lets say if i have some high perf tires like S03 or pilot sport... how long could these tires last if they are just sitting there...

 

If they don't try out in the low humidity in LA, a couple of years at best.

 

If you wrap them in plastic and keep them out of the sun they might last a while but they will deteriorate without driving on them.

 

The real enemy is dry rot. See previous post about wrapping in plastic; keep in well ventilated area.

I assume they are not on a car right now. That would be the worst thing. If they are on a car and sit for extended periods (many weeks) , the tires will develop a flat spot. Best thing if the car just sits is put it up on jack stands.

 

I gave my local shop 2 Dunlop SP9000 tires off my old car cause I couldn't use them. They have been sitting on a shelf in their garage for like 3 years now. They still look ok.

 

In Florida....forever.

 

Must be something about the SP9000s or Dunlops in general. My car sits for a month at a time and I've never had flat spotting on my tires.

 

There was an article in one of the weekend paper inserts talking about tires and some companies wanted to put expiration dates on them. They said some shops keep tires for 3+years before they sell and never seem to have problems.

 

True, but when tires are NEW they have protective oil on them in case they aren’t sold right away.
That’s why they usually warn you to drive slow for the first mile or so. Especially if it’s raining out.
Once you drive a bit, that wears right off.

 

That junk on them is the mold release compound. Some tires have a ton of it on them, others have very little. Some tires need 50-miles to rub the stuff off.

I got one batch of tires made by "Semperit" (this was years and years ago), and the tires never broke in and were completely worn down in 40 miles They were duds made completely of release compound (you could sink your fingernail into the stuff left).

The Toyos were "stuck" right off the lot...


Tire life depends on make, temp, and depending on compound -- ozone. 5 to 6 years is probably the max lifespan.

As mentioned, bagging the tires in a cool place would help. A weenie would probably pump some nitrogen in. :P

Here is a tech link on storing Yokohama tires: http://www.yokohamatire.com/pdf/tsb-112102.pdf