i have a 2001 SL1 with the stock tires and was wondering what is their mileage rating? i have 53000 miles one them and the tread is good. only the sidewalls are starting to get crackly. how long should i keep them or should i change them now? i plan to keep the car until it dies.

 

T60031t


I guess that the best answer to your question would be another question > how safe do you feel and how hard do you run (read ''abuse'') your tires?


I''m an older fella, and have driven Saturns since the early 90''s. During that time, I''ve had two tire failures, and both were due to road hazards (running over junk on the road). If the cracks on the sidewalls are deep, or you''ve lost a piece out of the sidewall, the answer is definitely change out the tires. Hard driving, radical turns, and improper inflation will only make the problem worse ...


Good luck with your decision

 

Keith


You bring up an excellent point - how long has a specific tire been sitting around on the shelf, waiting to be put on your vehicle. There is a couple of forums/blogs that can be found via GOOGLE that discuss/explain the codes that are pressed into the tire at the time of manufacture, so you can actually determine the age of the tire BEFORE it goes on your car.


I know I upset the tire dealer the last time, because I demanded to view/inspect the new tire(s) before he mounted them on the car. Of the four tires, I rejected two because their dates indicated they had been sitting around for nearly a year (the others had dates that were only three months old). It''s your car, it''s your right ...