Old tires but look new

[tenderfoot11]

Just bought a 1996 TETON Prestige 5th wheel. It has been keep inside out ot the sun and elements. The Goodyear Wranglers 235R 16 E look like they are Brand new with deep tread. Even has a Brand new Spaire, the DOD code is 3303.
Going to make a short trip on th 20th of May, about 480 miles Round trip, pray for me!!

Just Joined this forum to see if I can find some information about the Trailer and its quality.

Dale

 

[Conquest aka Robert]

You are going to need a lot of praying!!

 

[Lou Schneider]

At 7 years old (manufactured the 33rd week of 03) you're pushing the limits on the life of those tires, regardless of how little they've been used.

Rubber releases preservatives when it's flexed - if the tires haven't moved (i.e. the tread looks brand new) chances are very good the rubber has deteriorated more than a tire that has been run regularly.

Having the trailer stored inside has reduced the amount of UV the tires have been exposed to, but if it was me I'd replace them.  Trailer wheelwells aren't all that strong - a blowout can do a significant amount of damage to the underside of the trailer, even if everything stays under control.

 

[ArdraF]

Lou gave you good advice.  Tire blowouts can cause more damage than you want to deal with!  And, more important, what damage might a blown tire cause to you, your family, and nearby drivers.  Buying new tires is less costly than the alternative.

ArdraF

 

[Tony_Alberta]

At 7 years old (manufactured the 33rd week of 03) you're pushing the limits on the life of those tires, regardless of how little they've been used.

Rubber releases preservatives when it's flexed - if the tires haven't moved (i.e. the tread looks brand new) chances are very good the rubber has deteriorated more than a tire that has been run regularly.

Isn't that eight years now?   

I've never read this about rubber, preservatives and flexing.  Do you have a manufacturer URL which mentions this?

 

[rbell]

You are pushing your luck to keep using them. BUT if you are going to use them jack up each tire and do an inspection with a good light, Check inside & out and try to find the area where they were on the ground. Look for small cracks between the tread and where they bulged on the sidewalls from sitting. It's also a good time to check your wheel bearings & brakes.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Here is an excellent article on aging and conditions of use. It mentions "regularity of use" as a major factor.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=138&currentpage=38

 

[bailer6334]

As you asked the question, take the advise given. Replace the tires.

 

[tenderfoot11]

Thanks for the info, I pulled one wheel off  and found that the wheel bearing seal the hub was of the wrong size as the grease was coming out. I had trouble finding the correct size today. they had put in the seal that belonged to a differant axle, my axle was the DEXTER 7K with 8 lug, someone told me it was 7k axle. I did find the correct seal for the axle, I took care of two of them today and will do the others in the morning. Then go and check on some new tires.

Thanks a lot folks.

Dale

 

[FastEagle]

Well there are two strong answers for you. It told you your tires are too old and don't have enough load capacity for your 7000# axles.

FastEagle

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You may get lucky. It is impossible to predict tire failure on age alone, but the risk grows year by year and gets huge by 7 years. And trailer tires are generally shorter lived than larger RV tires, especially when they've just been sitting around.

Let us know if you make it ok.

 

[tenderfoot11]

Ya'll are just awesome Thank goodness.  I bit the bullet and put on 5 new Mechelin LTX M&S 235R 16. I also check the Bearings etc and found 3 differant colors of grease and the wrong size seal, boy, someone  could have trouble down th road. I also put new backing plate and new shoes on while I had it apart.

Will be leaving in the morning (Friday 20th) to go north to Grand view TX.

Frenchman

 

[RV daytrader]

I bought my lil toyota class C in wisconsin and drove it home tp PA (900 miles) last november. I looked at the tires and they looked ok, about half thread left and no sidewall cracks. I didnt even think about how old they were untill I got home with it and  started reading these rv forums. So I checked and found they were 19 years old! They held air all winter, have no bulges...but I am having new ones put on. I would have been afraid to drive it home had I known about date codes and read the stories on these forums! One question I have is...why do RV tires cause so much damage when they blow?? I have had many car tires blowout over the years and the tires never blew apart. Is it cause so many inflate to max pressure on RVs ?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Damage comes from higher pressures and soft (fiberglass, vinyl, etc) body parts and wiring around the wheel wells. Damage is most likely on a Class A, where the tire pressures run 80-120 psi and the glass body parts extend down and around the wheel area.

 

[Conquest aka Robert]

I have seen the damage first hand. My blow out the tread was hanging on like a flap with the steel cords hanging out like hair. This is what caused the damage it even knocked a area inside the fender loose. Afterward I tried to move the peice back in place even with a hammer and it would not move. We drove another 400 miles with it still in place and it didn't budge. These tires had 80 psi in them so I could just imagine tires with the amounts Gary is talking about and the fact they are even bigger.

 

[Gerry R]

I recently saw what looked like a five year old TT with a spare on the back with 2/3 of the tire gone, not 2/3 tread but the whole tire, and the right side wheel well and part of the side body, beat to crap so it can happen to any RV. It sure made me hurry home and get the six year old Chinese skins off our toy hauler.