Desert resistant tires?

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I live in a desert which is very hard on tires due to the heat. Capriracer has kindly posted his professional experience that tires in areas like mine are usually shot at ~5 years with use or not.

Is there a particular tire or specification that might indicate that a tire is more resistant to high ambient heat conditions?
 
I may be over-simplifying but...

Tires have temperature ratings, buy the tire with the highest rating. Use a good tire protectant. Keep them out of the sun as much as possible. Don't over-inflate. Move to Alaska.

I towed a boat from Riverside County to Lake Mohave for thirteen years. Trailer tires were annual purchases and I brought two spares along. I replaced truck tires every three years or so.
 
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
I may be over-simplifying but...

Tires have temperature ratings.......


Unfortunately, the term "temperature rating" is a misnomer. It's really a speed rating test - and while temperature plays a role in this, it is more a test of the structure of the tire.

So the temperature rating would not really tell you much about a tire's suitability in the desert.

To my knownledge, there aren't special tires for the desert environment - except to say that there are off road tires.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
To my knownledge, there aren't special tires for the desert environment - except to say that there are off road tires.


So you're saying that for the best heat resistance I should use mud tires?
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Originally Posted By: leeharvey418
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
To my knownledge, there aren't special tires for the desert environment - except to say that there are off road tires.


So you're saying that for the best heat resistance I should use mud tires?
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No, I am saying there aren't any tires on the market especially designed to cope with the heat associated with the desert environment, but I am aware that off road tires are designed for .....ah...... off road usage.
 
Why do you want to keep tires for more than 5 years? Rubber loses its qualities over time.
 
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Why do you want to keep tires for more than 5 years? Rubber loses its qualities over time.

Which is why I was asking if there are tires designed to degrade at a slower rate in desert conditions.

Current set excluded, I've had good luck with tire wear and 5 years or longer isn't unreasonable in my experience. The roads are pretty good here and I drive at least half my mileage on the highway, but the sun and high ambient/road temps are a killer.

Thanks Capri for confirming what I thought.
 
Park out of the sun if possible? I think the UV rays kill tires more than the dry air or heat. I really don't see an issue with belts or hoses wearing prematurely, but all of my 2008 trucks at work had to have tires replaced not because of tread depth, but dry rot.
 
Originally Posted By: Tempest
Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Why do you want to keep tires for more than 5 years? Rubber loses its qualities over time.

Which is why I was asking if there are tires designed to degrade at a slower rate in desert conditions.


OK, I see. I don't know which tires are made to retain their gripping qualities for long periods of time.

I wonder if you start with tires like Michelin PS that have superior grip when new, whether they will still stick to the road when they are older and drier.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Park out of the sun if possible? I think the UV rays kill tires more than the dry air or heat.

Yes it's UV, Ozone, heat and usage that ultimately kills tires.

If you read any tire manufacturers recommendation for storing tires; it's keep in a dark, cool, dry place away from ozone producing electric motors......
Under such conditions you will dramatically slow the aging process. I have some tires that are over 20 yrs old that look no more than 2 yrs old. But the same tires in service will have dry rot and be as hard as hockey pucks in about 7 years. That's in a less severe climate, never left out parked in the sun if possible, always garaged and stored in the winter.

I've never tried a UV spray on the tread area. It might be worth trying although it would be a lot of bother if you had to apply it once a week to be effective.
 
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
The cheapest tire and replace often.

I've tried that route in the past and doesn't work well with a pickup truck. We don't get much rain here, but when we do, the pavement oil rises to the surface and things get real slick in a hurry with cheap tires.
 
Make sure to check your tire pressures at every fill up, park in the shade, rotate every 3,000 miles and replace every 3 years. Never had a problem with this practice in the family for years.
 
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
The cheapest tire and replace often.


Cheap tires are not the best option. Seems blow outs on the highway are much more frequent with the cheaper tires. A set of quality tires every 3 years isn't really that expensive, plus it's a safety issue.
 
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