Older "New" Tire

Time to replace the tires that were supplied with the kit. I have one new aero classic tire that was given to me by a friend. Its brand new but has been sitting in an Arizona hangar for probably around 7 years. Safe to use or just not worth the risk. Any educated opinions out there?

A tires age is largerly dependant upon the quality of rubber used and can range from a couple of years for cheap, chinese junk to well over 20 years. Dry rot can typically be seen.

Once inflated, you should be able to see visible signs of dry rot or cracking, if they exist. I would just keep a close eye on it in its first 50 hours to insure that cracking does not appear after it starts flexing on the plane.

Larry

I have a pair that came with a -7 kit in 2008, and stayed out of the sun in my workroom inside an 'unconditioned' hangar in MS until last year, when they were installed on my flying -4. They still look like new.

Put it on the left side and go fly.