Enthusiasts pore over nearly every inch of their cars. You make sure the paint is shiny, the engine runs perfectly, and the interior is spotless. If something isn’t right, you know it. Your cars are your babies, and you’ll do everything conceivable to keep them in tiptop shape.
But many owners still overlook the four most important parts of their …
You missed a very critical one. Life. Not tread life because let’s be honest only rarely would a Classic ever be driven enough to wear out the tread
But storage life before the tire requires disposal because of age.
Since these tires will be in as near perfect storage condition as possible. Does the toss ‘em away every 5 years really apply? I mean in 5 years a lot of classic cars will barely have a month of UV exposure. Maybe 5000 miles or less especially if it’s a case of multiple collector car ownership.
So what’s the advice about life of a tire under ideal storage conditions?
Personally, I would not keep old tires on an old car. Tires degrade, regardless of what they're doing.
In reply to Jordan Rimpela : How many vintage cars do you have in your garage? How many miles do they get? If you had several collector cars do you honestly believe you’d throw away perfectly good tires?
Watch the movie, Worlds fastest Indian. Granted setting top speed records on tires the cracks are filled with shoe polish is a bit over the top, but I’ve vintage raced on a decade old tires. Since they were stored in my nice warm shop out of the weather And exposure to UV I didn’t hesitate. It was race on hard rubber or stay at home.
Real racers race.
I suppose that makes me a ghost 
Actually, I'll agree with Jordan. Tires do degrade, regardless of what they're doing. Put them in the sun and they'll degrade faster, but we're talking thowing the tires out in 8 years instead of 10. Rubber is an organic material, and it degrades with or without UV exposure.
Before you ask, I have 2 Austin Healeys, 3 Triumphs, and a classic Mini. They get driven frequently (we've been from Chicago to the west coast and back), and raced at hill climbs and autocrosses. After 5 years, start inspecting more frequently. After 7, moreso. After 10, they're junk for anything other than rolling on and off a trailer.
P.S. The Fastest Indian is a great movie, but I don't think it's providing maintenance advice. :)
Basically most of the available tires in original sizes are crap as far as being decent performance rubber. The exception is robably the Vredestein which isn't bad but is still a far cry from what is available for more modern cars.
I adressed the issue on a couple of my cars by slightly widening the rims and going for the best I could get for tires at the time.
1962 MGA Mk 2 Delucxe coupe - 5.5" wheels and running 185x70-15 tires
Tires clear and are waaaay better than anything available to fit original rims - pic below on stock 5" rims with 165x78-15
With more roon under the body on my rebodied 1956 MGA I could go to 6" rims and 215x60-15s (the rims are early AC Cobra centerlaced with more offset as the wider body allowed.
If you want to stay stock looking, go with Vredesteins on stock rims despite the compromise in performance. but if you want to enjoy driving the cars as they were meant to be driven, you need a bit more rim width and to find one of the ever diminishing modern tires that have the appropriate size for the new rims.
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