Tires: tire aging, tire performance, hot weather

Question
I have a Honda thats eight years old, with very few
miles on it (less than 25000). A major part of our
driving is on a freeway which has a 65 mph limit.

I wonder if tires age just siting in the sun for
eight years? Is there any way I can test it and
do I need to ?

Thank you


Answer
Recent events have proven that tire performance degrades over time, even if the tire is not used.  A given tire might not even show any signs of degradation, but neverthe less has degraded.

Some folks are saying that 6 years is the limit, some say 10 years.  My take on the difference is temperature.  So if you live in a hot weather state (AZ, FL, etc.)  then use 6 years, if you live in a cold weather state (MN, MI, etc.) then use 10 years.  Others would be inbetween.