Old Tires

[trish]

I got this link thanks to someone at another forum. This is news to me.


http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897

[Gnam]

Seems like the tire companies are in a Catch22 situation. If they recommend an expiration date, maybe they sell more tires, but they also accept liability for past/future accidents.

Wonder what percent of tires older than 6 years will fail like that?

[OW]

Very Interesting.......

Thanks

[Sean Malone]

Most car collectors and motorcycle owners understand the 2 basics of tire care; keep the vehicle on jacks if you don't drive it (such as over the winter) and replace the tires every other year no matter the mileage.
I keep my motorcycle on jacks whenever I'm not on it and replace the rubber every year. If I had to choose I'd take bald newer tires over old, full tread old tires anytime.
The problem isn't the tire manufactures, like the report said, Ford has lobbied Congress to impose a 6 year limit, it's the retailers that buy bulk and sell old stock. It's in the best interest of the tire manufactures to not have old tires being sold for liability lawsuits.

[Andrew Longman]

WTF is up with the industry's supply chain when they have tires in the system that old? Even with the complexity of all the sizes and styles, I wouldn't think think they have stock more than a few months. How could they accept that inventory on the books year after year?

[Insomniac]

I'm still not clear. Should you replace tires before they are six years old, or start using them before they are 6 years old?

[Methanolandbrats]

I'm still not clear. Should you replace tires before they are six years old, or start using them before they are 6 years old?
If you buy new tires that are 5 years and 10 months old, you can use them for two months and then you have to buy new ones.:gomer:

[oddlycalm]

WTF is up with the industry's supply chain when they have tires in the system that old? Even with the complexity of all the sizes and styles, I wouldn't think think they have stock more than a few months. How could they accept that inventory on the books year after year?
Happens in any retail business because many are not managed at all. They are run by untrained amateurs.The other side of this is that wholesalers are probably sitting on inventory in sizes no longer popular and obsolete models.

oc

[TravelGal]

Thanks Trish. This is very timely as TravelGuy and I were just discussing purchasing new tires today. Mine are a minimum of 7 years old because they are the original ones on the car and it's a 2001. There is still plenty of tread left (only 31,000 miles on the car) but,based on this, I'll heading to get new tires before Christmas.

[trish]

Just make sure they're really new.

[Sean Malone]

I'm a little suspicious how many vehicles in the video were older Ford Explorers. Stock footage from the Firestone debacle?

[trish]

I'm a little suspicious how many vehicles in the video were older Ford Explorers. Stock footage from the Firestone debacle?

I think that was NBC.

[nrc]

The comment that you can see evidence of the problem all over America's highways isn't exactly accurate. Most of the tread you see lying around, including what they show in the story, is from tractor trailers that use retreaded tires. Tread separation on tractor trailers usually occurs because low pressure on one tire leaves the others carrying more than their rated load.

Notice that the vast majority of the wrecks in the warehouse they show were SUVs. I would bet that tire loading is a factor along with the age of the tire.

[Methanolandbrats]

The comment that you can see evidence of the problem all over America's highways isn't exactly accurate. Most of the tread you see lying around, including what they show in the story, is from tractor trailers that use retreaded tires. Tread separation on tractor trailers usually occurs because low pressure on one tire leaves the others carrying more than their rated load.

Notice that the vast majority of the wrecks in the warehouse they show were SUVs. I would bet that tire loading is a factor along with the age of the tire.
Yup, road gators from trucks. Tire inflation is also a huge factor in the few passenger car tires that "blow out".

[cart7]

The comment that you can see evidence of the problem all over America's highways isn't exactly accurate. Most of the tread you see lying around, including what they show in the story, is from tractor trailers that use retreaded tires. Tread separation on tractor trailers usually occurs because low pressure on one tire leaves the others carrying more than their rated load.

Notice that the vast majority of the wrecks in the warehouse they show were SUVs. I would bet that tire loading is a factor along with the age of the tire.

Yep. It's rare to see a piece of seperated tire on the highway that belongs to a passenger car or light truck.
Even that one shot of the gal with the truck tires appeared to be running a tube type tire which in that size are often retreads.

As for the Firestone/Explorer lawsuits over the delaminations, It was determined that Ford not only shipped new trucks and recommended the 75 series ATX tires be kept under inflated by nearly 30%. This was due to pre-government, roll-over testing done by Ford to test whether the Explorer would pass. They found it wouldn't unless the tires were severely under-inflated.