Tire longevity

[Dick_B]

After two years off for the pandemic we decided to check out the trailer in preparation for our August trip. Our tire guy noticed that our Michelin XPS Ribs were made in 2008 which is when we installed them.
Pretty good service we thought so we bought five Rib replacements which should last a lifetime since we are both in our middle 80's.

[dave54]

The Rule of Thumb for ST tires was 5 years max.
Mine were manufactured in 03/17 and have been on the ground since 02/18.

They are due for replacement now, but a lot of other unexpected expenses have slammed us in the past few months and the budget for new tires is simply not there.
I have babied the tires, kept properly inflated, covered when not in use, never drove hot, etc. They are G rated tires, way overkill for my rig, so never overloaded.
I am hoping I can get another year out them.

[steveh27]

I have 8 years and 50,000 miles on Firestone Transforce HT tires on my Class B motorhome. They look good without any cracking so I'm thinking I can get more use from them. Maybe another year or 2.

[rhagfo]

Lwiddis wrote:
I wouldn’t trust trailer tires manufactured in 2008 after 2012 or 2013. You were lucky IMO.

XPS Ribs are not trailer tires, they are LT truck tires. I would say 14 years is pushing it a bit. The LT’s on our 5er are only about five years old, should be good for and easy three years.

[amxpress]

Can’t we all just get along?

[cummins2014]

ferndaleflyer wrote:
You talk as ignorant as you read--I don't think he said he USED them for 14 years anyway, only that they were that old. I guess you are just "Mr Perfect"

I believe you should read his post again , the OP. He stated after 2 years off , they were going to use the trailer again in August , that reads 12 years of use to me . Way too long for a RV tire . So 12 years , 14 years makes little difference. I agree with some of the statements, OP got extremely lucky . But all is good now , new tires on .

[fj12ryder]

Birdnst wrote:
For some in NY it is just to difficult to read that the camper had sat for a prolonged time and that he DID replace the tires.
JimK=NY please go read OP.

Just to insert my $0.02 worth, :), and not to defend the somewhat unwarranted attack by another member, but I did read the OP's 1st post, and I got the impression that prior to the last two years, the trailer was used regularly, and had not sat for an extended period prior to the interruption. But that's just my impression.

[Birdnst]

For some in NY it is just to difficult to read that the camper had sat for a prolonged time and that he DID replace the tires.
JimK=NY please go read OP.

[JimK-NY]

The data and expert opinion can vary by the specific tire and its uses. Six years is probably a safe maximum, regardless of use and wear:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDgSk5xWkrI&t=457s

https://www.carry-ontrailer.com/how-to-know-when-to-replace-your-trailers-tires/#:~:text=Each%20tire%20manufacturer%20will%20likely,three%20years%2C%20even%20if%20the

A little research will lead to countless opinions with some data thrown in. After having an unused spare tire dry rot and fail in 4 years I did as much research as possible and would recommend erring on the side of caution.

[time2roll]

JimK-NY wrote:
Maybe at 80 years you just don't care anymore. I am in my 70s and would like to live considerably longer.

The tires were replaced. Trailer tire issue is not anything close to certain death.

[JIMNLIN]

mus' be the heat making grumpy people even more grumpy.

michelin Q&A

*What is the expected service life of tires?
While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10 years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a simple precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not reached the legal wear limit.*

For those that aren't familiar with the XPS Ribs...their a commercial grade all steel ply carcass tire that Michelin recommends for commercial trailers. They work great on rv trailers as reports we see from time to time mention running the XPS in excess of 48k-50k miles on their trailers.

I wouldn't attempt using a poly carcass tire in a trailer position that many years.

[Birdnst]

So the way I read it is he had 2008 tires, and thought they were a good brand and manufacturer, so he bought 5 new ones of the same hoping they would be his last.
Always someone smarter than everyone else, in their own mind.

[ferndaleflyer]

You talk as ignorant as you read--I don't think he said he USED them for 14 years anyway, only that they were that old. I guess you are just "Mr Perfect"

[JimK-NY]

I am sure the OP was not looking for any criticism, but writing that tires are ok for 14 years misleads others who don't know any better. Poor tires are a major cause of accidents for RVs. Heavy loads and old tires are inviting disaster.

[Durb]

"I don't think he was looking for a smart a-s lecture but just making a statement. "

Exactly.