Old tires?

[waynefi]

How can I tell if my tires are getting old? They have about 30000 mi on them. The tread still looks OK. The sidewalls look OK, but I don't really know what to look for. These are Karrier Loadstars.

[All_I_could_aff]

I don’t take major chances with my TT tires. Not fancy brands, but over capacity for the max load they would ever see. Convesly, my small utility trailer 8 inch tires stay on until they pop or they dry rot so bad that I have to fill them more than once a month. Both are currently about 15 years old, and spare is about 25. But it only goes on short local runs mostly low speed.

[Terryallan]

drsteve wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

waynefi wrote:
There's another way of looking at this. If a tire fails in 3 years of normal use, it was defective anyway. Age had nothing to do with it. If it's still OK after 3, you got a good one. Keep it for 3 more.

I'll admit that 8 might be pushing it.

Not so. ALL of my TT tires blew in their 4th year. That is why I won't allow 4 year old tire on my TT any more. Not even on the spare rim.

You have had the worst luck of anyone with TT tires.

It is not great, But I have talked to people with worse luck. A fellow I know puts new tires on every 2 years, no matter what. And to be honest. I'm tempted myself.

And I know people who never worry about their tires, and have never had a flat. Just walk by, kick them, load up and go. Don't even own a pressure gage, or compressor.

[drsteve]

Terryallan wrote:

waynefi wrote:
There's another way of looking at this. If a tire fails in 3 years of normal use, it was defective anyway. Age had nothing to do with it. If it's still OK after 3, you got a good one. Keep it for 3 more.

I'll admit that 8 might be pushing it.

Not so. ALL of my TT tires blew in their 4th year. That is why I won't allow 4 year old tire on my TT any more. Not even on the spare rim.

You have had the worst luck of anyone with TT tires.

[twodownzero]

deltabravo wrote:
Here's my old tires

I changed them out to Goodyear Endurance

Good choice. I just bought a set of the same tires.

[deltabravo]

Here's my old tires

I changed them out to Goodyear Endurance

[Terryallan]

waynefi wrote:
There's another way of looking at this. If a tire fails in 3 years of normal use, it was defective anyway. Age had nothing to do with it. If it's still OK after 3, you got a good one. Keep it for 3 more.

I'll admit that 8 might be pushing it.

Not so. ALL of my TT tires blew in their 4th year. That is why I won't allow 4 year old tire on my TT any more. Not even on the spare rim.

[waynefi]

There's another way of looking at this. If a tire fails in 3 years of normal use, it was defective anyway. Age had nothing to do with it. If it's still OK after 3, you got a good one. Keep it for 3 more.

I'll admit that 8 might be pushing it.

[Grit_dog]

Wayne, on one hand, yes you got lucky. On the other, you got kinda lucky.
There's real truth to the replace every 3-5 years theory. (3 years is excessive IMO, but there's actually a guy on here who changes his trans fluid every 500 miles too, so....)
I've had china bomb trailer tires last as long as your's. I've had 4 year old tires blow treads off them. Have had 10 year old tires that worked fine still, got beat on and then blew up in the driveway.

Bottom line, I personally wouldn't go more than 5 years, but loading, wear, care, heat all play a part in tire life. Knock on wood, I've never actually lost a tire in the winter when weather was cold and I tow almost as much in the winter some years as summer.

8 years, 30k, yeah buy some new ones. FWIW, I have the same tires as you on both of our tandem axle trailers. 14" Rims. Kenda Karriers have dun gud so far. I'd buy Karriers again based on my experience with them thus far.

[Grit_dog]

wiskeyVI wrote:
What about using a good Light Truck Tire, load range E?

IF they existed, this may be a good option, but 14" heavy LT tires don't exist and 15" are few and far between if at all available anymore, last I checked.

[CavemanCharlie]

waynefi wrote:
I must be really lucky, since I've gotten almost 8 years and 30000 miles out of a pair of cheap Chinese tires.

It helps that the trailer is light, and when I'm not camping it is parked in a shady spot.

I'm surprised that so much of this is about years, not miles. I don't replace car tires after 3 years, I look at miles and tread.

My cheap chinese trailer tires are 9 this year. I too have a light trailer, I stay close to home, and I only go down 2 lane roads at no more the 65 MPH. I think I will run them another year. Unless, I do a long trip then I would replace them.

[Redterpos3]

I learned the hard way. 7 yrs is the MAX! Replace at 6 to be safe, is my mantra now!

[prichardson]

Highway (auto & LT) tires are manufactured to different standards than ST tires.
Both will age out. I have yet to be able to dependably get more than 4 years on STs; but have no problem getting 8 to 10 on highway tiers.

[drsteve]

My 2003 Jayco (that I purchased new) came with a set of Goodyear Marathons. They lasted for 13 years.

[Huntindog]

valhalla360 wrote:

Huntindog wrote:
In 3 years a ST tire has lost 33% of its strength.

None of mine ever made it 2 years.

Can you provide a source?

Going back to traveling with my family as a kid, never had any tire fail at 2yr...you must be incredibly unlucky if every tire fails by 2yr.

Discount tire and Carlise, for your sources... I am sure there are more.

As for my bad luck.... That ended when I made the jump to LT tires in 2006.
Not a single tire problem since then. I no longer give my tires much thought. They just flat out do the job.

When I ran STs (several sets, as I was slow to get the message) I treated them like fine china. Did everything but have a rabbi bless them. It was no use.