So I've got an older Jeep Wrangler at my house right now that I'm fixing up. Not really driving it much, except around the neighborhood. The tires are some nice 33x12.50/15 Firestone Destination MTs with maybe 7,000-8,000 miles on them and no appreciable wear. However, they are about 13-14 years old. This jeep has done a lot of sitting in storage over the last 10 years. One tire is showing some very slight spiderweb cracking on the inner sidewall, while all have some hairline cracking around the edges of the tread blocks. Considering how squirrely a lifted Wrangler would be if a blowout occurred at highway speeds, I'm thinking I need to ditch these things before doing much highway driving. Seems like a shame, as they look practically new otherwise and they're $220 tires.....
So am I right in thinking that 13 years is getting old, regardless of mileage?
Those don't sound like "$220.00 tires" to me. I'd chit can them. It's a shame you don't drive that jeep more. In fact, letting a vehicle sit for long periods of time like that is more than just hard on the tires. It's hard on mechanical parts and rubber seals etc...
