Buying tires? Check the DOT codes...

[Desert_Captain]

I had an appointment this morning with one of the local chain tire stores to get two Maxxis' M8808's for my cargo trailer in preparation for a 3,600 mile trip that commences on Sunday morning. The trailer is a little over two years old and sat on the dealers lot for a spell so I assumed the original {China Bomb's} were a tad past their prime.

I parked out back as directed and told the service manage that while I assumed they would be fine I needed to check the DOT codes of his tires BEFORE they were mounted. Glad I did as they were both manufactured in April of 2016... Grrrr! I asked him how and why they had the nerve to try and sell me 4+ year old tires as new and all I got was the Deer in the headlights look and a lame "sorry". No, I will not be back.

I went back to Discount Tire who had expressed doubts that they could get the Maxxis' in time for my trip and they confirmed that the nearest Maxxis' we're in Georgia and would take at least a week. Drove home and got on the internet researching Maxxis availability which = slim and none and then alternative tires. I still think Maxxis' are great tires but a lot of folks are pretty impressed with the new Goodyear Endurance.

The Discount shop sent me to another of their stores with better availability and I ended up in and out in 45 minutes with a new pair of Endurance GY's out the door for $257. When the original trailer tires came off my suspicions were confirmed as the DOT Codes showed them to be a little over 3 years old and that is far as I want to travel on "Rainier ST's" undoubtedly some of China's finest...though they still looked decent and I kept both of them to use as back up spares to my existing new spare that has yet to see the pavement.

I had a 5.5 year old Michilin LT grenade on me last fall and it had been inspected and aired up by Discount the day before and pronounced just fine. That "just fine" tire did $4,131 in damage to my Class C virtually blowing the wheel well right up through the floor. I'll never own a tire over 5 years old again no matter how good it looks. Admittedly living here in southern Arizona is a tough venue for tires but check your DOT Codes folks and insist that your new tires really are...


:S

[Cummins12V98]

whjco, you will have many trouble free miles. 3rd year on my Boat Trailer ENDURANCE tires. Tow at 70 without concern.

[whjco]

Our 2019 Cherokee 274vfk came with a set of ST225/75 R15 10-ply Castle Rock tires installed. They performed well for a year and a half but, after reading multiple accounts about "China bomb" tires, I replaced the factory tires with a new set of Goodyear Endurance tires. We noticed an immediate difference in the way that the trailer rides and handles and the peace of mind has been worth every penny. I just put an identical set of Goodyear Endurance tires on our 24' enclosed car trailer too.

[FLY_4_FUN]

Dtank wrote:
Surprised anyone doesn't know how to decipher tire codes - or where to find them on a tire!

Google it - or check YouTube!

Lastly - buyer beware (that means - be sure to check!!)

~

Its true...once I learned how to decode them I insist on checking them on new rubber. Sad that many places sell old stock.

[Dtank]

Surprised anyone doesn't know how to decipher tire codes - or where to find them on a tire!

Google it - or check YouTube!

Lastly - buyer beware (that means - be sure to check!!)

~

[Grit_dog]

time2roll wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Born on date....not only important for beer, but also tires! (and milk for sure!!)
I just got these nice tires last night, but then I got 'em home I looked at the born on date. What do you s'pose 2087 means??

That's right. Almost 33 years old!

Before 2000 it was a 3 digit code. Maybe post a picture.

Hmm, maybe they're not that old? I'll look at them/
They're junk either way, gotta be 20 years old at least.

[time2roll]

Grit dog wrote:
Born on date....not only important for beer, but also tires! (and milk for sure!!)
I just got these nice tires last night, but then I got 'em home I looked at the born on date. What do you s'pose 2087 means??

That's right. Almost 33 years old!

Before 2000 it was a 3 digit code. Maybe post a picture.

[Armand_C]

How do you decipher the code to determine when the tire was made? This is good to know. So the Endurance tires are the latest and greatest? Glad my new trailer came with them. I was wondering why I haven't seen Maxxis on any trailer and haven't really seen them online anymore. They were great tires. Sounds like i need to re educate myself on these things. One thing I did notice when we were shopping for a new trailer was that none of them had Carlisle tires on them.

[Cummins12V98]

Desert Captain wrote:
The date codes on both Endurance's were both April 2020.

:B

They sell them so fast there is little shelf time!

[cummins2014]

FLY 4 FUN wrote:
When I buy tires my limit on "age" is no more then 12 months from the date im buying them. Our rv and cargo trailer ST tires have a practical lifespan of 5 maybe 6 years so they will be useless to me beyond that. Learned early on that tread is not a safe indication of remaining life.

Not too concerned with a year on the truck tire , but I don't want anything older then 6 months on the fifth wheel, considering its 5-6 years at best on the lifespan , thats a year off of that to start with .

[Flan]

I just took 2015 coded Rainer st off my trailer and replaced with endurance. Never a issue after a few thousand miles but just wanted the peace of mind, and the 87mph speed rating. The endurance were heavier then the raniers but to be fair they were c rated and the Goodyear’s are e rated.

[Grit_dog]

Born on date....not only important for beer, but also tires! (and milk for sure!!)
I just got these nice tires last night, but then I got 'em home I looked at the born on date. What do you s'pose 2087 means??

That's right. Almost 33 years old!

[Desert_Captain]

The date codes on both Endurance's were both April 2020.

:B

[time2roll]

Endurance is a better tire. Nobody buys MAXXIS anymore.

[Cummins12V98]

"The Discount shop sent me to another of their stores with better availability and I ended up in and out in 45 minutes with a new pair of Endurance GY's out the door for $257."

Some will say that's too much to pay for two tires. I think for what you have gotten that's a great price!!!

What were the date codes?