Wow, 4 out of 5 tires have separated

[Art-n-Marge]

In the past I had reported that I purchased 5 Michelins some time ago and have already replaced 3 of them under an Americs's tire warranty.

One of the things I quit doing was lowering the tire's PSI when I was no longer towing. I keep the truck tire inflation at the recommended psi for a maximum load (65 in front, 75 in rear) all the time, tolerating the extra bouncing when the truck is not loaded. I'll also remind everyone that I drive mostly the southern California freeways which are all in bad shape these days.

Well, tire number 4 (the last one is in the spare position), is starting to separate (noticed a couple of days ago after visiting my Mom's house about 60 miles away. After the long drive back, I started noticing more bounce than usual even when the freeway had its rare moments of being in pretty good shape. When we got off the exit, I pulled over just for grins and went out and looked at my driver's side rear tire and it just didn't look right. It had that telltale start of a bulge that indicated the tire is no longer perfectly round and is just starting to separate. It is pronounced enough that even DW could see things weren't right.

America's Tire is not open on Sunday and I didn't discover the problem until late Saturday, so the truck sits in its parking spot until I can take it in first thing tomorrow (Monday) morning.

FWIW, the tires that have had the problems have a date code of 0810 (last four digits of the long DOT code) and they are LT M/S2 275/70R18. I haven't had any problems with any of the replacements and can't wait to hear what America's Tire will say about this occurrence. I have a feeling since it's been a while so that the tire is quite aged, it's gonna cost a little something extra.

[DQDick]

That's scary, glad you didn't have an incident.

[1retired06]

Good catch, most of us are always focused on the fiver tires. Good reminder to check all.

[mlh]

Goodyear stores won't even fix a flat on a tire that is over 6 years old.
Lynwood

[jcurtis934]

Dang Art, six plus years is really getting your two cents out of the tires. Just replaced my fronts after four years and next year the rear duals will get replaced. Glad you noticed the issues. John

[CWSWine]

The tire place I use won't even rotate tires that are old then 5 years old.

[Art-n-Marge]

That 6 year old tire, wasn't used for 6 years. They were aware of my rotation pattern (I do my own rotations) and that I did not have the spare included into the rotation. The spare tire was NOT introduced into the rotation for at least two years when the first tire separated, then, it was put on an axle with the brand new replacement. So the tire was used for four years on an axle and only had about 40,000 miles of a 70,000 mile warranty.

Now I am on my own. All the tires are getting up there, but are wearing great other than the occasional separation and only the 0810 date code tires have been a problem. They are all getting old including all the other replacement tires. I monitor then closely and realize 6 years is about as long as a tire store will go.

I forgot to mention, the visit to America's Tire went well. The tire was used for 4 years and only had about 40.000 miles on it. Since I had paid for the extra warranty, it was covered.

I suspect in another couple of years, I will be replacing all the tires because of age and want them to be all the same age. Right now all the date codes are different but within the 6 year recommendation. For example, the date codes for the replacement for the oldest ones are about 3 years. So you are right, the America's Tire after-market warranty of about $30 each has saved me a ton. So much so, that for 4 tires has cost me $120 for new rubber for the next 3 years.

Last thing to note. This tire is NO LONGER available. The new tire is called a "Defender" and looks exactly like the older tires even the tread pattern matches the old tires. But this new tire only has a 50,000 mile warranty, and not a 70.000 mile warrantee. Hmmm, I guess I was lucky that I could take advantage of the tire warranty and America's Tire stood behind it.