My 85 SE's spare tire appears to be the original and looks to have never touched the road. Is it safe to use or should they be replaced after a certain number of years?

 

Well - if it IS an unused spare, then there is a LOT of cache for NOT using it as anything but a show piece. That said my understanding is tire manufacturers nowadays recommend tires be use before they are 5 yrs old. Assuming their Lawyers are up their collective butts to prevent liability and you even DOUBLE that storage-time, your tire is way past its prime for anything short of getting you home from a flat. People have been Darwin'd off driving their antiquish-autos on the original tires!
FWIW I to have a complete set of NOS OE Bridgie tires (all spares bought from all over) and alloys. These will never touch the ground except maybe a museum floor. hear me Mazda? ya. right....


Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

 

most tire shops wont even mount a tire on a rim if it is older than 10 years old... not even for a rolling chassis