Goodyear Tire Deaths for RVs
Just thought I would post this story on the Goodyear Tires... https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/04/05/goodyear-motorhome-tires-may-have-caused-95-deaths-injuries-government-report-clai...
Forum Discussion
Allow me to fill you in on what I know about tire age. - and for those who don't know me, I'm a retired tire engineer. I've sat on industry committees where tire age was discussed.
First, the company I worked for has a 3 year old policy - anything older than 3 years is tossed! They start in the second year to reduce the buying price to the dealer, so they don't reach 3 years (in our warehouses). What happens after that is not under our control, but we recommend that tires not sit in the dealers warehouse - but dealers are notorious for not listening when there is a buck to be made!
Because of the 3 year policy, our company tested freshly manufactured tires agianst 3 year old ones - and couldn't find a difference.
It is my understanding that other tire manufacturers did 6 year old tires and couldn't enough difference to justify merely scrapping them at 6 years - hence the industry stance that 6 year old tires are OK to sell.
And as some have mentioned, the real problem is what happens when the tires leave the manufacturers warehouses. Some are stored in old shipping containers in the desert sun! Some are stored in properly equipped warehouses just like the manufacturers do.
Plus, the industry is aware that tire in the desert SW - say Phoenix - are much more prone to aging than tires in the frigid north - say Minneapolis.
So how can anyone make a definitive statement about age - too many variables.
Further, NHTSA tried to develop an aging test so they could set a regulation - and failed.
So what you will find are industry statements that tires should be removed from service at the 10 year mark - with the preface that there isn't any data that supports a clear picture on the subject.
First, the company I worked for has a 3 year old policy - anything older than 3 years is tossed! They start in the second year to reduce the buying price to the dealer, so they don't reach 3 years (in our warehouses). What happens after that is not under our control, but we recommend that tires not sit in the dealers warehouse - but dealers are notorious for not listening when there is a buck to be made!
Because of the 3 year policy, our company tested freshly manufactured tires agianst 3 year old ones - and couldn't find a difference.
It is my understanding that other tire manufacturers did 6 year old tires and couldn't enough difference to justify merely scrapping them at 6 years - hence the industry stance that 6 year old tires are OK to sell.
And as some have mentioned, the real problem is what happens when the tires leave the manufacturers warehouses. Some are stored in old shipping containers in the desert sun! Some are stored in properly equipped warehouses just like the manufacturers do.
Plus, the industry is aware that tire in the desert SW - say Phoenix - are much more prone to aging than tires in the frigid north - say Minneapolis.
So how can anyone make a definitive statement about age - too many variables.
Further, NHTSA tried to develop an aging test so they could set a regulation - and failed.
So what you will find are industry statements that tires should be removed from service at the 10 year mark - with the preface that there isn't any data that supports a clear picture on the subject.
