tires are pushing it. You would probably find the rubber very hard and the handling characteristics very different from a new car.

I wouldn't buy them if I was you.

 

I'd prolly pick up the things cheap.... I want the steelies and the tires will just be there until I can afford some performance rubber... it'll be for a daily driver for now... $100 for all sound fair ?

 

look for cracks.. and make sure the tire is still "soft" it' should be hard..

store your tires in a cool dark spot away from heat, light, and magnetic fields, preffereably off the rim.. or on the rim with no PSI

 

?? Are you crazy !?!? LOL....

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The tires your friend has are fine if they where stored inside and not exposed to the sun or weather. The oils used to make the rubber normally require high demand (driving/plying) and quite a bit of weathering to go bad. When on a car they can last years and they are usually exposed to harsh weather conditions and also subject to serious flexing under normal driving conditions. Don't underestimate the engineering that goes into the build of even a cheap tire. If the tire was made in Mexico then you might possible have a problem. The Mexican rubber is developed with the least amount and cheapest of oils, at least in the old days when the VW Beetle was popular. Large inventories of tires at places like Sears have longer life span in the warehouse than three years. They can't turnover every tire size in the place, some being specialty tires and such. So, get yourself a good deal. Also, as stated by one other member, "check for cracks," not only directly, but flex the rubber as much as possible and see if any cracks appear. I doubt you'll find any if they were new (never used) and stored indoors. It isn't like metal, where what you don't see can still contain problems. Thats my 0.02, and I worked in the industry at one time.