Good info on tires on the news tonight

[Electricfan]

Maybe everybody on here knew this but me, but I learned interesting facts about tires I did not know from a news story tonight.

a) It is common for tire stores to sell old tires that have been sitting on the shelf for as much as a DECADE. Tires can begin to degrade at six years even with no use!

b) If your tire has been recalled, you WILL MOST LIKELY NOT EVER BE CONTACTED BY ANYONE!!!

c) FIVE HUNDRED PEOPLE DIE EACH YEAR due to tire failure related accidents, some of whom are driving on OLD TIRES that fail or tires that have been recalled!

To be notified if your tires are ever recalled, you must register your tires with the manufacturer when you buy them! The tire store does not do this!!! (I had always assumed they would let me know in case of a recall)

To know when a tire was manufactured, you can read the code on the tire that tells the WEEK and the YEAR. My new Model S tires were made in the 12th week of 2015.

Be safe out there!

 

[dsm363]

Very useful. Thanks.

 

[jerry33]

a) It depends entirely upon how the tire has been stored. In some cases one month is too long, in others ten years is fine. However, tires don't have a product life of ten years so getting a more recent design will reduce the age factor. Of course, if you only purchase the cheapest tires possible, then you get what you pay for.

b) You will if you fill in the card when you purchase the tires. You may have to ask for the card because not all jurisdictions mandate that a card be filled out.


c) An inspection of the tire would have caught these.

 

[rjcbox]

Great info, thanks for posting!

 

[CHG-ON]

Not sure if I agree on the ten year life of tires. But I do agree that if they are stored in an area that prevents evaporation and off gassing, they can last longer. But how many tires stores can do that?

I do always spec newly manufactured tires when I swap. For me, the most important things is whether I completely trust my my seller and installer. I have found one that I have now used for 10 or so years and they are trustworthy.

Thanks for posting this. It is not known by most.