Tire life

[1kotonk]

ok, I've had my TT for about 5 years now. I replaced the tires with Good Year Marathons soon after I got it. The tires still look good to me, evenly worn, side walls look good and not showing cracks. I keep the Trailer on black top at a storage facility with no tire covers. I don't think I put 10k on those tires

How long do you all keep your tires for time, mileage or both?

[profdant139]

About 5 years. I put about 10,000 miles on mine each year.

[JimboFunFinder]

I don't know of any tire manufacturers who recommend using there tires beyond 5 years. They have zero liability after 5 years to my understanding. When I purchased my truck I checked a couple of the tires (one F and one R) and both were about 3 years old so I figured I was good to go as they had plenty of tread and no weather cracks. However, on our first trip the RR blew out while I was on the freeway and the temp was about 100. I called AAA to change the tire and the driver chastised me that it was over 6 years old. I was dumbfounded and when we checked the other three found it was the only tire which was out of date. All 4 were the same manufacturer and showed equivalent wear so I will never know the history. Perhaps the PO purchased a tire which was already aged (old stock).

[twinster2]

It's a crap shoot because you can have a blowout even on a new tire. Way I see it, I have a twin axle with four tires on a pretty small trailer. If the tires are over 5 years old and I gets a blowout, then I will replace them all.

[foakes]

We bought a used '09 189FBS a couple of months ago -- it was back in Denver and we are from the Sierras of Central California.

Seller was extremely honest -- and said that the tires were making a vibration and they would take it into Discount Tire to get the wheels balanced.

It was likely from the trailer being used only once or twice a year. The air pressure becomes low -- and the resting portion of the tire gains a flat memory..

When they took it into Discount Tire (America's Tire) -- the shop would not do any work on the tires because they were over (5) years old.

Took Profdant139's cue -- and had the shop install a set of Goodyear Endurances for $593. The seller offered to pay half.

The peace of mind and confidence in a good set of tires -- cannot be overstated, IMO.

Best,

Fred

[JimboFunFinder]

In an article titled The Science of Tire Aging I found some statistics to share:
"NHTSA Research Provides Evidence
"In 2007, NHTSA's Research Report to Congress on Tire Aging presented clear evidence of both tire aging failures and the outsized effect of sustained heat on the aging mechanism.

“This trend was observed in NHTSA’s analysis of data provided by a large insurance company... It reported that 27 percent of its policyholders are from Texas, California, Louisiana, Florida, and Arizona, but 77 percent of the tire claims came from these states and 84 percent of these were for tires over 6 years old. While tire insurance claims are not necessarily an absolute measure of the failures due to aging, [they are] an indication that a large number of tire failures are likely occurring because of the effect of sustained high temperature on tires.” - NHTSA Research Report to Congress on Tire Aging
"When NHTSA conducted further testing in Arizona, they found not only that tires did show an increasing failure rate with age, especially at around 6 years, they also found that the rate of aging was only slightly less for spare tires.

“DOE analysis confirms that mileage was a relatively unimportant factor in [failures due to] aging compared to time. Thus time, not mileage, is the correct metric for tire aging... Besides variations from manufacturer to manufacturer, tire size, or more specifically, tire aspect ratio seems to effect the tire aging rate. Tires with higher aspect ratios age faster than tires with lower aspect ratios.” - Rubber Oxidation And Tire Aging - A Review."

[Eagle]

The tires on my unit when purchased new via a special factory order were 2 years old from the factory. I ran them until last spring when put on new Goodyear Endurance tires.

As for a driving vehicle, car; pickup; motorcycle ... they are only replaced when the tread is worn off or happen to run over something that damages the tire ... hasn't happened in years. Never had a blowout but have had a few flats from nails but not for maybe 20 years now.

This is first time ever heard of changing tires on a car/pickup/motorcycle if the date code is 5 years old....and worked in the vehicle mechanical industry for many decades but not the last several.

[LJAZ]

Rule of thumb from what I've heard is 5-7 years for tires of any type, trailer or car/truck.

[Eagle]

Originally Posted by LJAZ

Rule of thumb from what I've heard is 5-7 years for tires of any type, trailer or car/truck.

Heard of the 5-7 year rule for camper tires but never for any other vehicle.

[LJAZ]

Yup, I'm a member of a sports car club. If your tires are over 7 yrs old you won't pass the safety inspection required to participate in autocross or DE.

[Eagle]

Originally Posted by LJAZ

Yup, I'm a member of a sports car club. If your tires are over 7 yrs old you won't pass the safety inspection required to participate in autocross or DE.

Never heard of such and I worked for Goodyear 1968 - 1970....mostly as a mechanic but mounted tires too.
Also worked part time in service stations (before they all converted to convenience store) and in/around vehicle maintenance until the late '80s....and still associate with many mechanics still in the business...never has that ever been mentioned.

I am totally baffled !!

Must be something that came about in more recent years.
?

[mjpguy]

Yep, I'm pretty much with everyone else here. I say 6 years max, 5 years to be on the safe side since getting "Brand new" trailer tires is kinda hard, usually their up to a year old when you get em' (Goodyear Endurance) and I've seen people get tires over 3 years old from some of those mail order places that sell off-brand Chinese crap.

[Gerald Miller]

I’m late to the party, but my 2 cents. Formerly on my single axle trailer I ran Marathons, and ALWAYS had a blow out within 3yrs of purchase, then always put on a new set (that was for 11years). On my FF I put on the Endurance tires. I’ve had them just shy of 3 yrs with no blowouts. However I’ve driven cross country 3 times and I’ll put on a new set by years end. I too, check manufacture date on tire and won’t accept any more than a year old. My theory is - I’d rather buy new tires frequently than change tires, though I know that is no guarantee. I wish they would make LT tires in 14 inch size, because turning twin axle trailers puts a lot of pressure on sidewalls, and my opinion this decreases their life.

[RipVan]

I bought my FF ('07 x210) in 2013. I can't say if the original owner had replaced the tires but I'm guessing not. I don't believe though that he put many miles on those tires. Last year (about this same time of year) I was having a local mechanic lube the wheel bearings before the last trip of the year. When I came to pick up the camper, he told me that the fires were in pretty poor shape. (I posted a thread on this last year so I'll spare everyone the details). Bottom line though is that these tires age, regardless of annual mileage! I aim to pay more attention to this in the future.

[Eagle]

Originally Posted by LJAZ

Rule of thumb from what I've heard is 5-7 years for tires of any type, trailer or car/truck.

"Bridgestone recommends that its Bridgestone or Firestone brand tires be removed from service after ten years regardless of their remaining tread depth. They also recommend periodic inspections by a qualified technician for damage such as punctures, impact damage, signs of improper inflation or overloading, or other conditions resulting from the use or misuse of the tire."

From Discount tire web site: "How Long Do Tires Last?
The average life of a tire is determined by the conditions a tire is exposed to throughout its life - not measured in calendar years. Temperature changes, sun exposure, storage conditions, usage, and maintenance schedules all contribute to the rate at which a tire ages.

It is impossible to determine a tire’s exact life expectancy, because there is no way to account for the level of influence any one of these factors may have on a tire. However, you can defer to the vehicle and tire manufacturers replacement recommendations:

Vehicle manufacturers recommend tire replacement at 6 years.
Tire manufacturers' warranties expire at 6 years.
Tire manufacturers recommend replacement at 10 years, regardless of tread depth.
Discount Tire recommends that you replace your tires after 6 years of age, regardless of tread depth. For your safety, Discount Tire will not service a tire that exceeds 10 years of age."

Of course, Discount tires sells tires.....so ?

I would add, growing up on the farm Dad bought a new 1949 IHC KB5 two ton farm truck which was used until he retired about 1979 and sold it with the original tires - only ran about 20,000 miles. Also had a 57 Ford two ton farm truck, purchased used and sold about 79 - never replaced the tires. Car tires were never replaced until tread was nearly gone growing up and I still don't to this day.

So maybe with all the huge advancements in material, design and tire manufacturing, they just don't last as long as they used to anymore if must be replaced on cars, trucks, etc. in 7-10 years.

[LJAZ]

Ford, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz, tell owners 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. Never heard of anyone offering such an inspection.

Eagle - the older vehicles used bias ply tires. Radials weren't much in use until the late 70s on passenger cars. Coinciding with the implementation of vehicle fuel efficiency standards. I think the bias ply must have been more resistant to wear and tear.

[Eagle]

LJAZ Well I will go along with replacing the trailer tires every 7-8 years since I don't cover that many miles annually.

The factory china bombs showed hardly any tread wear, no sidewall checking or between the tread checking. Being 2 years old when installed on my unit new in 2012 and ran until the spring of 2019, they were some 8 years old when replaced and performed fine.

I expect the same if not better performance out of the Goodyear Endurance tires on it now.

As for car/pickup tires, I will continue to use them, regardless of age, until the tread is wore into the wear bars unless noticeable weather checking is evident....as I always have in the over 65 years of driving hundreds of thousands of miles and never a blowout.

My choice ... as removing perfectly good tires with good tread because the mfg. says it should be done due to age is, IMO, a consumer rip off. Most products with an expiration date will last well beyond the mfg. expiration date.

[JimboFunFinder]

Eagle,
I think you get more years from your tires in So Dakota than those of us in smoggy and HOT California. Come to think of it, I have had 3 blow-outs in my life and all three were during the heat of summer. I'll trade you for some of your clean cool air!
Jimbo

[Eagle]

When working for Unical Bank of Los Angles CA back in the 70's and for a management company in Orange Country CA also in the 70's ONLY flying to CA for corp. meetings, I'm well aware of the air non-quality and hordes of people in CA. Actually, reminded me of being in the middle of a stock yard pen with the crowding.

My only experience driving my personal vehicle in CA was in the mid 80's when a buddy and I rode motorcycles west to the coast in Oregon and down highway 1 and 101 to San Diego and spent several days there while taking the tram to Mexico. My Harley was only in Mexico for about 15 days and don't think it damaged the tires any. From there we drive to Los Vegas and the desert was HOT ... over 110 F when stopped around midnight in either Barstow or Baker - don't remember.

Yes, here we do have clean air and can see to the horizon unless it happens to be foggy which isn't that often. However, we do have heat in the summer with temps in the 90's and usually a few weeks when the temps are over 100 degrees. Of course, that is off-set in the winter with temps of 20 below zero or more. Keeps the skeeters and riff-raff away.
LOL