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First - tires do age and there can be age related failures. It is not simply a ploy to sell more tires though that side effect is not undesirable to tire manufacturers. Like most warning labels, their primary goal is to avoid liability for failures and / or to comply with regulations. And a number of factors in addition to age contribute to tire aging. These include how they were stored, exposed to sun or other weather, mounted or not, loaded or not, etc. Further the choice of rubber compounds may cause Brand C to have more detrimental aging than Brand A or B in a specified time. In the US there is not yet a mandated Sell By or Use By date
system for tires, but rather it is left to manufacturers to
determine what they want to do - for example they may choose to
warranty their tires for 5 or 6 years from date of manufacture
(the 4 digit DOT code on sidewall - first 2 digits are week and
last 2 are last 2 digits or year made), or some will cover for 3
or 4 or 5 or 6 years from date of purchase. Then there is the tire dealer's policy as to whether to set a
limit on age of tires he will sell. Again 3 years and 5 years seem
to be common limits. I purchased some tires off eBay, but first
asked about seller's age policy and I was told they would not sell
tires more than 3 years old, if date code was older than 3 years
they would exchange tires - OK - I bought - tires came in about 16
months old - which is about same as what I can get from
inventories locally. Depending on size and popularity newest I can
remember is about 6 months. I think there may be some age limits somewhere or maybe just proposed - Japan or Europe maybe and it seems like I have heard 8 or 10 year limits - but I have no direct knowledge of such. Lots of wind but no answer - right? I doubt anyone will tell you
to drive 60 mph on 20 year old tires, but here is what I would
look for on ANY tire. First, What IS the age? If you still have the 3 digit DOT code
they are probably too old. 5, 6 years maybe even 8-10 may be OK IF
everything else is OK - Do a real visual inspection looking for
any local pattern of cracks. Check for nails and cuts and any
other damage while you are at it. Second, While inspecting, look for signs of aging in the tread -
brittle rubber and possible chunks missing. I have had both OE
tires on an 250 truck and OE tires on trailer (same brand) show
detrimental aging at 3 to 4 years. I lost chunks out of 3 of 8 LT235/85R16 trailer tires on hot day
in Arkansas under load (Saw one come off and found others when I
stopped). It cost me an overnight stay in Bentonville and a trip
to Sams Club in the morning for 8 new Goodrich tires (in stock).
Yes these were the Goodrich that were recalled - I later got a
free set of Michelin XPS to replace them but some of the new XPS
were already 4 years old. Months later I found small chunks gone
from 2 of my truck's tires (same brand) - dealer offered me
warranty ONLY if I replaced with same tires (Ha Ha!!). Another sign of tread aging is small lines in tread rubber mostly
on shoulder block and mostly parallel to side of tire. These
sometimes occur especially on front tires and may result from a
relatively brittle tread rubber subjected to load while turning
wheels. This is more of a tread compound aging issue which may
indicate hardening of rubber, but it is still an undesirable aging
effect. Third, How have the tires been stored and maintained - If they
have been stored in dark environment at controlled temperature and
not under load, you should get much more life than something
stored outside in the sun, or even partly in the sun - or in
freezing weather in a puddle of water (ice). And load and
inflation may be significant, especially at high load and/or low
pressure. Fourth, How long have you been driving on them and do they stay
parked and not driven for long periods with significant load on
tires? Parked cars can develop flat spots that can both cause
local deterioration and result in asymmetric loading when tire
spins up at speed. This is especially true if a tire sits flat for
a long period - Replace it. But even if not flat, look for little
cracks at the buldge around where tire meets floor, especially if
any of tires are or have been low on pressure for long periods. SORRY NO REAL ANSWER but some things to think about. If in doubt
I would replace them especially considering your planned drive.
Edward Mills
Antique Tractors 1930-1960
Antique Cars 1960-1985
On 4/29/2018 9:15 PM, mark love
marklove@xxxxxx [Chrysler300] wrote:
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