OEM Tires: How Long They Have Lasted Me!

[ilikerice]

Another issue that needs to be addressed is dry rot. Like all rubber, it gets brittle over long periods of time. Being that your car is an 09 and you joined the website in 08, I can only assume that you purchased the car brand new in late 08. So your tires are at least 7 years old probably.

To run your tires bald that are that old is an accident waiting to happen. First person that pops in my mind is Astroman. Remember he bought some really old throw on tires that he used for traveling. He was trying to be cheap and he got a blowout on the highway.
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54076

STORY TIME!
Just image one of your rear tires blows out during a 40 mph turn on a 2 lane road with oncomnig traffic. You take this road every day for the past 8 years and you know exactly what speed and angle you need to turn the wheel to make this turn and can do it without even looking. During this turn, your phone rings. You don't answer it because it's not safe to talk on the phone while driving. But is sitting right there on the center console. You just go to reach for it to check to see who it is and nothing more. Maybe your wife or kid calling, whatever. That split second you reach for that phone and looking down, that outside rear tire blows out. Now your rear end is drifting into the other lane, but you got this. The other car in the other lane coming up doesn't see any of this happening because she too has driven this road 1,000 times and is currently looking over her shoulder to give her baby a toy he dropped. She is in her lane no worries but your rear end is not. She never had a chance to make any evasive actions that she could have if she was looking straight.

No one probably died, and probably not even a scratch, but now you have 2 wrecked vehicles on the side of the road. Probably not totalled but some damage. Deductable is probably $500, but since you are in the money saving buisiness, I would assumed you opted for the $1,000 deductable for a better 6mo rate.

So instead of paying $150 now, you could be paying 5 times that amount later. Who knows, nothing may never happen. You saved $150 now for another 2 years. You can not predict these things, but you can help make them preventable.