TIRES: WHY is it....

[Gary - K7GLD]

We can send rockets to the moon, nuclear power plants, all sorts of technological advances - and yet,

NO ONE can come up with a tire - or aftermarket compound that will protect and extend the lifespan of these expensive tires - to the point that the manufacturing date is more critical than the actual mileage on them?

4-5 years, and then replace - REGARDLESS of miles?

What's up with that? Are we consumers simply a bunch of gullible SUCKERS, or what?
.

[Steve N Sal]

That's how these companies stay in business and keep our wallets lean. I know it's frustrating. I replaced ours this spring. Sidewalls were beginning to crack but had plenty of tread left. They were 2 weeks shy of being seven years old.

[Cat320]

Planned obsolescence, just like many home appliances these days.

[Gary - K7GLD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cat320 Planned obsolescence, just like many home appliances these days.

Sure seems that way - especially the "planned" part - I'm convinced there IS a way to effectively shield tires from the effects of ozone and UV rays - as well as plain old drying out - there are several major makers of spray-on tire preservatives - are they ALL snake oil - another attempt to grab our $$$ - or do some of them actually work?

[Gary RVRoamer]

I think tires have made incredible advancements in the last 50 years. On my first car, replacing tires was pretty much an annual thing. They only lasted 15k-20k miles, even if babied. Punctures were a common problem. Handling was lousy, traction worse, and driving them across a desert meant bringing a couple extra tires for spares.

Now we have tires that are good for 60-80k miles and at least 7 years (I don't subscribe to the 5 year notion). Maybe 10 years if you are lucky. Punctures are a rare thing, the tires grip well on all kinds of surfaces and roll all day long high speeds and temperatures. And tires don't cost a whole lot more than they did in 1961. When adjusted for inflation, they actually cost a lot less.

[Gary - K7GLD]

Quote:

When adjusted for inflation, they actually cost a lot less.

Perhaps true - but not really the topic of this thread, which IS, With all other advances in technology in all areas of science and industry, we STILL must replace tires at relatively LOW mileages, at a time dictated by manufacturing date, rather than any actual visual physical condition?

CERTAINLY, we must have the ABILITY and technology to get extended life out of tires - shelf life, if you prefer - and yet, some owners report significant sidewall cracking in as few as 4-5 years.

A closely related subject is various aftermarket spray coatings to supposedly resist UV and ozone damage - still waiting for input on that issue - certainly the tire makers and retailers argue against their use, but I have to be $uspiciou$ of their motive$, and would prefer some sort of independent tests that might have been done to provide evidence one way or another...

[njs42]

Haven't I read on this subject about Protectant 303? Isn't that supposed to be a good thing to use on tires?

Aside from an elixer---there are prescribed methods to extend tire life---proper air, proper load, proper storage, covering, cleaning etc;

I think my tires have benefitted from my care of them---

I'm replacing mine with DOT 1002---and I believe they have much more life in them but Michelin says ten years-- so I'm just unwilling to accept the risk and almost ten years trouble free is a good run for tires.

A friend of mine has a 99 rig with original tires---he is willing to accept the risk----I wonder how long his will last? Thirteen years trouble free is better than ten.

So tires can and do last much longer than four or five years----we just do not have a sure fire method to determine whose will -------or a sure fire medicinal treatment to apply that will guarantee to make them last longer?

[Gary - K7GLD]

Quote:

Originally Posted by njs42 Haven't I read on this subject about Protectant 303? Isn't that supposed to be a good thing to use on tires? Aside from an elixer---there are prescribed methods to extend tire life---proper air, proper load, proper storage, covering, cleaning etc; I think my tires have benefitted from my care of them--- I'm replacing mine with DOT 1002---and I believe they have much more life in them but Michelin says ten years-- so I'm just unwilling to accept the risk and almost ten years trouble free is a good run for tires. A friend of mine has a 99 rig with original tires---he is willing to accept the risk----I wonder how long his will last? Thirteen years trouble free is better than ten. So tires can and do last much longer than four or five years----we just do not have a sure fire method to determine whose will -------or a sure fire medicinal treatment to apply that will guarantee to make them last longer?

The tires on our '88 Winnie were DOT stamped as being made in '98 - 12 years old, and from external inspection, perfect, with nearly full tread left. BUT, a rock puncture forced removal of one tire for repair - and inner inspection revealed a complete INNER ring of significant cracks in the center of the tread.

I had a full set of new TOYO's, load range "E" tires installed - and inspection of the remaining tires showed their inner cracking to be even WORSE than the first one.

IF I hadn't had the puncture on the first tire, I'd still be running on them all - maybe headed for trouble, maybe not - we'll never know - but I sure FEEL safer on the new ones!.

How long had the cracks been there? Were they really near failure? Dunno - but I guess 12 years isn't TOO bad - I guess ignorance IS bliss...

[njs42]

303 Products, Inc.: 303 Aerospace Protectant


Here is the stuff I mentioned earlier--- many people on this site rave about this stuff.

[Zbugsii]

As said before Aerospace Protectant 303 stuff is great! Use it on tires, plastic AC covers on rooftop and....

Just plain good stuff.

[az bound]

I"m not sure how this 7 year thing came into being, but in my almost 30 years of owning a class a I have never had to replace a tire before almost 10 years, save one that blew as a result of my own fault . I do dilligently use 303 and my RV does not sit idle for months on end. Could be thats some contributing factors.

[pwf16129]

i can't swear to it but my guess is tire longevity is based on the heavy duty truck market the amount of tires bought by rv owners is a drop in the bucket compared to commercial use.
tires wear out much faster on big rigs due to the miles they run every day we recap our tires twice before they are junked and that falls into the year limits of the manufacturers suggested scrapping age.
so if the major purchasers are happy there is no incentive to extend the life of tires for the rest of us.
as far if tire coating help extend the life don't know but they sure look good

[njs42]

To the OP--try this Protectant 303, it is not the magic cure but it probably helps extend tire life a bit. As you can see many folks swear by it---I'm going to get some myself.

GaryRVroamer---expresses my sentiment pretty much ditto. When I first joined this site I entered a tire thread my first time out----wow did I get my ears pinned back---almost threatening that I would have nine year old tires----certainly wanted to scare me to death. It worked for a while---but I kept reading, listening, asking questions and investigating and pretty much decided the 4, 5, 6, 7 year automatic expense date for tires was exaggerated and arbitrary.

Certainly there are folks who have had bad experiences with tires. I certainly do not blame them and would never say a person is wrong to replace at whatever number of years they choose.

MY chosen date will make my tires cost me about $280 per year for the lot of them---good service---good value---and at ten years as much risk as I want.

I'm very curious about what I will find inside when I make the change here in a few weeks.

When I consider what tires do---it is remarkable they do it so well---often while they are being abused. Millons of them preform for a long, long time (pick your own year) every single day without mishap.

Anyway---lather on some of the 303---I think it will help.

[CD]

I believe it depends where you live and how you drive also. Here in western Wa. we don't take a beating from the sun like places such as eastern Wa. or Az. Hard driving/fast and heavy loads creates lots of heat which is murder on tires as is hot weather that we don't get much of. I just sold an old PU that had set for about 15yrs. The tires didn't look real bad and only one was down. I aired it up to drag it to a neighbor's place where the junk man picked it up. He had one on the bed of the tow truck and picked mine up by the front wheels and left for a 40 mile trip. Never heard how he made out. We have a tractor that has a front tire that was on it when I first saw the tractor 18 yrs ago and it was half worn then. It still looks must the same now. The tractor has a loader so it hasn't had an easy life. It may be as old as the tractor (40yrs). Yes, I understand a tractor doesn't go 60 down the road but time doesn't just rot a tire away.