Tire longevity

Good service, yes.
I used to run XPS rib on my work truck and got great service out of them.
I just replaced the Michelin Defenders on my dually after 80,500 miles. Best tires I ever had.

Dick_B wrote:
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.

Someone in their 80's should know better. There are a lot of factors that can lead to premature wear or failure:

Road hazards - A pothole or other hazard can result in immediate failure. Even something such as driving on gravel roads can take a toll.

Punctures - Anything that punctures the sidewall will result in instant failure and cannot be safely repaired. I even had a major slice in the center of the tread due to a piece of sharp volcanic rock.

Heavy loads and underinflation, especially at high operating temps can greatly reduce life or even result in immediate failure.

Tire age - tires dry rot due to UV light but mainly just oxygen. Most tire manufacturers recommend replacement at 7 years or less. That is especially true for tires operating at high loads, but dry rot can kill a tire regardless of load. For reasons I will not try to explain, RV tires are often at much higher risk for dry rot because they are not used frequently and will dry rot faster than tires that are used frequently.

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

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

JimK-NY wrote:

Dick_B wrote:
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.

Someone in their 80's should know better. There are a lot of factors that can lead to premature wear or failure:

Road hazards - A pothole or other hazard can result in immediate failure. Even something such as driving on gravel roads can take a toll.

Punctures - Anything that punctures the sidewall will result in instant failure and cannot be safely repaired. I even had a major slice in the center of the tread due to a piece of sharp volcanic rock.

Heavy loads and underinflation, especially at high operating temps can greatly reduce life or even result in immediate failure.

Tire age - tires dry rot due to UV light but mainly just oxygen. Most tire manufacturers recommend replacement at 7 years or less. That is especially true for tires operating at high loads, but dry rot can kill a tire regardless of load. For reasons I will not try to explain, RV tires are often at much higher risk for dry rot because they are not used frequently and will dry rot faster than tires that are used frequently.

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

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

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

Exactly.

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.

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"

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.

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.

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.