7-Year Tire Question - Should I fight it?

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by tande12506

I would not have allowed them to be installed. That is why you got the great price.

DITTO

[Tom48]

BTW. In my experience, NO TIRE SHOP WILL TOUCH A TIRE, TEN YEARS AFTER DOT Date Stamp except to throw it away and sell you new..
. I mean, will not check air, repair, balance, flat fix; NO TOUCH.

Reason is tire company and manufacturer get sued if someone has a blow out and someone dies or is seriously injured. If tire ten years old,. Plaintiff WINS $. Less than ten can at least be argued.

[LewsianaExpress]

Originally Posted by Alfred622

I replace tires whenever they are 7 years old. I just got two "new" tires from a dealer who gave me an excellent price. Before purchase, I asked what the date code would be. He said he didn't know (had to order them from the warehouse) but expected 2 yrs old. I agreed.

The tires they installed are 7 years old. Brand new, never used, stored in a warehouse......but 7 years. Dealer said they would be good for at least 3 years.

I plan to be replacing all 6 tires in 2 years anyway. What do YOU think of driving on brand new tires that were manufactured 7 years ago?

Any evidence to support your opinions? I need to decide if I want to fight this or not. (the price was good...$150/tire)

Thanks!

I am curious why this dealer didn't know the age of the tires? It is right on the tire, shows WEEK and YEAR the Tire was manufactured and it is Federal Law.

My Preference is nothing over 5 years from date of manufacture and then I change all the tires at the same time.

[briankk]

Originally Posted by fagnaml

This presentation from the National Transportation Safety Board gives good insight on tire aging --> https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/Doc...el_4b_Kane.pdf


Temperature, ozone, oxygen, sun light and other environmental conditions affect how tires age. Warehouse storage only eliminates sun light from the tire aging equation. All petroleum based products, synthetic rubber being one of them, degrade over time simply by being exposed to air (i.e. oxidation from the oxygen in the air). Higher temperatures, low humidity, air pollution (e.g. ozone) all accelerate the oxidation process.


Note that the NTSB presentation says many times to not use tires more than six years old due to unpredictable failures of old tires.

This sounds like tire sales hype: "If you don't buy new tires every 7 years, you're gonna die".

In the '60s, we ran tires 'till a cord or two showed up, they didn't even put dates on tires, far as I know.

Let me suggest a law requiring dates NOT be put on tires, and tire companies be held liable for structural failures, regardless of tread wear.

Imagine if tire companies owned the construction industry... "You gotta tear down this building, and build a new one every 7 years, otherwise it may collapse on you".

bk

[strato]

Originally Posted by Alfred622

I replace tires whenever they are 7 years old. I just got two "new" tires from a dealer who gave me an excellent price. Before purchase, I asked what the date code would be. He said he didn't know (had to order them from the warehouse) but expected 2 yrs old. I agreed.

The tires they installed are 7 years old. Brand new, never used, stored in a warehouse......but 7 years. Dealer said they would be good for at least 3 years.

I plan to be replacing all 6 tires in 2 years anyway. What do YOU think of driving on brand new tires that were manufactured 7 years ago?

Any evidence to support your opinions? I need to decide if I want to fight this or not. (the price was good...$150/tire)

Thanks!

I have had a blowout on the front driver's side, which almost pulled us into on coming traffic. So, anything but new (less than six month old dot #) I would not install, price wouldn't even enter in it.

[Suds]

Why do you folks deal and pay the Michelin price.?They dry rot faster than any tire on the market....

I’ve ran Hankook on the front of my last two coaches and they ride great and half the Michelin price.

Just my two cents...

[SailorDon]

I bought a travel trailer new from the dealer 5 years ago. 6,000 miles later, one of the tires (with perfect tread) does a catastrophic blow-out on the highway at 60 mph. I thought the tires were 5 years old.
WRONG!
They were 7 years old.
The date of tire manufacture was 2 years before the travel trailer was manufactured.

I don't blame it on the dealer. I blame it on the manufacturer who was probably stockpiling 2 year old tires and installing them as new at the time of travel trailer manufacture. I can't prove it, but I think that's what happened.

The bad news is there was no visual sign of impending failure. Tread depth was good. Tire wear was even. Inspection of the blow-out tire showed belt separation.

2 of the other tires looked good per visual inspection. The 3rd tire had evidence of uneven tread wear that often shows with belt separation.

All 5 tires (spare included) are history now. Replaced them all with a set of new tires all date stamped less than a year old. I won't haul my travel trailer with tires over 5 years old anymore.

Would I put 7 year old tires on my travel trailer? NEVER!

[jamesham]

I have refused tires over 6 months old at Sam's Club and Discount Tire. A warehouse may keep the tire out of direct sun and uninflated, but temps will vary wildly and the rubber will age out. If you ever get a direct educated response from Michelin, please post it here. I follow the TireGuy column in RVTravel.com, and his advice. Yes I know there are rigs out there with 20 year old original tires. I just hope they are not beside me when the tire makes a big bang exit.

[GreatDane37]

I agree

[GreatDane37]

You did good

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by SailorDon

I bought a travel trailer new from the dealer 5 years ago. 6,000 miles later, one of the tires (with perfect tread) does a catastrophic blow-out on the highway at 60 mph. I thought the tires were 5 years old.
WRONG!
They were 7 years old.
The date of tire manufacture was 2 years before the travel trailer was manufactured.

I don't blame it on the dealer. I blame it on the manufacturer who was probably stockpiling 2 year old tires and installing them as new at the time of travel trailer manufacture. I can't prove it, but I think that's what happened.

The bad news is there was no visual sign of impending failure. Tread depth was good. Tire wear was even. Inspection of the blow-out tire showed belt separation.

2 of the other tires looked good per visual inspection. The 3rd tire had evidence of uneven tread wear that often shows with belt separation.

All 5 tires (spare included) are history now. Replaced them all with a set of new tires all date stamped less than a year old. I won't haul my travel trailer with tires over 5 years old anymore.

Would I put 7 year old tires on my travel trailer? NEVER!

Trailer tire life is about half of the max age for tires when used on a Motorhome.

[markbarendt]

I asked Sumitomo, the brand on mine, earlier this year if there was a need to worry about age on their tires.

Their response was “the tires have no expiration date”. They simply suggested that the tires should be regularly inspected by a qualified person to see if there was any damage or visible signs of problems.

I tend to think that the seven year rule may have it’s roots in days past. Tire and materials tech has come a long way since I was a kid.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Alfred622

I replace tires whenever they are 7 years old. I just got two "new" tires from a dealer who gave me an excellent price. Before purchase, I asked what the date code would be. He said he didn't know (had to order them from the warehouse) but expected 2 yrs old. I agreed.

The tires they installed are 7 years old. Brand new, never used, stored in a warehouse......but 7 years. Dealer said they would be good for at least 3 years.

I plan to be replacing all 6 tires in 2 years anyway. What do YOU think of driving on brand new tires that were manufactured 7 years ago?

Any evidence to support your opinions? I need to decide if I want to fight this or not. (the price was good...$150/tire)

Thanks!

I suggest:
Get something IN WRITING signed by store owner that they will warranty the tires against tread separation or sidewall ozone cracking for 3 years from the date of purchase. Be sure the document lists the FULL DOT serial from the 4 tires you keep and place on the drive axles.
2. Get 2 "New" (less than 18 month old" tires for the front positions.



If the dealer will not stand behind the tires for at least 3 years I would demand replacement and pay the difference. Sounds like this dealer is not a tire company store but just someone that sells tires. May not be the best person to buy tires from for critical position (front).

[Tony Lee]

What ages tires is depletion of the oils in the rubber. Tires start to age the minute they leave the assembly line. As the oils in the rubber seep out the rubber becomes aged and brittle. The little cracks you see in old tires is lack of oil;

Is there a scientific article accessible on the internet that defines and discusses these "oils" and where they come from?