7 Year Old Tires

[cruzbill]

Tom, Can you confirm the concrete/asphalt issue? Is storing the MH on concrete or asphalt an issue?
Thanks!

[Gerryl]

Also Tom, Is there a difference in tires made for RVs and truck tires?
When I bought this RV it had Kumho truck tires on it. They are dated 08 , always kept inside, look like new, not a bit of checking or cracking and have roughly 10,000 miles on them.

[Unplanned]

Gerry, I would bet money that your tires will last 10 years + if you continue to store it inside.

[Unplanned]

Originally Posted by cruzbill

Tom, Can you confirm the concrete/asphalt issue? Is storing the MH on concrete or asphalt an issue?
Thanks!

OK Tom, what is your idea about the cement/asphalt issue? I have a collector car with 20 year old tires. Always in a climate controlled building, parked on concrete. Tires look like new, no cracks, hold air, but are old. It hardly ever is driven, so the tires will stay on for now.

[Forza Tom]

Originally Posted by Unplanned

Gerry, I would bet money that your tires will last 10 years + if you continue to store it inside.

Your not betting money you are betting his life.

I lost one after storing in doors after 8 years.

I care for my tires as good as anyone possible can.

[Forza Tom]

Originally Posted by Unplanned

OK Tom, what is your idea about the cement/asphalt issue? I have a collector car with 20 year old tires. Always in a climate controlled building, parked on concrete. Tires look like new, no cracks, hold air, but are old. It hardly ever is driven, so the tires will stay on for now.

According to those I talk to storing on concrete/asphalt does not effect your tires. Tires have been designed to spend their entire life on concrete and asphalt.

Also unless you have bias ply tires they won't flat spot. Radial tires do not flat spot.

I have stored my MH in both heated an unheated storage here in northern Ohio and have had no issues. It has never been stored on anything but concrete.

I think if you feel more comfortable putting something between the surface and your tires go for it.

[Forza Tom]

Originally Posted by Gerryl

Also Tom, Is there a difference in tires made for RVs and truck tires?
When I bought this RV it had Kumho truck tires on it. They are dated 08 , always kept inside, look like new, not a bit of checking or cracking and have roughly 10,000 miles on them.

There is a difference between the tires but has nothing to do with longevity.

The main difference can be in the hardness of the carcass compound which includes the sidewall.

Truck tries tend to be harder/stiffer. That can mean a harder ride. They tend to make RV specific tires a little softer so the ride is a little softer.

Personally I couldn't tell the difference when I when from a Goodyear RV to a Goodyear truck.

[Ramzfan]

Originally Posted by Forza Tom

Part of what you are saying is correct and part of it is quite incorrect.

I work in the tire industry. Not as a tire dealer but as a supplier to all of the major tire companies. I work with them on sourcing the materials they use for the rubber compounds. I work with tire engineers from all of the major tire companies so I can tell you without a doubt that the 7 year rule is very real no matter how your tires are cared for.

Side wall cracking is only one sign of a tires aging issues. There are chemicals that are used in the construction of the tire between ply's and in the bead area that begin to break down after 7 years.

Those issues happen and cannot be seen by visual inspection.

There is no exact timing on tire failure that is why you may see a tire that last 12 years and the see one blow out right at the 7 year mark.

Everyone has to make there own decision on how long to run their tires but don't make the mistake of informing everyone that your experience will be theirs and I can already tell you that my experience was quite different from yours even though I cared for my tires as good as anyone could.

Dear Tom, I think perhaps you need to go back and re-read what I posted...I did not "make the mistake of informing everyone that my experience will be theirs". On the contrary, I said that I would not recommend others to do what I did. What I did tell them though, was that if they took care of their tires and stored them out of the sun, they could expect to get more than seven years out of them. I still stand by that remark.

[Unplanned]

Originally Posted by Forza Tom

Your not betting money you are betting his life.

I lost one after storing in doors after 8 years.

I care for my tires as good as anyone possible can.

Tom, when you lost that 8 year old tire, did you have a TPMS? Just wondering.

[Forza Tom]

Originally Posted by Ramzfan

Dear Tom, I think perhaps you need to go back and re-read what I posted...I did not "make the mistake of informing everyone that my experience will be theirs". On the contrary, I said that I would not recommend others to do what I did. What I did tell them though, was that if they took care of their tires and stored them out of the sun, they could expect to get more than seven years out of them. I still stand by that remark.

I was just trying to point out that what you are saying is correct concerning about half of the tire aging process an telling someone that as long as you store indoors you will be good to run you tires 10 years.

I had a Goodyear that blew out in its 8th season after being always stored in doors an covered when not moving. I inspect and check my pressures before every trip. There was no visual signs of cracking or any other signs of imminent tire failure.

My only point in all of this is that tire aging is not just one process and is not always visible.

There is no law at this point that that prevents any of us from running our tires as long as each of us want. NHTSA was trying several years ago to put a 7 year limit on tires but the effort wasn't implemented because they couldn't figure out how to implement and monitor. I figure it will come at some point in the future.

We had a couple who was in out group that ran their tires without incident for nearly 14 years. The fronts were so cracked that they looked like a road map.

Personally I don't want to gamble my life or the lives of others to get a couple extra years out of my tires.

I already took that be and lost.

[Forza Tom]

Originally Posted by Unplanned

Tom, when you lost that 8 year old tire, did you have a TPMS? Just wondering.

No I was not at that point.

I have since added a TPMS but have had no issues.

I have no idea if there would have been advance notice.

Most TPMS systems tell you that they may not be able to give you advanced waning of a sudden deflation.

I hope I never find out.

[Unplanned]

If nobody has ever had a tire blow while a TPMS is installed, is that meaning that most tires blow because the pressure was low? Just wondering. I always "thump test" my tires before I drive, so maybe that is just as good as a TPMS? IMHO.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Unplanned

If nobody has ever had a tire blow while a TPMS is installed, is that meaning that most tires blow because the pressure was low? Just wondering. I always "thump test" my tires before I drive, so maybe that is just as good as a TPMS? IMHO.

Some years ago a trucker magazine conducted a test of 50 drivers. They set up a truck with some tires at the right pressure and others with varying low pressures. Only 2 out of the drivers could reliably "thump" a tire that was dangerously (20%) low and none got one that was 10% low.
Remember, these were professional drivers who did it multiple times a day and they still weren't accurate enough.

[Unplanned]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Some years ago a trucker magazine conducted a test of 50 drivers. They set up a truck with some tires at the right pressure and others with varying low pressures. Only 2 out of the drivers could reliably "thump" a tire that was dangerously (20%) low and none got one that was 10% low.
Remember, these were professional drivers who did it multiple times a day and they still weren't accurate enough.

I guess that must put me in the 4%, because I have found low pressure using the thump test. It's the sound, not the bounce you are looking for. Guess I'm just old school enough to be comfortable with it. Heck, I don't have AC, PW, PDL, or AT in my toad!