[Sheel]

Experts may please comment here. The method of stocking a tire in the go down is as important for the rubber to stay supple.

I personally insist on fresh tires, in fact the last time I changed tires, it was off the same month make.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Experts may please comment here. The method of stocking a tire in the go down is as important for the rubber to stay supple.

I personally insist on fresh tires, in fact the last time I changed tires, it was off the same month make.

Looks like they are stuck with lots of unsold stock

But absolutely Sheel. Storing new tires in stock should be away from sunlight, water and too hot/ cold conditions and in a proper way so that the shape is not deformed. However, I personally insist on fresh tires, else I don't buy them. I changed tires of both my cars recently and all tires were max 2-3 months old. In fact, I was offered a very good discount for 2015 made tires but I declined the offer.

Another thing, I see a 'star mark' on the last statement of the ad (on the word 'ago'). The reference to that is not readable as image is not clear. If you have an uncompressed copy of the image, can you please let us know what is written in reference to that star?

Regards,
Saket

[Spinnerr]

Few extracts from The Science of Tire Aging article

Should tires have clearer dating?
Shoudn't there be an expiry date if rubber ages and cracks as stated in these studies?

Tire aging is basically an issue of oxidation. As rubber is exposed to oxygen it dries out and becomes stiffer, leading to cracking.

There are essentially four major factors that determine how fast a tire will age:

• The Inner Liner.

The inner liner of any tire is a specialized butyl rubber compound that is designed to be impermeable to air so as to keep the air inside the tire where it belongs. No inner liner is completely impermeable, so some air will always leak slowly through the liner due to osmosis. The quality of the inner liner determines just how much air leaks through, and therefore how fast the inner structure of the tire is exposed to oxygen.

• Oxygen Concentration.

It's pretty easy to see that oxidation rates will increase when the oxygen concentration is higher. What this means is that a tire that is mounted and filled with compressed air will age much faster than a tire that is simply being stored, because the air pressure is orders of magnitude higher in a filled tire, and more oxygen will permeate through the liner.

• Heat.

Oxidation of rubber occurs much faster under high heat than low heat. In essence, heat increases both the permeability and reactivity of oxygen, making it both easier for oxygen to get through the inner liner and easier for it to react with the rubber inside the tire.

• Usage.

When a tire is driven, the pressure and flexing motion circulate the internal oils through the rubber. These oils lubricate the internal rubber and keep it from drying and stiffening. So tires that are used less are often more vulnerable to aging effects.

Conclusions:

So after wrapping my brain around all this, here are my opinions on the matter:

1. If you've had tires on the car for five years, you should be checking them for cracking along the sidewall or inside the tread grooves, which would indicate aging problems. If you've had tires on the car for six years, they should be replaced. If you live in Phoenix, you should be checking both your tires and your sanity at four years max.
   
2. Spare tires should be checked and replaced on the same schedule. You should also check before you use one. Because spares are not used often, if at all, the oils in the tire do not circulate under pressure and because trunks can get very hot, spare tires can be particularly vulnerable to aging effects.
   
3. Tires may age somewhat in storage, but they don't really start to age until they are mounted and filled with air. Even if you were to buy a new tire that's already three years old, I would conservatively count those years as half years and say the tire has 4.5 years left. It would have to be up to you whether you think that you'll get that many years out of the tread. However, storage under very hot conditions may somewhat negate this effect.
   
4. Right now, to find out when the tire was made, you'll have to decode the Tire Identification Number, or TIN. I'm very much in favor of requiring a clearly readable date of manufacture to be put on both sidewalls.
   
5. Lower aspect ratios and higher speed ratings tend to correlate with longer life. This is probably due to less surface area in the air chamber and better construction, especially better inner liners.

Me in the article = Sean Phillips
Sean Phillips is the Operations Manager at Rim and Wheel Works, a family-operated wheel and tire repair shop located in Waltham, Massachusetts.

[saket77]

I did some digging for this image and got a clear one.

The fine prints has these 3 points, not necessarily in verbatim that "Studies show no difference in performance between new tires vs 3 year old tires - as long as they are stored in recommended storage conditions and lastly, they recommend that tires older than 10 years be removed from service."

Just reading between the lines of the Michelin ad got me thinking that they have used the word 'performance'. Is longevity a part of performance or not, that remains open to interpretation. Plus the biggest caveat is the statement - "as long as tires are stored in recommended storage conditions". Now, who certifies that and how do I ensure this as a customer when I go shopping tires?

Plus, this link (where I got this image from)(http://www.topgear.com.ph/news/indus...a1503-20170128) says that "Michelin's tires come with a six-year warranty for replacement passenger and light truck tires that begin once they're bolted on to the axle." which is absolutely misleading and false.




This is contradictory to what Michelin itself states on its India website:

a. Tyres sold within 3 years of the manufacturing date: Where the tyres are sold within 3 years of the manufacturing date, the warranty shall be for the life of the original usable tread pattern or 3 years from the date of purchase, whichever comes first.

b. Tyres sold 3 years after the manufacturing date: Where the tyres are sold 3 years after the manufacturing date, the warranty shall be for the life of the original usable tread pattern or 6 years from the date of manufacture, whichever comes first. At the end of the relevant periods stated in paragraphs a. and b. above (each referred to as the ‘Warranty Period’), all warranties, express or implied are terminated.

Regards.

[akshaydaryani]

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

See, people have a mental block about buying anything older than 6 months. If so, your choice becomes severely restricted.

Today, all the high performance tyres are imported. It is ALMOST impossible to get Contis and some Yokos and osme Michelins which are less than 6 months old.

Also, tryes harden when kept outside. Most of the company godowns are completely covered and pretty cool. Not too hot or expose to the elements or anything. I would say anything upto one year is ok. Even a bit more is ok.

One and a half years is pushing it though.... However, the companies officially claim that anything upto 2 years is ok. So, dont expect to get a replacement for your tyres unless oyu know the dealer very well.

Technically, there is nothing wrong with a June 2008 tyre. The company will stick to it's stand and the dealer will go by the company.

Another thought: Most of these tyres today(I'm referring to the A drives, XM1+,S drives, etc.... ) last a maximum of 50,000 kms. Most people(not all, but most people) will wear out their tyres long before the age of the tyres comes into play.

Hi, Nikhil
Quick Question! Since I know you are the tyre expert.
I read your post, according to this, upto 1 year old manufactured tyres are fine.
I Thought id still ask.
I finally found a good tyre shop ready to swap in the Factory fitted Hankooks for Michelin PS4 225/45 ZR17 for my Octavia Vrs.
The only concern is that the michelins are manufactured in the last week of July 2017 (3017-tyre stamp). that makes them about 8 months old. Should I opt for these or ask them to come up with newer stock. As I know that the PS4 was launched in India sometime around August-September 2017. Your help and advice would be highly appreciated on this matter
Thanks!

[CaptainPrice]

Originally Posted by akshaydaryani

Hi, Nikhil
Quick Question! Since I know you are the tyre expert.
I read your post, according to this, upto 1 year old manufactured tyres are fine.
I Thought id still ask.
....
The only concern is that the michelins are manufactured in the last week of July 2017 (3017-tyre stamp).
...
Should I opt for these or ask them to come up with newer stock.

I feel it is quite clear from his post that any tyre that is manufactured within a year from the date of purchase should be fine. He had also mentioned he following in the last bit of the post which you quoted :

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Most people(not all, but most people) will wear out their tyres long before the age of the tyres comes into play.

Cheers and good luck with your purchase!

[sbala]

Good Day Guys,

How old is considered as old for new tyres? With Corona, imported tyres availability is getting tough.

I am in a Tier-2 city (Karur) in Tamil Nadu and here, I was looking for new tyres for my XUV 500. Stock Tyres Bridgestone has done 79k and my car badly needs new tyres now.

I have narrowed down to Yoko Geolander G015 and it will cost me 11k per tyre here. The dealer arranged the tyres from Yoko dealer in Mangalore.

Today, when i went to change the tyres, I noticed
- 2 of them are made in Week 34, 2019
- 1 made in Week 33, 2019
- 1 made in Week 18, 2019

I am really skeptical in going ahead with the purchase and told the dealer that I need some more time.

Even Michellin stock for R17/235/65 is from 2019.

I read Nikhil's post on tyres and mfg dates. If it is maintained in one dealer, probably, we can assume that it is stored in a proper place. Here, in my case, I believe, the dealer has arranged tyres from 2 different places. I am really not sure how well it is stored.

Should i go ahead with the purchase? Any expert opinions guys?