How old should new tires be?

Had some General Altimax Arctics put on my '99 V70 this week (Nov

2010) and noted the DOT code shows a manufacturing date in 2008. Asked the dealer if it was normal to be selling two year old tires and he said, Oh yeah, sure, they're made in Europe, you know. I did know, but it hadn't occurred to me that they'd be allowed to drift across the Atlantic with the currents. He also pointed out that their warranty (such as it is) is based on the installation date.

Yes, they are new stock; they don't have whiskers but they did have wispy rubber molding artifacts that were gone by the time I got home. They're just two years old. This model is a currently advertised special by that installer, a nationwide chain.

Is two-year old stock normal practice in tire retailing? Or are these guys just dumping the contents of a salvaged container?

Thanks,

Chip C Toronto

Reply to
Chip C
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SOMEONE, I don't know if it's the NHTSA or the IIHS, has suggested tires be removed from service after 6 years. Depending on your driving, 4 years should be good.

However, Dry Rot is a big factor in the tire removal figure, and tires stored in a dark warehouse aren't badly affected by dry rot. That is usually a result of being in the sunlight. Check me on that...

Reply to
Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B

that was frod. wriggling to try and get out from under their exploder fiasco.

"dry rot" is a natural fungal decay of wood. but yes, tire degradation is a function of age when exposed to sunlight, temperature, ozone, etc. surface degradation isn't usually too much of a problem as long as the substrate remains intact.

Reply to
jim beam

if they're being sold on special, it's for a reason - their stock is not moving. but bottom line, the tires are fine. 2 years is not a problem unless they've been stacked in a high voltage transformer room, under uv lights, and at 120°F.

Reply to
jim beam

SOME GUYS USED TO PUT TYRES \TIRES UNDER THE HOUSE TO LET THEM AGE AND HARDEN FOR TAXIS.When their drivers slid in the wet and with old tires this happens very easy and it's false economy besides dangerous and stupid .Tires age as we do .Those cheap tires are really not so cheap .Like cheap brake pads .Never cut corners with safety only the best .

Reply to
John Robertson

I wouldn't worry about "new" tires that are two years old that have been stored in a wharehouse for that period. You can find recommendatins to replace tires after 6 years from the date of manufacture (Toyota, Chrysler, Ford, Michelin, others), after 10 years (British Rubber manufacturers), or that no specific age is a hard cut-off (GM, US Rubber Manufactuer's Association).

My opinion is that modern tires don't hold up in sunlight as well as in the past. Maybe this is becasue less carbon black is used in the formulation, or becasue the low energy loss ruber formulations are more prone to degrading with age. Possibly I notice the tires degrading more than in the past becasue they seem to last longer than in the past. In the past (the past being 20 years ago), it was my experience that the tread was gone after

20,000 or 30,000 miles, which for me was at most 2 years of driving. In recent years, my tiers seem to still have good tread after 50,000 or 60,0000 miles, and that I end up replacing tires before the tread was worn out for other reasons (poor ride, bumping, inability to balance, pulling, excessive punctures, etc).

I would not be surprised if the tries were on sale becasue they were trying to clear out old stock. Isn't that what most retailer do when they have products that aren't moving?

Since you are in Canada, I'd worry even less about the tires being 2 years old. Cooler temperatures and less direct sunlight will increase the life of the rubber in the tires.

Ed

Reply to
C. E. White

Tire strengthener/softener for better traction?

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Mostly, that's for racing.I guess. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

Unless they had been on display in a sunny window for the past 2 years I would not worrt. Just use them.

Reply to
Roadie

Do some tire factories still wrap those tires in paper? I know they used to. cuhulin

Reply to
cuhulin

Take a look at this:

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Dont count on these solvents (claimed to be in this particular product) strengthening a tire. Probably just the opposite.

If it indeed contains benzene, that material is a known carcinogen.

Reply to
hls

Cabbie used to buy cheap nasty tyres tires and put them under the house to harden up then put them on cabs AND WONDER why they drivers had accidents when it was wet .

8 Years max don't cheat on tyres tires of brakes or inferior parts .How much is your life and the person you may kill worth ? Always make sure the pressure is right so that they don't blow out when you least expect them too because of your mistreatment in past times .

Reply to
jrobertson

they had accidents because they were reckless cabbies and driving cheap nasty tires, not because the tires were "aged". kept away from ozone and u.v., quality modern tires don't "age", and certainly not in the kind of time frame you're bleating about.

example:

"Michelin aircraft tires or tubes have no age limit and may be placed in service, regardless of their age".

as you may know, the aero industry is a whole bunch more safety conscious than the auto industry, so if you're swallowing the b.s. about lifetime limitation on car tires, it's because you're a sucker for the propaganda frod generated to wriggle their way out of manslaughter lawsuits, not because of any technical justification.

right, buy quality tires because your life is riding on them. but the age limit is bogus. some tires are nearly 5 years old before being sold

- you'd be a total retard to replace them after only 3 years service. again, "too old" is just frod legal avoidance that's been seized by tire retailers as a sales opportunity. don't be a sucker and buy into their bullshit.

Reply to
jim beam

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