My 4Runner got a screw in the tire and is losing air. I can keep it pumped up for about 2 hours before it goes flat. I got it home and proceeded to put on the spare which I've never used before. I look up the manufacturing code and low and behold, it has a tire date stamp of November of 1997! The tire is brand new and never been used so I assumed it had been replaced at some point! My 4Runner has a production date of September of 1997 so that's consistent with when it would have hit US shores after being made in Japan.

My question is, should I use it? I keep it full with air and it holds pressure with no issue but it's 23 year old rubber and has never held the weight of the vehicle (still has all the production marks and little rubber pieces on the tread). No visible cracks or imperfections. I carry an air pump so I can fill my tires any time I need so I can still run the leaking tire instead. My commute to work is 2 miles and the place I bought the tires is about 5 miles away so nothing crazy.

Learned today that my 4Runner came with Goodyear Wranglers when new.

Please avoid using it. It can rupture at any time.

I thought pre 2000 don't have the DOT code. Mine is also Goodyear Wranglers and old as yours. It has cracks but still holds air.

PS: I saw you recommend TYC headlight on another thread. I bought one and that is glass and is in excellent condition. I have Hella 100/80W light with OEM wiring. Yet to check the brightness. thanks for your input about TYC. It is a good brand unlike cheap Chinese parts.

Is this satire? Absolutely do not.
There is NEVER a reason to run MayPops if you don't have to. The right way to look at this question is "should I be an unpredictable danger to others?"
To that effect, it seems a little ass backwards to gamble on what should be a last resort/recovery method, that's like finding a winch in the dumpster and immediately heading to the mud pits. All I see is losing a tire, putting on the spare and losing that within a mile or two.
I could happily direct anybody to my old supervisor that lost an eye from trying to fill a ~30 year old tire; blew right in his face. Dry rot can be VERY sneaky.

Thanks, I've just never encountered a tire this old before! Odd since this is my 5th 4Runner... every other one has had the spare replaced at some point.

It did have the DOT code on it, it's the 3 digit date format of WWY, first two digits are the week of manufacture and the last is the year it was made. The 3 digit code shows that it was made in the 90's, has a code of 477.

I'm glad to have seen this thread, as it made me realize that I have owned mine for almost 12 years, never had a flat in that time, and only pulled the spare down only to check pressure periodically through all of those years. It has held air fine all of that time, only needing a minor top-off every year or two. But, it may very well blow to kingdom come if I ever have to use it.

I will shop for a used replacement tire, which is only a few years old, for it.

I try to make a habit of checking the pressure in the spares of all of my families vehicles when I check the driving tire pressures. It would really suck to get a flat, pull out the spare, and find it flat, too. I have found that the donut spares on many cars don't hold pressure nearly as well as regular tires, for some reason.

Also, we bought a used Camry for my wife many years ago. It got a flat. I pulled out the spare and found that it had a different freaking bolt pattern than the hub. Apparently, the previous owner (a car flipper) just went to a junkyard and told them to sell him any spare tire. I then went to a junkyard and got a spare that actually fit it. Then sold the old spare by stating that I had no idea what it fit, but I specified the bolt circle.

If you want to have fun and satisfy your curiosity, mount the ancient spare and drive the 5 miles to the tire place at about 5-10 MPH. Do not take it up to any speed where catastrophic failure could be dangerous for you or others around you.

I’ve used the old spare on the limited puppy hauler no problems.


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Load it up with 65 psi or so see if it pops or leaks, drive it like you stole it.

I would drive it as needed, but replace it when you get your tire fixed. #1 enemy of tire rubber is UV exposure which wasn't an issue if stored in the factory location. If there aren't any cracks or bulges then it's good to drive in my opinion.

I would think it's not worth the risk, man.. 23 year old rubber? Hell naw.

This. It's probably fine but use at your own risk. I've done it.