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Tire Date Codes - It's Not What Starts the Clock

May 23, 2012, 10:20:49 am

Yahoo Message Number: 79468

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I have been shopping dealers in Phoenix and doing a lot of homework on tires. I kept pushing for date codes no earlier than Jan, 2012 when asking for quotes and having to answer the question why. Date codes are often 6 months or more old by the time they get to the dealers.
I explained that there is a lot of visibility on this 5 - 7 year replacement issue. Avoiding their "sales motivated" responses, I expanded my calls to several, larger, "in-the-know" dealers like Les Schawb in Junction City, OR, who might logically have fresher stock. Paul, the owner, told me the same thing I had been hearing all along. "Forget the date code if you have proof of the in-service date. That is when the clock starts. He said the average tire he puts on motorhome right now has a date stamp in the mid to late 2011 range.
Paul's explaination was totally consistant with what every other dealer had been trying to tell me. Stored indoors, a tire with a date code even 3 years old is just as good as one with a fresh date since it has not been under the stresses of a load nor exposed to the elements.
Just a FYI from a number of credible sources. Could it still be just a sales pitch to move old tires?

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Re: Tire Date Codes - It's Not What Starts the Clock

Reply #1 – May 23, 2012, 10:53:57 am

Yahoo Message Number: 79469

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Stuart I have been told by a Michelin -truck tire area manager, that a tire stored in a dark warehouse , can check and be no good, at 7 year range . It is the oils in the tires, that keeps them from checking. Tires on motorhomes sit a lot , and the oils do not get moved through the tire, when not moved much. This is why tire covers, really don't do much to prevent the problem. It is not the sun , but the lack of oil movement within the tire, that causes the checking. Therefore, if you get really old dated tires, you will get less usefulness from the tires. On the other hand , if you use, the coach regularly, you will have less chance of checking , and can push the age a bit more than those that sit for much of their life. I have a friend that ran to 8 years , but he uses his coach pretty much every month and at 8 years , he said, that upon inspection, both inside and out , there was no obvious damage. The real deal is to use the coach. Before , everyone gets carried away, he had the coach since new, and knew the history of the tires. In most cases this is not the case , and 7 years is the more reliable measure. If purchasing a used coach, I would insist on having the tires replaced at the lower end of the age range, especially if it has low miles. I do not know why dealers , allow more money, for a low mileage coach. The chassis , on diesels , can go more than 300K miles without much significant wear. If a coach is full-timed and not moved much, the interior etc is worn out, but commands a higher price. I don't get that ! Getting back to the date codes, the manufacturers, don't throw out old tires. They hope an uninformed person buys them

Ron Baran 09 Magna 7025
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Re: Tire Date Codes - It's Not What Starts the Clock

Reply #2 – May 23, 2012, 03:26:19 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 79479

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I put my money where my thinking was. I shopped the tires, three good shops in San Diego. Two conditions in my request for quote. Price for balanced and mounted and taxes and waste fees all up. And no tire with a date code of older then 3 months.
All three shops said OK, and I ended up getting exactly what I asked for. The shop I ordered it from, Parkhouse, walked me out to inspect all 8 tires before the instal started.
I then also walked up to the tech when he started, and slipped him $5 per tire, and told him their would be another $5 per tire at the end - if he took extra time to 'center the tire' on the rim (can't balance out an egging tire). He called me over at each tire and showed me his pocket scale around the rim to the tire ring. He got his extra $5 per tire. $80 for him, and he was happy. Low cost considering the all up tire costs, to me, plus he also made a point as he balanced each tire, to show me the readings. (He and the Shop Manager thought I was crazy, to balance even the dual wheel tires, as we wre putting Centramatics on each of the three axles. (My wife would agree with that thought:)!)... But I figure these tires were going to be on the rig for at least 7 years (I HOPE!) - so very little extra cost when spread over 7 years usage.)
If you want a certain date code, make it a condition of purchase - you are the customer.

$.02!

Best of luck,
Smitty

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