stored road tires

[meganm]

I bought some Conti GP 4000 tires on sale 2 years ago, and never used them. They are still in the original package and haven't been exposed to temperature extremes (they've been indoors in a closet).

Are these tires still safe to use?

[Blueberry]

I'd venture a guess that some LBS's have tires that are older than that one their shelves. Absent cracking, etc. I would use them.

[Seajay]

+1 Blueberry. Thankfully we don't have anything that old on the shelf...but I would say a modern clincher style tire would be fine.
I always do a once over with 400 grit sandpaper on brand new tires. Ostensibly to remove any slimy rubber preservative.
I admit this is probably really only an exercise that makes my brain happy and likely makes no difference to traction.

[OakLeaf]

Considering they were on sale, they might have been old by the time you bought them.

Older GP4000s have the same date code system as motor vehicle tires - a four-digit code that indicates the week (first two digits) and year (last two) of production. So if it said "3208" it was manufactured in the 32d week of 2008.

Newer ones have a circle with a cross in them and a single digit next to the circle. The dots in the circle represent the months and the digit is the last digit of the year - so if there are seven dots in the circle and the digit is 0, then it was manufactured in July of 2010.

It's mold release compound, not "preservative" that makes unused tires slick. Running them in by gentle riding is just as effective as sanding ... as long as you remember not to ride super aggressively on a new tire.

I'd be suspicious of a tire more than four or five years old regardless of appearance. It depends on what kind of riding you do, obviously, but a GP4000 isn't an inexpensive tire and it's made for moderately high performance riding. Old tire compound gets hard and loses its stickiness. You're just that much more likely to slide out in a corner or skid under braking. Not a risk I'd necessarily want to take.

But if they were new when you bought them and they're just two years old now, have at it.

[Seajay]

That's great info Oakleaf. Thanks.
and right...mold release not preserv.