Tire production date vs purchase date

[bish]

When buying new tires is there a general guideline to be followed regarding how old is too old? I don't know how long it takes for a new tire from the manufacturer to make it to a distributor and then to a dealer and finally to the end user. Since we are in week 37 of 2013 should we expect something with a production date within the past 12 months, more or less? Anyone's thoughts or experience would be appreciated.

[sambam]

I bought my Montana in March of this year and they put brand new tires on. However, while checking pressures one day, I looked at the manufacture date on the sidewall and they were made in 2008! Sure, they were new to the ground, but 5 years in a warehouse somewhere? To me that's old, but it is what it is. They're holding up ('specially since we've hardly gone anywhere this year, sigh). I'm not sure what kind of standard there is. Maybe someone else knows what "normal" is, but I intend to replace them in the spring.

[WeBeFulltime]

When I bought Michelins for our 3585SA I told the tire dealer that I would not accept anything over 90 days old and he took care of me. Don't be bashful...it's YOUR money!

[Flymutt]

We had new tires installed on our Monty in March of 2012 and they had a mfg. date of July 2011. I was not very happy about this and I, like you, assumed the mfg date would be reasonably close to the install date. If I had it to do over again, I would ask to see the mfg date before tire installation. I would accept anything within 6 months but not longer than that.

[DQDick]

Trailer tires are only good for 5-7 years no matter where they spend them. Our Monty came with Marathons almost two years old. When we got the G614's I also specified 90 day old tires and got them, no extra charge.

[Art-n-Marge]

Most tires are stored off the wheel. I think this helps the tire last longer since there isn't any air in them to form the water that normally rots them from the inside out. I only started checking the DOT codes on new tires when I bought my huge Monty, including truck replacement tires. I've not seen any tires older than 4 months. I'm okay with that. A year or more and I'd probably ask for something newer.

Other than that, I do agree with DQDick after they are aired up and being used (or mostly stored). I don't recall having any vehicle tire lasting more than that time, since my vehicles are used all the time, but trailer tires... oh yeah, they age. I had trailer tires with very few miles but lots of years that have blown up. Now I don't go past 7 years.

[moutard2]

The rubber compounds and any steel used in the manufacture will not deteriorate if the tire is stored properly which means not mounted, stored on a pallet and in a warehouse with low artificial light, no chemicals in the air and relatively dust free. Years down the road, a tire stored this way should offer the same performance and life as a tire made yesterday.

[Neil.M]

I just put new Firestone Transforce on my rig. I told the dealer I wanted "new" tires and he said no problem. When I got there he rolled out 3 tires made 25th week 2013 and two tires made 40th week 2012. I told him I would take the 2012 tire for the spare but not on the rig or I would walk away. With in 10 min he had a 26th week 2013 tire on the way. Insist on what you want. They will come up with them.

[awaywego]

When I ordered the Goodyear 614's I told them not over 6 months and they ordered them from the factory and they came in two days and they were two weeks old. Now that is fresh!

[BB_TX]

I would not be concerned about tires 6 months old, or even a little older.
But when I bought new Michelin XPS Ribs they were only 3 weeks old.

[Rainer]

quote:Originally posted by moutard2

The rubber compounds and any steel used in the manufacture will not deteriorate if the tire is stored properly which means not mounted, stored on a pallet and in a warehouse with low artificial light, no chemicals in the air and relatively dust free. Years down the road, a tire stored this way should offer the same performance and life as a tire made yesterday.

Out of curiosity...is this an opinion or you have factual data for this?

[TLightning]

We need advice here from a tire guy...maybe Lonnie will read this and respond.

[Captain Joe]

My tire guy said between 60 and 90 days. Mine were 60. My new RV tires were 9 months old. I asked to dealer to put my new tires on vs. their tires. You will reach the 5-year life cycle before tread wear. Insist on 60 to 90 days of look elsewhere. It can be done.

[h2ojocky]

I recently put new Bridgestone Duravis 500 on my Monte. I told the tire dealer I wanted fresh tires and he came through. They were about 4 weeks old. I think that most dealers will give us what we ask for. Unfortunately many people don't know about the date code.

[moutard2]

[/quote]
Out of curiosity...is this an opinion or you have factual data for this?
[/quote]

No, I don't have factual data. It's simply my opinion based on what I've heard and read. I do however think that one of the problems with buying new never mounted tires with older manufacture dates are that the buyer has no idea as to whether the tires have been properly stored or have sat in a tire dealers yard in the Arizona sun for a while.

Here's some information on the matter that is I found interesting ...

"The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has no specific guidelines on tire aging and defers to the recommendations of carmakers and tire manufacturers. Carmakers such as Nissan and Mercedes-Benz tell consumers to replace tires six years after their production date, regardless of tread life. Tire manufacturers such as Continental and Michelin say a tire can last up to 10 years, provided you get annual tire inspections after the fifth year. The Rubber Manufacturers Association says there is no way to put a date on when a tire "expires," because such factors as heat, storage and conditions of use can dramatically reduce the life of a tire."

So it appears that most of the "facts" floating around may just be opinions just like mine.

[Rainer]

According to this government website:

http://1.usa.gov/14vfkIa

"The effects of aging may not be visibly detectable. Since there is no standard test to assess the serviceability of a tire, even an inspection performed by an expert may not always reveal the extent of tire deterioration. Vehicle owners are therefore encouraged to have their tires checked after five years of use, then annually thereafter."

[dsprik]

I was on Goodyear's site last week and they stated that the life of a trailer tire was 3-5 yrs of service.

[jlb27537]

My 2014 3150RL was manufactured 4/9/13. The 4 tires on my trailer were date coded 48/12 and 50/12. So the tires were 4 months old when the trailer was built. I took delivery 5/9/13.

I drove home 800 miles and installed 4 Bridgestone Duravis 250 tires. I insisted on fresh tires. I got tires with March codes installed in May.

I was not really concerned about the date codes on the Marathons since I knew I was taking them off. I sold them on Craig's list for $500 for the 4 on the ground. I kept the Marathon for a spare. I also installed a TST monitor system and have yet to have to add air.

Jim

[LonnieB]

When tires are stored properly (inside a building and out of direct sunlight, off the floor or ground, and unmounted) they will maintain their integrity for a fairly long time. I wouldn't say several years, but several months up to one year is acceptable to me. I won't sell anything for passenger, light truck, or camper trailer use older than one year, and nothing older than 2 years on other types of trailers. I do my best to keep fresh tires in stock by rotating the inventory (selling oldest first), and not restocking anything I haven't sold two sets of in the last year.