Could 10 year tires really be safe?

[pweekly]

Hi all. We have a MH with tires that are original. Manufactured in 2005 (the tires). We have taken it to get new tires now twice at the local truck/tire center and while I'm sure they would have loved to sell us tires, they keep inspecting them and telling us that they look great. The RV is stored indoors, level and is only used a couple of times per year. So, no sun/ozone on them nor extreme temps. We don't see any cracks or bulges in the sidewalls but since we are taking it to Florida in a month, I don't want to be completely stupid. Could they be ok? Thanks.
Trish

[Blaster_Man]

Back to the OP's original question...NO!

[Ohio_Engineer]

Bruce Brown wrote:
Ohio Engineer,
When our Michelin blew out while parked in our garage there was a large hole in the sidewall and the cords were rusty. I'm not sure what to call that other than a blow out. :B

Did it look a bit like this Tread Separation?


Or more like this Run Low Flex failure


I think CapriRacer is a retired tire engineer and maybe can offer a comment if/when he sees this post.
Of course a picture of your tire would help too.


"failing" in the garage is nothing more that a demonstration of the "T" (time) function in the failure of organic materials (rubber) which is not seen in materials like steel.
THIS page has lots of material strength formula but you will not see a "Time" function because none of the materials are organic.

It didn't fail because it was in the garage. It failed because of what happened to it weeks and months prior.

[msmith1199]

Yes, you've said that many times, why you are saying it to me in some type of argumentative format is what's the mystery since I have said nothing other than a statement of legal fact.

[Bruce_Brown]

Ohio Engineer,
When our Michelin blew out while parked in our garage there was a large hole in the sidewall and the cords were rusty. I'm not sure what to call that other than a blow out. :B

[tropical36]

falconbrother wrote:
When I bought my RV I was told that the tires were fine. They were Chinese made no-name tires and I had the most awesome blowout on the interstate, 8 lanes at rush hour. Cool!! By blowout I mean explosion. I really never trusted those tires. I have better, much better tires now. They are reaching the five year mark. I will keep driving them for a few more years.

Even though they all have a name and many times owned by the big names themselves and coming off the same mold, you might as well blame it on the Chinese. In fact we can blame all so called blowouts on the Chinese, regardless of the manufacture, before long and since every manufacture on the planet, will eventually succumb to the higher profits, just waiting to be had.
I've only had one explosion and it was with a good year on the sidewall. Don't know if it was road hazard or maybe sprung a leak, which led to it's demise. Whatever the cause, it had a US Gov DOT number on it and just like they all do, so it should have been approved for American highway use. Unless of course, you're traveling on a NY state thruway, of which I was at the time. Believe it or not, they even charge you for the right to travel on them and what they do with all that outrageous toll money, is beyond me. Some even charge for the air space you're using above the ground...lol

[falconbrother]

When I bought my RV I was told that the tires were fine. They were Chinese made no-name tires and I had the most awesome blowout on the interstate, 8 lanes at rush hour. Cool!! By blowout I mean explosion. I really never trusted those tires. I have better, much better tires now. They are reaching the five year mark. I will keep driving them for a few more years.

[Ohio_Engineer]

"Run Low Flex" or "Tread Separation" are the two basic types of tire failure. "Blowout" is a non-technical term that is not descriptive enough to provide a hint as to why the tire failed. It's like saying "The guy died" in a murder mystery, doesn't tell you if it was gun shot, poison or cancer.

Here is an example of Tread Separation

This can be result of the use of old tire engineering technology in an effort to cut corners on the cost of manufacturing a tire. Long term overloading and some under-inflation can contribute to this condition too. Age and heat can contribute to this condition.


Here is an example of a Run Low Flex failure of polyester body tire.



and here is example of what happens with steel body tire


If you don't understand WHY a tire failed you have no good chance of being sure the "corrective action" you take will decrease the probability of having another failure for the same reason in the future.

[2chiefsRus]

pweekly wrote:
Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I have read every reply and read many of them out loud to the hubby. He is now convinced that it's simply not worth worrying about (or if there was to be a tire problem when I was driving with just the youngest boy and not him, he would never hear the end of it). So I thank you for that. So, we have Michelin 275/80R22.5 LRH XZAs (I think?) on it now and love the smooth ride. We have the FMCA pricing and may go that route, but have heard good things about Toyas and Hankooks. So, wondering if the Michelin name is worth the extra money and also how much more expensive are they really? Thanks again.
Trish

We are happy with our Michelin tires. Tire prices go up and down. Tough decision because you can't personally check out the ride on your coach until after they are purchased and installed. So much of the ride "feel" is dependent upon other factors such as air pressure, how much you carry, and the suspension on your coach and then throw in your personal expectations of what a good ride feels like to you. Good luck with whatever you decide to buy.

[Bruce_Brown]

pweekly wrote:
Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I have read every reply and read many of them out loud to the hubby. He is now convinced that it's simply not worth worrying about (or if there was to be a tire problem when I was driving with just the youngest boy and not him, he would never hear the end of it). So I thank you for that. So, we have Michelin 275/80R22.5 LRH XZAs (I think?) on it now and love the smooth ride. We have the FMCA pricing and may go that route, but have heard good things about Toyas and Hankooks. So, wondering if the Michelin name is worth the extra money and also how much more expensive are they really? Thanks again.
Trish

Good call.

For my $$$ Michelin is last on the list; over rated and over priced. I recently posted between our cars, trucks and MHs I can think of at least 8 sets of Michelins we've owned, I'd call 1 set of those quality, others had zero grip under any condition, others didn't make it to 1/2 of thier rated life, the worst one blew out while parked in our garage.

You mentioned Toyo and Hankook, I'd take either one of those over a Michelin every time. We recently replaced our Michelins (the only good set we've ever owned) with Bridgestones, very nice tire, a lot less $$$.

[J-Rooster]

dougrainer wrote:

J-Rooster wrote:
Trish, to honestly answer your question yes or no your tires need to be broken down off the rim. By breaking them down off the rim your tires can be inspected for inside sidewall damage. Inside sidewall damage is the cause of many blowouts. After your tire expert inspects your tires he or she can make a intelligent decision. I've run tires on my RV with 10 years 2 different times by using this method.

Maybe when people make statements like this, THEY should do research and find out HOW MUCH a Tire company will charge to break down 6 or 8 tires just to inspect. Then reinstall and balance. That may make a big difference in the decision if they are spending hundreds of dollars just to inspect. Also, I doubt ANY Tire Company or expert would state that those 7 year or older tires are SAFE to reinstall and go down the road. They would not be stupid enough to incur the liability of stating those tires are still good. EVEN if they made you sign a liability waiver, the lawyers would still hang them out to dry if something bad happened. Doug

I don't know what your talking about Doug! My tire guy charged me $20.00 a tire to break down 6 tires ($120.00) and he made no statement about tires running 7 years are longer! He told me that they were fine to run on. And, I had peace of mind. And I ran on them with no problems. I was just sharing my experience and what has worked for me! How's that for research! That's as civil as I can be to you!!

[allbrandauto]

I would never go back to mich. I have toyos im happier and my wallet is to

[pweekly]

Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I have read every reply and read many of them out loud to the hubby. He is now convinced that it's simply not worth worrying about (or if there was to be a tire problem when I was driving with just the youngest boy and not him, he would never hear the end of it). So I thank you for that. So, we have Michelin 275/80R22.5 LRH XZAs (I think?) on it now and love the smooth ride. We have the FMCA pricing and may go that route, but have heard good things about Toyas and Hankooks. So, wondering if the Michelin name is worth the extra money and also how much more expensive are they really? Thanks again.
Trish

[Bruce_Brown]

Our Michelin sidewall failure happened when ours was parked in the garage, and the cords were rusty. That wasn't an inflation issue, it was another junk Michelin failure.

[427435]

Ohio_Engineer wrote:

427435 wrote:
My 8 year old tires looked fine from the outside also--------------until a hole quickly opened up in one sidewall at 65 mph on the interstate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sidewall failures are usually the sign of a Run Low Flex failure. Other possibility is sidewall impact or cut.

It was a Goodyear RV tire that blew a half dollar sized hole through the side wall--------------something that these tires are noted for without them being under inflated.