Check your tires!

[fredjacksonsan]

I came across this story by ABC News about the tires you're thinking about getting....be informed.

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897


Short version: you can see when your tires were manufactured from a code on the sidewall, and tires degrade over time and become dangerous after 6 years or so.



[moving to Technical section and leaving redirect. Suggest that mods might make a reference in each of their sections so that the most members can be notified]

Discussion welcome.

[Moppie]

I recently test drove a car at a car yard that had really chunky Yokohamas on it.
It was like driving on ice.

The tyres were only about 50% worn, but were so old the rubber had dried out and was covered in small hair line cracks. Any traction they may have had, had long since gone.
Good way to test the ABS though.

[Blt2Lst]

Originally Posted by fredjacksonsan

I came across this story by ABC News about the tires you're thinking about getting....be informed.

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897


Short version: you can see when your tires were manufactured from a code on the sidewall, and tires degrade over time and become dangerous after 6 years or so.

Discussion welcome.

Very enlightening, I will check my tires out for sure.

Hopefully the feds will get involved soon and get rid of the cryptic code so consumers can easily see what they have on their cars.

I would be willing to bet that a large portion of the tires in service are past their expiration date..

[MagicRat]

Thank you for the link.

I first saw this episode about 18 months ago. My biggest problem is the misleading, sensationalistic nonsense that passes for journalism here. Tread separation and tire failure can be caused by factors other than age. But the show said nothing about responsible tire care such as proper inflation, avoid overloading, and regular inspections to check for wear and damage.

It's rare that tires fail with no visual warning, yet the show suggests that age is the only factor, and consumers do not have to care for their tires properly. At the start of that show, Imo it's misleading to blame the failure of that Chevy minivan's tires on the fact that they were 9 years old. The tires failed because they had been on the road for 5 years and were probably unsafe/underinflated/overloaded/damaged/worn. Imo people need to take responsibility for their vehicle care and safety, and not blame others, years after the fact.

Another issue, is that tires seem to age faster when they are driven. Heating/cooling cycles, sunlight and flexing/motion all age tires faster than sitting in a dark warehouse. This should also be taken into consideration when selling older, unused tires.


Personally, I have bought and driven many older vehicles with ancient tires. Placing a limit of 6 years is pretty conservative because in my experience, different brands/models of tires seem to age differently. . Some tires are still good after that date, but some have simply deteriorated too much.
That being said, it would be easy enough to date-code the the tires and an expiry date as is done with child safety seats so consumers can be informed and make their own decision.. I have found that deterioration is very real, but happens so slowly, most drivers are not going to notice the change.

I have driven so many old vehicles with old tires... I have driven 15 year-old tires that are quite slippery due to hard rubber, although they get grippier again with use. I have also had old tires fail (throw tread or break belts and go lumpy) when they are heavily loaded - but not overloaded. Tires seem to get weaker as they age.
The tires on my rarely-used Jeep were 22 years old when I finally took them off, but I was aware of their condition. They still had good tread depth, but were showing signs of belt and tread separation.
The dry road traction was good, but poor on wet roads. The tire guy was astonished when I told him how old they were..... and yes, I should have replaced them sooner.

[denisond3]

The internet seemed slow & I didnt wait for the video to start; but I have read a lot about tires over the years. I have been a hobbyist in cars all my life, and have some antique cars that sit indoors for years at a time. As long as a tire is not getting UV light or a lot of heat, and doesnt sit (or get driven) in an under-inflated condition - I believe they will last nicely for a long time; decades. For tires that see the sun-light every day, yes its a very different story - but I still wouldnt use an arbitrary date for discarding them. There are other factors.
Since my retirement, we dont drive nearly enough to wear out a tire before it would show the effect of sunlight/age. Therefore I like to buy used tires for our daily drivers, and while I look at the 'age' indicator, a ten year old tire doesnt worry me - if it passes my visual inpsection. The place I buy them from is careful to store them in a windowless brick building.
I dont think of tires as having any expiration date. I know the RV industry recommends replacing tires on RV's each 6 or 7 years.
I bought a set of four Light Truck 7.50-17 tires for my class A motorhome in 1991, and used them one month per summer for the next 14 years. I removed them when they had worn down to expose the tread wear indicators after 40,000 miles. They never gave me any trouble, no weather checking, cracking. or going out of balance. I did change the inner tubes after the first 8 years though. I also had a set of new motorhome tires that I discarded after 3 years, due to the weather-checking being visible from ten feet away. That pair had less than 10,000 miles on them. Both these tires and the ones that lasted 14 years were made in the USA, and they all spent their 'life' sitting outdoors.
I used to have a listing of the manufacturers plant location codes for tires, as you find on the sidewalls. I found that many manufacturers increasingly have their tires made in China, even if they are not thought of as foreign manufacturers.
I check the air pressure in the tires (including the spare) of our daily drivers about monthly - except for the ones that I know are 'slow-leakers'; which get checked more often.

[fredjacksonsan]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

Thank you for the link.

I first saw this episode about 18 months ago. My biggest problem is the misleading, sensationalistic nonsense that passes for journalism here. Tread separation and tire failure can be caused by factors other than age. But the show said nothing about responsible tire care such as proper inflation, avoid overloading, and regular inspections to check for wear and damage.

It's rare that tires fail with no visual warning, yet the show suggests that age is the only factor, and consumers do not have to care for their tires properly. At the start of that show, Imo it's misleading to blame the failure of that Chevy minivan's tires on the fact that they were 9 years old. The tires failed because they had been on the road for 5 years and were probably unsafe/underinflated/overloaded/damaged/worn. Imo people need to take responsibility for their vehicle care and safety, and not blame others, years after the fact.

Another issue, is that tires seem to age faster when they are driven. Heating/cooling cycles, sunlight and flexing/motion all age tires faster than sitting in a dark warehouse. This should also be taken into consideration when selling older, unused tires.


Personally, I have bought and driven many older vehicles with ancient tires. Placing a limit of 6 years is pretty conservative because in my experience, different brands/models of tires seem to age differently. . Some tires are still good after that date, but some have simply deteriorated too much.
That being said, it would be easy enough to date-code the the tires and an expiry date as is done with child safety seats so consumers can be informed and make their own decision.. I have found that deterioration is very real, but happens so slowly, most drivers are not going to notice the change.

I have driven so many old vehicles with old tires... I have driven 15 year-old tires that are quite slippery due to hard rubber, although they get grippier again with use. I have also had old tires fail (throw tread or break belts and go lumpy) when they are heavily loaded - but not overloaded. Tires seem to get weaker as they age.
The tires on my rarely-used Jeep were 22 years old when I finally took them off, but I was aware of their condition. They still had good tread depth, but were showing signs of belt and tread separation.
The dry road traction was good, but poor on wet roads. The tire guy was astonished when I told him how old they were..... and yes, I should have replaced them sooner.

Rat, as usual, you are correct. I posted the link without comment to bring this sort of discussion to the thread. The story WAS quite shallow in only focusing on the age of tires. I'd expect AF members to be the kind of folks that would regularly check their inflation (at the very least) and do some sort of regular, visual inspection or testing for their tires.

I do at least a walkaround visual inspection of inflation nearly every time I drive. I check the tires for proper inflation every 2-3000 miles, and whenever the temperature changes more than 15-20* F. When I rotate my tires (every 5000-8000 miles, depending on where and how I've driven) they're given a good once over.

I've driven on very old tires that had cracks in the sidewalls (and chunks of rubber missing from the sidewall) and have never had a blowout.
those were bias plies.

The only leaking tires I've had were on brand new tires that caught a nail, or a cut valve stem from road debris. Oh yeah, and the broken Ubolt half that went through the tread.

I think the news story's shallow view may be due to the "normal" driver, one who doesn't do anything for their car except put gas in the tank. For those folks, perhaps the only thing they'll ever look at on their tires is the manufacturer date.