Tire Dating Question

[Ed_G]

I am a bit irked. We purchased a new 2008 Trek in Jan. 2009. I don't know why I didn't look before, but I just examined the mfg. date on my tires while checking them prior to a trip tomorrow.

We have Michelin 245 / 70R 19.5 XRV tires all way around. The FRONT two tires have a DOT code of DOT 4204 and DOT 4304. This tells me that the tires will be 6 years old this Fall, 2010 !!
The rear tires are more of a mystery. I can not find a DOT date code anywhere on the surfaces I can see.... ( I did not try to look at the inside tires ). All the tires state made in the United Kingdom. The only thing I see that even might be a date code is " AU 1587 " which doesn't mean anything to me.

Can anyone help shed some light on how I might determine the mfg. date of the rear tires? Also, there is some very minor cracking showing on one of the front tires... and I do mean minor. Still, they are going on six years. Do I need to be buggeting for new tires already? I've only had this new coach about 18 months. It has about 15,000 miles on it currently.

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed_G Can anyone help shed some light on how I might determine the mfg. date of the rear tires? Also, there is some very minor cracking showing on one of the front tires... and I do mean minor. Still, they are going on six years. Do I need to be buggeting for new tires already? I've only had this new coach about 18 months. It has about 15,000 miles on it currently.

Ed_G, I have tires that I can't see the date code on because the codes are on the inside of the duals. Lucky I can see the front codes! I have Michelin tires .....

Tires are not all about mileage but age. Unfortunate but true. Michelin replacement tires I am told can go out to 10 years before they need to be replaced. I am glad about that since I changed the OEs at the 5 year mark. I have 3 on them now.

[Gary RVRoamer]

All tires sold for use in the USA will have a DOT code. Yours are undoubtedly on the back side of the tires, making the outer dual impossible to see but the inner should be visible if you crawl under with a flashlight.

Michelin says your tires MAY last up to 10 years, but should be inspected annually every year after 5. Only you can decide on how risky they get after 5-7 years of age, but most of us replace them to be safe..

[NeilV]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Roamer [Gary] All tires sold for use in the USA will have a DOT code. Yours are undoubtedly on the back side of the tires, making the outer dual impossible to see but the inner should be visible if you crawl under with a flashlight. Michelin says your tires MAY last up to 10 years, but should be inspected annually every year after 5. Only you can decide on how risky they get after 5-7 years of age, but most of us replace them to be safe..

Factor in the cost if a real inspection too. This means dismounting the tires from the rims, inspecting the inside of the casings along with the beads not just the outside of the tire and then remounting them if they pass the inspection. The inspection itself could lead to tire failure afterwards from damage incured while remounting them. If the inspection costs $50 a tire X 6 tires then it could end up being $300 per inspection X 5 years could end up costing $1,500.

Considering the risks and costs of stretching out the additional 5 years of use many of us as Gary mentioned choose to play it safe and replace our tire every 5 years.

[1ciderdog]

Do I read this wrong? It appears Michelin starts the warranty as of date of purchase not date of manufacture. If no proof of purchase date then they use the DOT code. At least that is the way I read it. Copied from the Michelin website:

WHAT IS COVERED AND FOR HOW LONG –
CONSUMER USE
Workmanship and Materials

MICHELIN

® truck tires bearing the MICHELIN® name and

complete serial and identification numbers, used in consumer
service, such as on a motorhome, according to the instructions
contained in this Operator’s Manual, are covered by this limited
warranty against defects in workmanship and materials for the life of
the original tread, or five years from the date of purchase, whichever
occurs first. At that time, all warranties, expressed or implied, expire.

Definitions
The life of the original usable tread is the original tread down to
the level of the treadwear indicators – 2 ⁄ 32nds of an inch (1.6 mm)
of tread remaining. Date of purchase is documented by new vehicle
registration or tire sales invoice. If no proof of purchase is available,
coverage will be based on the date of manufacture, as molded on the
sidewall. The date of manufacture is based on the original
MICHELIN

® DOT number molded on the tire sidewall. The mileage
received will be based on fleet records.

[Route 66]

I agree with you.

[Gary RVRoamer]

That is correct. Hang on to your receipt if you bought the tire, but if the tire was on the RV when you purchased it, you are out of luck cause only the sidewall date has meaning.

[Ed_G]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RV Roamer [Gary] That is correct. Hang on to your receipt if you bought the tire, but if the tire was on the RV when you purchased it, you are out of luck cause only the sidewall date has meaning.

Well, this is just dandy ! I do have proof of purchase of our NEW RV in late January, 2009, so my Michelin tires are warranted 5 years beyond that.... expiring in Jan. 2014. At that point, they would be 9 1/2 years old from date of manufacture. Sheesh !

I am already over my planned tire replacement interval of 5 years, now that I know my tires are approaching 6 years old. To compound that issue is that they sat out on very hot sales lot in Bakersfield, Calif. for about a year, so I am sure that had a rather negative effect on the tires, too.

I will probably purchase and have installed new Michelin's before our next planned outing later in August..... a very unexpected expense, but will do anyway, for safety sake.

My thanks to all here for the input.

[Gary RVRoamer]

My rear tires will be 7 years old in 3 months. The fronts were already replaced last year. But mine don't sit around a lot - got 55k miles on them now.

[thadley]

I would like to know if any one can confirm or deny the use of a 16" ST235/85/16 F rated tire(designated trailer use) on the rear duallies of a 1973' Winnebago 20' Brave, while using another lower rated C or D tire as steering tires? Knowing that an F rated tire is not for high speeds, and also knowing that this old girl' doesn't travel fast, would that be safe and okay for the rears?

[mfire1339]

1973 did not use 16" wheels. They are 16.5 wheels. Read tires very carefully. Danger!

[DriVer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thadley Knowing that an F rated tire is not for high speeds, and also knowing that this old girl' doesn't travel fast, would that be safe and okay for the rears?

thadley, Please know right off the bat that the "F" rating that are you speaking about is not at all related to speed. It is more critically a measure of how much weight that the tire will safely hold when inflated to various pressures depending on the actual weight of the vehicle.

I would NOT recommend that you consider a lower rated tire to be used in any position on a dual tire axle other that the chassis manufacturer's recommendation. Please remain with the F rating. Given what we know about these things, if there is an F rated tire on the rear axle there should also be an F rated tire on the front axle. I have not seen where an OEM will derate the steer axle tires with a lower rated tire than the rear tires.

Remember .. it's not at all about speed. You could go 2 MPH but you do need to carry the weight safely.

[Tireman9]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed_G Well, this is just dandy ! I do have proof of purchase of our NEW RV in late January, 2009, so my Michelin tires are warranted 5 years beyond that.... expiring in Jan. 2014. At that point, they would be 9 1/2 years old from date of manufacture. Sheesh ! I am already over my planned tire replacement interval of 5 years, now that I know my tires are approaching 6 years old. To compound that issue is that they sat out on very hot sales lot in Bakersfield, Calif. for about a year, so I am sure that had a rather negative effect on the tires, too. I will probably purchase and have installed new Michelin's before our next planned outing later in August..... a very unexpected expense, but will do anyway, for safety sake. My thanks to all here for the input.

Drive to a Michelin dealer. Have the tires visually inspected. Have your bill of sale. You might be able to get them to sign something about when you purchased the tires. OR the dealer you bought from should sign a document to the effect that the tires had DOT serial xxxxxxxx on your date of purchase.