Oem tire lifespan

[coolzzy]

So last weekend I had Ford dealer install 4 "new" tires in my 17expy. They had the best price in town for mount and balance, only $60. I bought the tires from a friend who had removed them from his new 2016 F150 at time of purchase and stacked them in his garage. Only $200, it was a hard thing to pass up. I know they are not the best tires but are the same as what's on my expy with 58k miles, which still have tread left. They are goodyear wrangler fortitude HT tires.

Anyways, dealer calls shortly after dropping off the vehicle and says they can't mount the tires legally, because even though they are new, they are 5 years old. I told them the date code on the tires shows 2016 manufacture date, which they told me is only a few months shy of 5 years old right now. I politely told them to mount them regardless and note on the paperwork I will not hold them liable for tire failure due to age. It's funny cause I wasn't expecting them to warranty the tires, I was only paying for the work.

My point is, these are 65k mile tires. I maybe put 10k per year on this vehicle, so they could potentially last 6-7 years. Is this a silly holdover thing of the past, like changing your oil every 3k miles? Am I in greater danger of catastrophic tire failure running these?

 

[Aspen03]

I personally try not to run extremely old tires. Some of the equation goes into storage conditions and how you'll keep them over the next few years. I've driven on more than one 10+ yr old piece of rubber but due to necessity not choice.

Most manufacturers will say 6 years in use and 10yrs in storage. For $200 if they're in good shape, so no signs of cracking, dryness, etc I'd rock em till they are though I'd scrutinize them at every oil change or before loading up to capacity. Even if you only manage to get 15-20k out of them which I bet is a low estimate you got your investment out of them.

FWIW I have a parts car sitting on factory issued Perelli Scorpions from a bullit mustang that are going on 14 years old since manufacturing date and have been sitting exposed to the elements almost their entire life, baking in the sun for at least 5 years with no protection whatsoever. They hold air fine, no I wouldn't drive on them more than the length of my driveway but tires are fairly resilient.

Most recent I was on what I'm guessing was the original factory spare for the navigator I brought home about 2 weeks ago. The continental had a date code of 2002... it definitely showed signs of age but wasnt low on pressure and I gave it a little bit of hell before hitting the hwy where I kept speeds sane and had no one else else in vehicle and kept to the right lane should an emergency arise.

 

[07navi]

How they are stored etc matters on how old they are but many tire shops won't mount them anymore. The week they were made should be on there too. If they won't do it pay a few more dollars and have a local tire shop do it, some will - some won't. Look up tire age on google .

 

[ExplorerTom]

If stored out of the sun and away from ozone creating equipment (water heaters, furnaces, other large electrical draw devices), the tires should be fine. Not great, but fine. For $200, that’s a steal.

How many people replace their spare tire in a timely fashion? I doubt anyone.

 

[07navi]

If stored out of the sun and away from ozone creating equipment (water heaters, furnaces, other large electrical draw devices), the tires should be fine. Not great, but fine. For $200, that’s a steal.

How many people replace their spare tire in a timely fashion? I doubt anyone.

Some do, they were on my other forum. I have 15 year old tires on my trailer and the look and ride fine.

 

[Aspen03]

I just had a brand new spare installed for the navigator I recently brought home. Didn't trust the original for long term. It was pushing 18yrs old...

 

[coolzzy]

Bias ply tires on trailers are another story, or so I'm told. My rv is stored indoors 97% of its life, but the original tires are now entering their 6th camping season. They show very little wear but I'll still probably replace them before next season. They are subject to pretty extreme forces when turning (tandem axle so they twist a lot sometimes), which I'm sure exacerbates wear that a radial tire on a vehicle doesn't experience. And if a tire blows out on a trailer on the highway, they could cause lots of damage to the trailer or cause a sway condition that could be dangerous.

 

[07navi]

Bias ply tires on trailers are another story, or so I'm told. My rv is stored indoors 97% of its life, but the original tires are now entering their 6th camping season. They show very little wear but I'll still probably replace them before next season. They are subject to pretty extreme forces when turning (tandem axle so they twist a lot sometimes), which I'm sure exacerbates wear that a radial tire on a vehicle doesn't experience. And if a tire blows out on a trailer on the highway, they could cause lots of damage to the trailer or cause a sway condition that could be dangerous.

Mine are just on a little one place snowmobile trailer

 

[Lee Hartwig]

Just replaced the tires on my 2009 Ford E450 RV w LT tires with less than 20,000 miles, no cracking etc. DOT said they must be replaced after 10 years. Had 2008 manufacture date.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

Like some others have said, as long as they look ok upon visual inspection I would run them. As an aside, Michelin has had widespread problems with the LTX tires cracking after 1-2 years, so there's more to it than simply age.