Safe tire age?

[B.G. Smith]

I have Michelin 16" XPS steel tires and am wondering. They have about 20,000 miles on them and have lots of tread left but are like me, getting some age on them. I know the cutoff for most ST tire age is 5 years. Any thoughts? bg

 

[RustyJC]

HERE is what Michelin says. I would imagine the annual inspection after 5 years is to look for signs of aging like cracks or separation in the sidewall and tread area. Michelin says 10 years is an absolute maximum. I'm sure lots of other people have lots of other opinions....

Rusty

 

[Okie-Go]

On the sidewall there is a dot number.. The first two numbers are the week it was built, the next two are the year. Usually recommended to replace tires every 6-7 years regardless of miles. Take them to a tire shop, they can tell you the build date. I don't have to worry about age, mine usually last about a year and a half, maybe a tad longer but not much!

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Some trailer tire mfg. say 4 years; Maxxis says 5 years. Car and truck tires sometimes are rated for 10 years.

 

[Tuesdak]

As the tire ages it is best to have your tire dealer inspect the tires for you. Generally done during a rotation. Their trained eyes and experience can point out and sometimes fix tire problems like age failures, blisters, separations, road damage (cuts, punctures, bruises) etc. I learned long ago to replace tires before they become trouble regardless of remaining tread. I balance this with: If they can sell the tires used then it may be too soon to replace them. Don't forget the unused, but, aged out spare just waiting to make a flat fix a disaster.

I have had an auto dealer safety inspection (everyone always thinks dealer BS $ of those) point out 1 year old tires that were separating only on the inside sidewalls.

Age, heat, and load all reduce tire life. The hotter the outside temperatures the shorter the tire life. For example in AZ you are lucky to get 4 years out of tires. Year 4 and 5 have visible weather cracking on the tire. Towing in extreme hot weather reduces tire tread life from rated 50K miles to 30K miles. The heat itself hurts the entire tire: good tread separates, sidewalls crack and eventually blow clean out.

IMO anything over 5 years is asking for tire failure in extreme heat. Even new tires have trouble making it.

If you are in frozen Alaska maybe you can get 10 years out of a tire.

 

[SnoKing]

I ran my XPS Ribs for 6.5 years and 40K+ miles. One was actually 8.5 years old and the other three were 7.5 years old. The 8.5 year one was getting micro cracks in the sidewall, so I sold them on CL for 200 bucks and installed Bridgestone Duravis R250's this time. The R250 are about 50 bucks each less and also an all steel ply tire.

Most ST tires on heavy trailers are lucky to make it 2 to 3 years. ST tires are claimed to loose 10% of their capacity per year!!! They should be considered delivery and show tires. The whole nature of ST tires is that they get their inflated ratings due to the 65MPH speed restriction. And now Carlisle claims you can go faster with their Radial RH ST tire. We watched a new trailer behind a delivery drive on I-5 a month ago with a 30+ foot bumper pull and the rear axle was bouncing into a blur. Those tires where most likely not going to make it a year.

SNOKING

 

[AnOldBiker]

There is a lot of good information on the net from manufactures about the age for your tires. I've read many of them and they will educate you.

What I have believed in was when rotating your tires, you need to treat them like other expensive parts. They are the only items that are keeping you from the actual road. I rotate them, wash each completely, dry them, and after slowly inspecting all areas for flaws, treat them with a good silicone treatment prior to installation. It's a pain in the *****, but weekly I check the pressure on all tires.

Now most say 10 years are the most you can safely get from any tire, but by doing what I have stated, I've safely got 15 years out of a set before needing to change because I was starting to see the wear strips. You can be late on oil changes, filter changes and such, but it is imperative you maintain them properly. I've seen blow out where people died. My present tires are 7 years old with 80k+ and still have many miles left. (But them MT's have larger threads)

 

[inlinesix3million]

If you keep adequate pressure in them and cover them when parked- you should have no problem keeping them 8-10 years. Same with the Duravis.

 

[B.G. Smith]

Thanks to all who replied. I just didn't know since the tire is all steel belted if it was safe to go more than the 5 years. They are showing some cracking mainly along the rim. I have never run a set of tires on a trailer before that didn't have a failure. I scattered Marathons, Coopers and Goodrich tires from Texas to the east coast. These Michelin's have really been dependable. bg

 

[JR]

I think it's hard to go by appearance alone. We recently bought a used 5th wheel with like new looking Marathons. The camper was bought new by a retired couple, hauled to a campground where it sat for the summer and then hauled to storage for the winter. That's it, those were the extent of the miles it saw for 9 years. While parked at the campground the tires were covered. They weren't weather checked, cracked or faded the least bit. They ended up being the original tires, and the first thing I replaced (along with the 9 year old grease in the hubs).

Ultimately I wouldn't go any longer than what the manufacture suggests, and if used on longer trips I'd even be leary of that, especially if they are running at the upper end of their weight rating.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Goodyear Marathons are made in China, as are many other brands of trailer tires.

 

[realfine409]

I too have just recently purchased a used 35 ft. 5'er. It has a mix of 16" LT's. The codes indicate mid to late 2011. The tread indicates little use, the sidewalls are clean and smooth. Do the LT's age at the same rate as the ST's? I typically cruise at 65 mph both for tire safety and because it's the sweet spot for fuel economy. I keep an infrared thermometer in the truck, and measure tire temps at every stop. Thus far they are running reasonably cool and similar in the fall weather I'm getting ready for a 4K+ trip this winter and would like to know if I have the luxury of not worrying or have they spent their useful life not rolling??? Any ideas?

 

[inlinesix3million]

At 4 yrs old they should typically have a lot of life left. I would definitely look them all up to see their weight ratings. Take your fully loaded 5th wheel across a scale so you have an

accurate number to compare the tires with. Are they all closed shoulder tread design? Make sure they all spec near the same. Not all LT tires are well suited for trailer duty.