Old tires CAN be sold as new?
Here's an interesting news story: Selling old tires as new - news story I had no idea that is legal to sell old stock tires as new. I have to wonder how often that happens on RVs? Not to wor...
Forum Discussion
For me, if I go to buy new tires, I expect to get "new" tires as in "recently made". If I wanted 8 year old tires, I'd ask for new old stock (NOS) tires and would expect a big discount. But I wouldn't use 8 year old tires anyway...
It's pretty common knowledge that tires begin to deteriorate from the day they were made from the effects of ozone, heat and UV rays. It's not right that old tires can be sold as new IMHO. Problem is, in the absence of legislation, corporations and stores do what they want even if it is unethical or just plain wrong. The NHTSA appears to be studying the issue but has not come up with anything.
Finding good info. on tire "shelf life" is not that easy as it is often confused with "in service life" and "life span". From what I can find, US tire and auto manufacturers recommend a shelf life of 6 - 10 years. I would expect this to be from the date of manufacture. What can be confusing it seems, is if you think that your tires *might* be good for 10 years, what if they are already 8 years old when you bought them and didn't know because nobody told you? Then someone could be driving on tires going on 20 years old. The next time we are in the market for new tires, I'll sure be looking at the manufacture date.
Besides the date of manufacture question, it's bad enough that our $35,000 TT is sold to us with tires that already have over 2,000 miles on them. At least they are "recently made" as in what you would call "new"...
From a couple of websites:
The British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) recommended practice issued June, 2001, states "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over six years old and that all tyres should be replaced ten years from the date of their manufacture."
The actual lifespan of the average tire is under some debate, and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has not set a specific time frame, even after significant testing between 2003 and 2007. In the report to Congress following its testing, the NHTSA said 84 percent of tire-related insurance claims were from tires that were more than 6 years old. Despite the NHTSA dragging its feet, there are several authorities in the field that have set time frame. Ford Motor Company has set a 6-year shelf life on all of its tires, meaning that if a new tire sitting on its shelves is more than 6 years old, it disposes of them. Many other tire manufacturers have installed 10-year shelf lives for their tires, including but not limited to Bridgestone, Firestone and Michelin. Several other automobile manufacturers have set 6-year recommendations for their customers to replace tires. Given that information, while the NHTSA is still working on an answer, it is best to replace your tires every 6 to 10 years, regardless of their condition.
It's pretty common knowledge that tires begin to deteriorate from the day they were made from the effects of ozone, heat and UV rays. It's not right that old tires can be sold as new IMHO. Problem is, in the absence of legislation, corporations and stores do what they want even if it is unethical or just plain wrong. The NHTSA appears to be studying the issue but has not come up with anything.
Finding good info. on tire "shelf life" is not that easy as it is often confused with "in service life" and "life span". From what I can find, US tire and auto manufacturers recommend a shelf life of 6 - 10 years. I would expect this to be from the date of manufacture. What can be confusing it seems, is if you think that your tires *might* be good for 10 years, what if they are already 8 years old when you bought them and didn't know because nobody told you? Then someone could be driving on tires going on 20 years old. The next time we are in the market for new tires, I'll sure be looking at the manufacture date.
Besides the date of manufacture question, it's bad enough that our $35,000 TT is sold to us with tires that already have over 2,000 miles on them. At least they are "recently made" as in what you would call "new"...
From a couple of websites:
The British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) recommended practice issued June, 2001, states "BRMA members strongly recommend that unused tyres should not be put into service if they are over six years old and that all tyres should be replaced ten years from the date of their manufacture."
The actual lifespan of the average tire is under some debate, and the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration has not set a specific time frame, even after significant testing between 2003 and 2007. In the report to Congress following its testing, the NHTSA said 84 percent of tire-related insurance claims were from tires that were more than 6 years old. Despite the NHTSA dragging its feet, there are several authorities in the field that have set time frame. Ford Motor Company has set a 6-year shelf life on all of its tires, meaning that if a new tire sitting on its shelves is more than 6 years old, it disposes of them. Many other tire manufacturers have installed 10-year shelf lives for their tires, including but not limited to Bridgestone, Firestone and Michelin. Several other automobile manufacturers have set 6-year recommendations for their customers to replace tires. Given that information, while the NHTSA is still working on an answer, it is best to replace your tires every 6 to 10 years, regardless of their condition.
