How old are your Michelins?

[mikemac3]

I just bought a 2000 allegro bus on Tuesday...bought 4 new Michelin 255/80r22.5 XZE tires (this is all the dealer had while other shops in the Gulf Coast area said they had none either.

Come to find out, the previous owner had 275....s on rear so rather than mismatch the 11 year old dully pairs I decided to load my new tires as spares and hit the road. 5 days later I am in Flagstaff, AZ (1800 miles away) no spares yet.

I talked to the tire shop at a Loves in San Antonio...asked if he had XzEs or XRVs...he said yes but said he wouldn't waste his money on them as my 11 year old tires looked fine to him. He explained that a ton of the rigs he works on sit in oil fields for ever and age is not a big deal. He showed me where to look for dry rot and wished me safe travels.

I still plan on replacing my rears just as soon as I can find them...

[Smitty77]

Originally Posted by mikemac3

I just bought a 2000 allegro bus on Tuesday...bought 4 new Michelin 255/80r22.5 XZE tires (this is all the dealer had while other shops in the Gulf Coast area said they had none either.

Come to find out, the previous owner had 275....s on rear so rather than mismatch the 11 year old dully pairs I decided to load my new tires as spares and hit the road. 5 days later I am in Flagstaff, AZ (1800 miles away) no spares yet.

I talked to the tire shop at a Loves in San Antonio...asked if he had XzEs or XRVs...he said yes but said he wouldn't waste his money on them as my 11 year old tires looked fine to him. He explained that a ton of the rigs he works on sit in oil fields for ever and age is not a big deal. He showed me where to look for dry rot and wished me safe travels.

I still plan on replacing my rears just as soon as I can find them...

Wow, I'd sure be glad to know where that actual Love's Tire shop is, as I would recommend it be avoided. Tires that sit, idle for long periods of time are at a much higher risk of problems then those that are rolling! The heating up, and rolling of the tire, releases some of the rejuvenating materials with the tires, to keep them a bit younger!

If you call a tire shop along your path ahead, and ask the manager to order in the tires you want from the warehouse, and specifically tell the manager that you will not take tires with born on dates of greater then 6 months. (I was in San Diego when I got mine, and went in in person to ask the Manager to call the warehouse and cherry pick tires that were less then 3 months old. He did, and later told me how many people do not understand how important the age is. And that he personally tells friends and family to not by the stores some shop's tell about 'in service' is what matters. It may as far as warranty, but it sure does not as far as safety.)

Good luck to you, and yes to getting some new shoes!
Smitty