How long should tires last before they dry rot?

Everything I read says that if you buy LT tires, they should be replaced in 5 years. If you buy dedicated MH tires (we just bought Firestone MHT's - stuck with 16.5 rims) then the recommendation is 7 years. Mind you that the tires which came off have a date code of 1993 and still survived the 30 mile trip home (at 60 MPH) when we purchased it. A good friend bought a great condition class C and has had three of his tires burst. Expensive on-road repair for that, so I say change out the tires and go 7 years max.

Jose

TyroneandGladys wrote:
Covered or not they are still subjected to the heat. With us being in Phoenix we halve always changed out tires out at 3 year on all of our vehicles. Unfortunately I started to listen to people that said that was excessive. Tires on Glady's vehicle were 3 years old in January and in the last three weeks had two tire fail because of the belts separating, Tires still had 50% tread. She now has 4 brand new tires and I WILL change tires at three years I do not care what anyone says the safety of my family is not worth saving a few bucks. But that is my choice and your choice is your choice.
FYI it is not uncommon on motor homes that if a rear tire fails for it to do over a thousand dollars in damage to the body of the RV, LP lines ,water lines, brake lines and electrical wiring.

I have no intention of driving it much, if at all with the tires in this condition. I am a bodyman by trade and have seen plenty of tire blowout damage on trucks, trailers, etc.

As some have suggested, I will see if I can find out anything about possible warranty and keep my fingers crossed.

I have read that even if the tread is good, most manufacturers recommend that tires be replaced once they reach ten years old - whether or not you think you need new tires.

Many tire dealers or mechanics will not service tires for something like a flat or what ever, if the tires are more than ten years old.

Michelin tires often come with a pretty good warranty, but it may not extend to the next owner, or at least may not if you do not have the paperwork that goes with them. I'd say that it's worth checking. That said, here's some good info on tires and aging...

http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/how-old-and-dangerous-are-your-tires.html

- R

just for fun,I,d take the rv to a mich dealer see if theres a warrenty of sort, can,t hurt. mine are 7yrs old look great .but I store indoors.

Our 2007 rig has the same brand tires as the OP. They are original with 17,000 miles and still look and smell like new. But our rig stays indoors in climate controlled storage which apparently makes all the difference.

I don't worry about the age of our tires, not only because of condition, but also because our rig is 4000-4500 pounds lighter than most when loaded for a trip. The load my tires see is significantly less than they are rated for.

Covered or not they are still subjected to the heat. With us being in Phoenix we halve always changed out tires out at 3 year on all of our vehicles. Unfortunately I started to listen to people that said that was excessive. Tires on Glady's vehicle were 3 years old in January and in the last three weeks had two tire fail because of the belts separating, Tires still had 50% tread. She now has 4 brand new tires and I WILL change tires at three years I do not care what anyone says the safety of my family is not worth saving a few bucks. But that is my choice and your choice is your choice.
FYI it is not uncommon on motor homes that if a rear tire fails for it to do over a thousand dollars in damage to the body of the RV, LP lines ,water lines, brake lines and electrical wiring.

Not exactly sure if the tires were covered, but the unit itself looks new on the outside, very shiney with no fading whatsoever. We bought it off a car lot while it was on consignment. We met the elderly owner and he was anal about keeping records and keeping the rig in top shape. He just said he had a carport type cover for it, but not sure if the sides were covered, although like I said, it shines like it never spent any time in the bright Nevada sun.

Either way, I guess it needs new boots, but they are not going to be replaced soon as we still need to register it at $1000 dollars and my wifes car needs tires first. This was a totally unexpected turn of events. We were so taken in by the overall condition of the rig, I never even looked at the tires closely.

I think you are reading dates codes right. But even in a state that has a lot of UV rot, that is excessive. And you said they were covered? Well you can't fix them...Time for new.
Last bunch I bought was Goodyear "wrangler" so far no problems other than one valve extender keeps wobbling around, going to use RTV on the valve stem threads and see what happens.

If I am reading the date codes correctly, they were built the 19th week of 2009. The codes are DOT B 36 J FBXX 19 09. I do live in a very dry state if that makes a difference. Thanks for the quick replies.