Replacing Tires Due to Age?????

[Icemaker]

A three digit date code means it is from before year 2000, so that tire is most likely from week 04 of 1999. Well past retirement, I'd say.

You can read up on tire date codes in the RVForum Glossary under Tire Manufacturing Date Codes.

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?action=Glossary#Tire%20Manufacturing%20Date%20Codes

Gary, Thanks...
Date code's are on the inside so I will have them checked...It's a wonder I did as well as I did..Guess it's bite the bullet time this week...ouch..oh well, the next blow out might put me into a bad situation I didn't want to be in..I'm going to go across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel for the trip back & a blow out on that would be a bad day happening for sure...

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A spare will probably last 7 years, maybe as much as 10.  But it is a fairly common thing for someone to put on an old spare, still looking new, and have it fail within 15-30 miles. If you have a full size spare, it is wise to exchange it occasionally with another tire, so that it gets some use. That actually help the tire aging process.

[Icemaker]

The local tire shop said the Bridgestone tires were made in April of '09 ...sidewalls cracking ...nowhere could I get Michelin or or Bridgestone before the second week of January ...and that just wont work...got a pair of Chinese tires put on ...made in China doesn't always mean cheap to buy!! Gonna keep my fingers crossed...Maybe I'll have good luck w/them..

[thedoc]

In the past, I had blowouts twice  from old tires that looked very good. Both were bought used at garage sales. One of the blowouts took a good chunk out of the rear quarter panel of the van I had at the time. Since that time, I would never continue using a tire after 7 years old especially on a motorhome. A blowout at highway speeds could be disasterous. In fact, my current policy is to replace tires somewhere between 5 and 7 years old.

[Icemaker]

The local tire shop said the Bridgestone tires were made in April of '09 ...sidewalls cracking ...nowhere could I get Michelin or or Bridgestone before the second week of January ...and that just wont work...got a pair of Chinese tires put on ...made in China doesn't always mean cheap to buy!! Gonna keep my fingers crossed...Maybe I'll have good luck w/them..

Update: I was lied to again. the tires in question were made in 99. Blew a rear inside duel in Maryland..limped to a Goodyear dealer in Delaware who had a set and installed them. Good guys on hgwy 13 just north of the Maryland state line. If he had had 2 more I would have changed the other set..but those are not Bridgestone and I hope will make it the last leg of this trip..then they too will be replaced,I really hate blow-outs, would have been ugly in the tunnel..whew..but man was that a cool ride across all that water.

[Ned]

Hindsight now, but the quick way to tell the difference between 1999 and 2009 tires is the 1999 tires would have a 3 digit date code and the 2009 tires a 4 digit code.

[taoshum]

here's some info from the FMCA:  (who and how much is an inspection?)

How Old Are Your Tires?

Molded into the sidewall of every tire manufactured is a code that indicates when and where the tire was manufactured. This code is required by the United States Department of Transportation, and the identification number starts with the letters “DOT.”  The two digits following the letters DOT indicate the plant where the tire was made.  The last group of numbers — a four-digit code — is the one that discloses the week and year of manufacture.  The weeks of the year are numbered consecutively, and the last two digits of the year are included.  So, for instance, the code 4711 indicates that the tire was manufactured during the 47th week of 2011, specifically, the week of November 21.

This information is especially important for the owners of motorhomes. Motorhomes aren’t always driven as many miles as the typical passenger car, so motorhome tires often wear out as a result of age-related issues rather than mileage. Because so many variables are involved, it is not possible to provide a replacement date based simply on the calendar.  So, motorhome owners need to keep their tires properly inflated and also have them inspected regularly by a tire professional, such as a dealer. Once a motorhome tire reaches 5 years of age, it should be inspected at least once a year by a tire professional for signs of wear and aging that would indicate the need for replacement. Most motorhome tires will need to be replaced before they reach 10 years from the date of manufacture, but, if not, they definitely should be replaced at this point as a safety rule, even if they still appear to be serviceable.

[Icemaker]

Hindsight seems to run my life. I'm a believer now. Going to order a tire pressure monitor system when I get back home. Evan for the toad.
I learn so much on this site. Thanks.

[pojo]

Just replaced the 2004 vintage 235-80r-22.5 Michelins on our MH. Purchased them at our local farm tire supplier. Mounted, balanced with Counteract, out the door for $508 each! The date code on the new tires are 5211!  I believe these tires were still a bit warm when they were delivered to the dealer. The removed tires looked as good as the new ones except for the date code. I feel very comfortable with these new tires!

[Mark R.]

How about two new tires on the front (not that I think you need them), and now you could keep the old fronts for spares if the rig did not come with one. My guess would be that 90% or more of our so called BLOW OUTS are caused by slow leaks in a tire (nail/screw), as you drive down the road the tire slowly looses pressure which in turn causes the side wall to flex excessively , this generates a lot of heat, as the air pressure drops the flex goes up as does the heat. After a while the rubber inside the tire starts to disintegrate and literally starts crumbling under the flexing and the heat, ultimately with the inside of the tire falling apart as you drive, the side wall fails, boom, blow out. New tires fail the same way as old tires. I would say that tire air pressure monitoring (with a alarm) would be money better spent then throwing out almost new tires. JMHO

[Water Dog]

How about two new tires on the front (not that I think you need them), and now you could keep the old fronts for spares if the rig did not come with one. My guess would be that 90% or more of our so called BLOW OUTS are caused by slow leaks in a tire (nail/screw), as you drive down the road the tire slowly looses pressure which in turn causes the side wall to flex excessively , this generates a lot of heat, as the air pressure drops the flex goes up as does the heat. After a while the rubber inside the tire starts to disintegrate and literally starts crumbling under the flexing and the heat, ultimately with the inside of the tire falling apart as you drive, the side wall fails, boom, blow out. New tires fail the same way as old tires. I would say that tire air pressure monitoring (with a alarm) would be money better spent then throwing out almost new tires. JMHO

A good example of rubber deteriorating with age is to go to an office store and buy a bag of rubber bands and after about 6 or 7 years pull a new one out of your desk drawer and try to use it. I know first hand from my own blow out experience that tires do break down with age, and while I believe that proper tire pressure is critical and that TPMS is a good idea, tire age is a major contributor to blow outs.

[Mark R.]

Who said rubber does not deteriorate, and no its not a good example.

[Water Dog]

Who said rubber does not deteriorate, and no its not a good example.

Sorry if I chose the wrong words Mark, I did not mean to infer that you said that rubber does not deteriorate, I was merely using your post as a jumping off point to stress my point about the problem with tire age. While the rubber band analogy isn't perfect, they do crack and dry out much like the rubber in tires after time, especially with a lot of non-use.

[Mark R.]

Hope this works, can anyone recommend a tire pressure monitor system that can be added to a coach 22.5 tires?



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ThwsyjLXcM&feature=player_detailpage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ThwsyjLXcM

[Ned]

Any of the TPMS can be used on 22.5" tires.  Many here recommend Pressure Pro.

[ArdraF]

We have Pressure Pro sensors on all motorhome tires (8 total) plus the toad tires.  We've already been glad to have PP because a toad tire got a puncture near Chatanooga and deflated almost instantly.  The audible alarm told us something was wrong and it took about 1/4 mile to pull off to the side of the freeway.  It was totally flat by then.  So get a TPMS as soon as you can.  They're worth every penny!

ArdraF

[Mark R.]

We have Pressure Pro sensors on all motorhome tires (8 total) plus the toad tires.  We've already been glad to have PP because a toad tire got a puncture near Chatanooga and deflated almost instantly.  The audible alarm told us something was wrong and it took about 1/4 mile to pull off to the side of the freeway.  It was totally flat by then.  So get a TPMS as soon as you can.  They're worth every penny!

ArdraF

I also got a flat on my toad, I was moving from Colorado Springs to NY driving a rental truck towing my 1967 Ford Galaxie with brand new snow tires. By the time I saw the blue smoke in the mirror and pulled over it was too late to fix the flat. The tire looked like a hairy doughnut with one patch of tire tread (the size of your hand) hanging on the fabric. This is the great part, I brought the tire to a Goodyear dealer in NY and the dealer looked at the tire and measured the depth of the tread on the little patch of remaining rubber and called Goodyear support to get approval to replace the tire, they said OK give him a new tire no charge. Goodyear asked the dealer to save the tire so they could give it to their technical people, the dealer said he would put it in a envelope and leave it at the front desk. you had to be there but it was hilarious. Funny thing is I did not go to the dealer to get a warranty, just to buy a new tire.

This happened in 1974.

[gwcowgill]

We were not as fortunate on a blowout on a Toad. In 1974 we were towing our Saturn behind an old MH when a Semi pulled alongside blowing his horn and pointing to the Toad. By the time I was able to stop along side I-79 in WV the damage to the Toad was $1200.63 plus the cost of a new tire. We now use the Tattle Tale on the Toad and TST TPMS on the coach. Well worth the money......

[Charlie Two Tracks]

I work on the Interstate (I-80) everyday and a lot of the time I am on road patrol, picking up dead animals and trash. Just today, I was picking up rubber off the road and shoulder for over a mile. Up ahead was a trailer with both passenger tires gone and the rims rounded off. The other two tires on the trailer were showing signs of age. Just today, I picked up seven tires that had blown. Four of them were semi tires. I have the Pressure Pro on my MH. They are good for a slow leak or if one of the duals goes down. If you hit a piece of steel in the road and have a blow out, know how to handle your rig. I do not have old tires. It just isn't worth it in my opinion.

[Mark R.]

 "a trailer with both passenger tires gone and the rims rounded off"

Most of my rims are round, before I get flats!

Loosing a tire on trailers with normal leaf spring configuration does not change the weight on the adjacent axle/ tire, so loosing one tire should not cause another tire to blow from overload, more likely the second tire ran over the object that the first tire hit.

[Larry N.]

I expect he's talking about the two tires on a set of duals, Mark, not on separate axles. Losing one puts twice the load on the remaining tire.

[Mark R.]

Trailers don't have duels ,do they?

[Larry N.]

Semi trailers do...

[taoshum]

Just in case anyone is prone to buying safety equipment based on stastical data, here are some data:


leading causes of death:
Heart disease: 616,067
Cancer: 562,875
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 135,952
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 127,924
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 123,706
Alzheimer's disease: 74,632
Diabetes: 71,382
Influenza and Pneumonia: 52,717
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 46,448
Septicemia: 34,828

Death by Accidents:
All unintentional injury deaths
Number of deaths: 123,706

Unintentional falls: 22,631

Motor vehicle traffic deaths: 42,031

Unintentional poisoning deaths: 29,846


Motor Vehicle deaths

About 50% Alcohol related
About 25% Distractions like cell phones, GPS, maps, texting, eating, etc
About 25% other, like equipment, roads, TOD, type of road

brakes and tires are important, but... probably not the first priority for investments.

Easy ways to give yourself much higher odds:

take care of your heart, dodge the cancer bullets, dodge the stroke bullets, get a flu shot, use hand rails so you don't fall, watch what poisons you eat, turn off the cell phones when driving, don't drink alchohol when you might drive, do your maintenance regularly, stay awake, no speeding, etc.  Somewhere way down the list, is TPMS.

Just sayin' 

[Just Lou]

The only thing that proves is that statistics can be made to say what you want them to say....

[Mark R.]

Semi trailers do...

True, I have to widen my thinking, I was thinking travel trailers. Got me.

[Mark R.]

" take care of your heart, dodge the cancer bullets, dodge the stroke bullets, get a flu shot, use hand rails so you don't fall, watch what poisons you eat, turn off the cell phones when driving, don't drink alchohol when you might drive, do your maintenance regularly, stay awake, no speeding, etc.  Somewhere way down the list, is TPMS. "



Tao, it does put old tires and tire pressure in proper prospective.

[Ned]

All of that is irrelevant with respect to a TPMS.  A TPMS will, most often, catch a tire failure before it becomes catastrophic, and save you from significant damage or even an accident.  It won't prevent health problems

[Mark R.]

Ned the primary  reason I want to  buy a tpms is to prevent health problems!

[Ned]

Ned the primary  reason I want to  buy a tpms is to prevent health problems!

Maybe you can mount a sensor to monitor your blood pressure.