All x-ice3 Michelin DOT Codes 2 years old?

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I'm trying to get some winter tires for the family car to keep the kids safe. I called a large online tire retailer, and all their X-ice3 Michelin snow tires (in my size) have DOT codes that are almost 2 years old. I only put 2k miles per year on the snow tires, so the tires "age out" before they wear out. So getting new tires that aren't already two years old is something I'd like. I'd like to keep them upwards of 10 years.

Two Questions:
1. Is there a good place to find newer xice3s other than the large online retailer?
2. Is there another snow tire that has something close to the xice3's a 40k miles warranty? I like the winter tires that drive well on dry pavement, and the xice3s seem to do that better than the blizzaks, which wear much faster. I can't find nokians online right now.

Thanks,
Will
 
It might still be a little early for the new winter tires to be manufactured or possibly for inventory to be shipped to your local suppliers.

You might just hold off another couple weeks and see if inventories change.

I fully agree with your concern to get the newest tires and be sure to register them at Michelins website.
 
Thanks. I will wait. I seems odd that even looking at multiple sizes the Michelins are all almost 2 years old. The blizzaks are all made mid 2017, though.
 
By "large online tire retailer" I assume you mean the mack-daddy of them all: TireRack.com , right?
You're right, I wouldn't pay for 2 year old rubber. 1-year old stuff is fine though. I guess TireRack ends up gathering up NOS (overstock) sometimes, but I think they are good about stating that up front at least!

Did Tire Rack put a warning online about the slightly old manufacture dates?
 
2 years is fine,

2 years stored in a climate controlled warehouse new is not the same as 2 years stored in your shed after you run them for a winter.
 
Last year was slow for winter tires so TR didn't have to re order your size this year, most likely.

I was due for new winter tires when I had my Accord and the local Discount Tire has 79 215/60-16 Blizzaks in stock. I was trying to negotiate with the manager since they have had to rent off-site storage for all the unsold winter tires. He doesn't know what he's going to do with all of them since DT doesn't sell tires more than 3 years old. Yet he still couldn't budge on OTD price.

When Labor Day came around, I bought Continentals for my Mazda since they were less than 1/2 the price of Blizzaks after rebates. They were one year old when I got them. The store is sitting on 29 Blizzaks in the size I bought, 215/65-16.

Check DT or DTD...best yet, wait until Black Friday and take advantage of the rebates.
 
What size do you need?
smile.gif
 
195/65R15 . I called the main Michelin tire help number, and they have plenty of 2017 tires in their warehouses. My worry with the Blizzaks is that they wear a lot faster and do not drive as well on dry pavement. I will check DT and DTD.
 
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
By "large online tire retailer" I assume you mean the mack-daddy of them all: TireRack.com , right?
You're right, I wouldn't pay for 2 year old rubber. 1-year old stuff is fine though. I guess TireRack ends up gathering up NOS (overstock) sometimes, but I think they are good about stating that up front at least!

Did Tire Rack put a warning online about the slightly old manufacture dates?


The "retailer in question" (who shall remain nameless) did not post that the stock was older. I checked on a number of sizes that might fit the car. I talked to 3 different people there. The DOT codes ranged from 0316 to 1116. They will be two years old come winter. I'd be happy if they were 12 months old or less.
 
Originally Posted By: WillsYoda
The "retailer in question" (who shall remain nameless) did not post that the stock was older. I checked on a number of sizes that might fit the car. I talked to 3 different people there. The DOT codes ranged from 0316 to 1116. They will be two years old come winter. I'd be happy if they were 12 months old or less.


Splitting hairs. The tires are new and the price probably reflects that. It's not like the tires were sitting outside in the elements. At the seven year mark replace them.
 
Just an FYI:

It is widely thought within the tire industry that any tire within 3 years of production is virtually the same as one produced yesterday. I know the company I worked for tested this to verify that this was true.

Further, since heat appears to be the big issue for tire aging, winter tires don't age as fast.

Also, the issue of tire age is more a factor in the desert southwest US, where the heat affect is quite large. To my knowledge, there aren't any real age issues in the cold parts of the US. This was also something my former employer sought to verify.

So that is the background against which tire retailers and tire manufacturers are working.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Just an FYI:

It is widely thought within the tire industry that any tire within 3 years of production is virtually the same as one produced yesterday. I know the company I worked for tested this to verify that this was true.

Further, since heat appears to be the big issue for tire aging, winter tires don't age as fast.

Also, the issue of tire age is more a factor in the desert southwest US, where the heat affect is quite large. To my knowledge, there aren't any real age issues in the cold parts of the US. This was also something my former employer sought to verify.

So that is the background against which tire retailers and tire manufacturers are working.


Thanks. That is good to know. I have read (I think on tirerack.com) that one should be wary of buying tiring more than 12 months old. And since I only drive about 2k miles in the winter, my tires will likely age-out before wearing-out. But what you say makes me more willing to buy the older stock winter tires.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Just an FYI:

It is widely thought within the tire industry that any tire within 3 years of production is virtually the same as one produced yesterday. I know the company I worked for tested this to verify that this was true.


From what I've read, the logistics of tire manufacturing can be quite complex and require a fair bit of planning.

Based on that, is it safe to say that a consumer who receives a "fresh" tire dated within a short period (like a carton of milk) of manufacture is more down to luck, than design?

I just received a new set of tires made in week 44, 2016. It's a new model that wasn't even released for sale until February 2017, so they were manufactured roughly three months prior, and won't be in service until almost a year later.

This one model is available in 71 different sizes, and manufactured in seven different countries. Now spread that across the multitudes of models offered, and it's not a trivial task to cook so many round donuts, despite the number of plants doing so.

That suggests that a three year shelf life is quite pragmatic.
 
Originally Posted By: WillsYoda
......... I have read (I think on tirerack.com) that one should be wary of buying tires more than 12 months old. ........


This does not sound like something Tire Rack would say. Not only would some of their tire suppliers regularly exceed that value, but they would have to back that up - and they would be hard pressed to generate supporting data. I did a quick peak at Tire Rack's Tire Tech area and couldn't find such a statement.

While I have no doubt that someone somewhere said this, I really doubt anyone with the technically chops to back it up would do so.
 
Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon
From what I've read, the logistics of tire manufacturing can be quite complex and require a fair bit of planning.

Based on that, is it safe to say that a consumer who receives a "fresh" tire dated within a short period (like a carton of milk) of manufacture is more down to luck, than design? ......


Yes.

First, FIFO (First In, First Out) is generally the rule in tire warehouses. So there is a time delay there.

Plus, tires can be produced much faster than they are consumed. Some make/model/sizes may only need to be produced every other year and still keep up with demand.

Some tires are produced far away. For example, northern Europe is heavily into winter tires, and the rate of consumption dictates that the tire be produced over there. That means that tires have to be shipped to the US and Canada - and it takes a while to ship a container via ship.

Even then, winter tires would be produced long before the winter tire selling season starts in order to make sure the supplies are in place when it occurs.
 
Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon
From what I've read, the logistics of tire manufacturing can be quite complex and require a fair bit of planning.

Based on that, is it safe to say that a consumer who receives a "fresh" tire dated within a short period (like a carton of milk) of manufacture is more down to luck, than design? ......


Yes.

First, FIFO (First In, First Out) is generally the rule in tire warehouses. So there is a time delay there.

Plus, tires can be produced much faster than they are consumed. Some make/model/sizes may only need to be produced every other year and still keep up with demand.

Some tires are produced far away. For example, northern Europe is heavily into winter tires, and the rate of consumption dictates that the tire be produced over there. That means that tires have to be shipped to the US and Canada - and it takes a while to ship a container via ship.

Even then, winter tires would be produced long before the winter tire selling season starts in order to make sure the supplies are in place when it occurs.


Interesting, thanks.

Any insight on how manufacturers determine which sizes to offer for a particular model?

Sales/marketing data, technical constraints? Probably both?

To cite one example, there has been disappointment that Michelin's PS4S size range is relatively limited, and doesn't cover some applications that the PSS did. I don't know if they plan to expand the range once the PSS is completely phased out, or they just decided to focus on the better selling sizes, and sacrifice those with lesser demand.

I know they lost at least one former PSS user to another tire because their size isn't offered in the PS4S.
 
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Originally Posted By: Carmudgeon
....... Any insight on how manufacturers determine which sizes to offer for a particular model? ......


I assume it varies a lot. But there are some tools which would tend to channel folks down a certain path.

One is that the RMA (Rubber Manufacturers Association - now called the US Tire Manufacturers Association) publishes to its member companies a breakdown by size of tire production or sales (I forget which) - which I assume they compile from data from each of the member companies. If someone were to plot each size over the years, I assume one would get a fairly consistent rise after introduction, then a peak, followed by a slow decline. I forget what that curve is called, but the pattern occurs in many time related things. (It might be called a Poisson Distribution) From that it's child's play to predict next year's value.

There is also similar numbers from vehicle manufacturers which would help predict vehicle life - and with the help of Tire Guides, tire sales.

I assume that every tire manufacturer has a good handle on what it costs to produce a given size/model, including start up costs - so that they could tell where the breakeven point is for production. That should also help in determining how often a given size/model needs to be produced to keep up with demand without excessive warehouse costs.
 
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Interesting stuff.

Thanks again for providing the straight dope on tires. I think it's an area where there are a lot of misconceptions, and general lack of real knowledge on the net. Vehicle lighting is another.
 
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