Tires: Spare tires, spare tires, bad joke

Question
I bought my Camry new 11 years ago. I have replaces the tires a couple of times but I have never needed or changed the original spare tire. Can a spare tire "wear out" by just sitting in the trunck?

Answer
Robert,

Of course it doesn't "wear out", but just like the rest of the tires, the spare's performance will degrade with time.

My current recommendation is that tires that are 10 years old (from the date of manufacture) should be taken out of service.  If you live in CA, AZ, NV, NM,TX, and FL, the limit is 6 years, with states further north being proportionally in between.  For example TN would be 8 years.

The spare can be kept a bit longer with the idea that it is properly inflated all the time (no one wants a flat spare when you need it!) and that when it is used it is used sparingly (BAD joke!), meaning the situation has to be taken care of ASAP and the miles driven pretty short.

Hope this helps.