Tire Industry Fighting Tire Expiration Date.

[Rand]

so how would tire expiration dates work for retreads?

Also tires that sat in the warehouse for 2 years +4 years of garaging = 6 years dead?

vs tires that were on a car parked at a curb in the sun for 6 years.. = same about of done at 6yr??

I'd say no.


Next up legislation to wash your hands after using the restroom....

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Rand
so how would tire expiration dates work for retreads?

Also tires that sat in the warehouse for 2 years +4 years of garaging = 6 years dead?

vs tires that were on a car parked at a curb in the sun for 6 years.. = same about of done at 6yr??

I'd say no.


Next up legislation to wash your hands after using the restroom....


That's already a law in my state ...

 

[hattaresguy]

I don't see the problem, auto death rates are very low. Let idiots kill themselves if they want.

They can make whatever law they want but without yearly rigorous car inspections it cannot be enforced.

 

[George Bynum]

The right way, to me, is to have performance based criteria. Inflate to 500 psi in a cage, if it holds it's ok? Or like compressed gas cylinders, record how much it expands in a hydrostatic test then how much of that is recovered. Or cut a sample from the tread and put it in a container of something ... turns green, ok; turns red, bad.

I'm jesting a little, but not a lot ... using virgin oil that is 6 years old ... ok; using hydraulic oil in properly maintained industrial systems 20 years, fine; using engine oil 6 years in an engine, NO

Capri, is there anything? Then it can get added to those states that have a periodic vehicle inspection. I see it now ... SC registration up, NC registration down ... someone sells 10 ft sq lots in SC so an owner can license it there?

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: George Bynum
.....Capri, is there anything?.....


Shortly after the Ford/Firestone thing, the US congress passed the TREAD Act. Among the things in there were requiring TPMS's, more stringent tire testing, and a test on aging.

But the development of the aging test didn't pan out. No one could identify the factors important to tire longevity and turn that into a reliable test.

Originally Posted By: George Bynum
..... Then it can get added to those states that have a periodic vehicle inspection.........


Part of the problem that I see is this issue of inspection. If a state already has an inspection, it's not difficult to add tire age to the inspection process.

But adding a tire age date without a mandatory inspection seems like a useless exercise.

Originally Posted By: George Bynum
.....I see it now ... SC registration up, NC registration down ... someone sells 10 ft sq lots in SC so an owner can license it there?


Already being done in a number of different ways.

For example, a kid was registered to play for a highly respected high school football coach until it was found the kid didn't live in the district. His parents owned an empty lot that was in the district. They discovered this after the kid had played a year. I don't remember how this turned out.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I like the six year rule. Seems to be about right from my limited experience. How about the tire companies do a beginner job on receiving recalled tires?

 

[jjjxlr8]

This Country needs fewer lawmakers!! We have way too many regulations as it is. It's a shame people can't be responsible for themselves and their tires.

 

[IGotYourBack]

I have classic automobiles in my garage. Why should I have to buy tires when they have hardly any miles on them, and look like the day they were purchased?

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: IGotYourBack
I have classic automobiles in my garage. Why should I have to buy tires when they have hardly any miles on them, and look like the day they were purchased?


You don't - except that tires that don't get used much don't show their actual condition very well.

Ya' see, the indicator is cracking - and for cracking to take place, a combination of the material properties AND flexing is needed. What this means is that tires with cracks are bad, but tires without cracks aren't necessarily good. That's where this date code thing comes in. You need to be looking for both!

 

[ueberooo]

What are visible/inspectable signs of a bad tire at risk to blow? Do they blow instantly or is there often noise/vibration shortly before it happens?

 

[datech]

I know tires can blow getting too hot (low air pressure) or just a defect in the sidewall. I have never had a tire blow from age, even up to almost 30 year old tires.

I'll admit if I were planning a two month drive thru Mexico I would insist on newer tires but in my experience I haven't found tire age to be a big problem.

 

[BHopkins]

Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
I don't see the problem, auto death rates are very low. Let idiots kill themselves if they want.

They can make whatever law they want but without yearly rigorous car inspections it cannot be enforced.



The problem is, I live in one of those twenty-some odd states that require periodic safety inspections. I can see it now. Tire expiration date will be added to the list. Including the spare. If the gov't starts forcing you to replace the spare when it expires, people are going to want to actually get use out of it. They are going to want to go back to a five wheel rotation. Thus, they are going to want a full size spare.

It seems unrealistic to use one expiration date for all tires. All tires are not created equal. Many have very specialized compounds, which could result in a longer or shorter shelf life. I'm all for the manufacturer giving me a recommended tire life, based upon their knowledge of the product. Such information can make me a more informed consumer. But I am not in favor of some joker, with no product knowledge, being influenced by others who are paid to suck up to law makers, legislating a one-size-fits-all rule for us to follow.

The value of safe tires is important to me. I really do understand that no car can ever be safer than the rubber that it rides on. But I hate nanny states. I despise others telling me I must do something or another. Leave it up to me, and you, and you, and each of us, to be an informed consumer.

Argh! I've got to quit thinking about this. Stupid bureaucrats make my blood boil!