SCHM1AN Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Those of you who are tire shopping at any local shop, or have had tires laying around for a considerable amount of timemay want to read this... Earlier this year my girlfriend's father bought her a car so she could drive to work and back. When they were looking at cars, I dispensed all my so-called "car knowledge" onto them so they could buy the best car possible. A 2004 Subaru Impreza Outback was what they decided on. I distinctly remember telling them "make sure to ask the dealer to put new tires on your car." My girlfriend and her father took the car to their "trusted" mechanic who looked over the internals of the car and even told them that it was a good car to buy, and that the car did not need new tires. Fast forward to last month when one afternoon I noticed one of my girlfriend's tires was low on air. I drove to the nearest gas station and filled up all the tires to 34psi which was the spec on the tires. A week later all was still fine in the tires. This was the first tip-off that something was amiss with the tires-- if she drove over something sharp, then the tires should've leaked out all the air by then. This morning I received a call from my girlfriend whose tire blew out. I quickly rushed to where she was able to pull over and was able to install the spare tire. The tires have <5000 miles on them, so that was not an issue in the failure. Upon investigating the tire I noticed that the date of manufacture number was "2205" meaning the tire was manufactured on the 22nd week of 2005. From a vehicle dynamics class I took in college I distinctly remember our professor showing us videos of people who had either died or been in a serious accident from driving on tires that were out of date-- 6 years from the date of manufacture if I remember correctly. Seeing that we are in the 36th week of 2011, these tires were clearly getting to the end of their shelf life and showed it by failing this morning. The pictures below are of the tire I had to change this morning. If the story above doesn't speak to you, hopefully these pictures were. I was lucky my girlfriend was only driving at 40mph on a county road and not a freeway where it may have been deadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS5689 Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Yea, I've seen many articles/stories about how long tires can sit on shelves before they're sold. I'm glad your girlfriend is okay. You can buy "new" tires that are really several years old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RabidWombat Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Do the other tires show any evidence of cracking or aging? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRSCobra Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I worked at a tire place for 4 years and they had some tires on the shelf from a few years before I started, and they were there when I left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Good point about the tire life. We all need to be reminded of that every now and then. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Fan Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 All "New" tires that are for sale in North America have DOT codes in the sidewalls...here is how to read them. Now, we will discuss the DOT number that is embossed on the sidewall. Any street legal tire must have a DOT (Department Of Transportation) number. Having a DOT number indicates that the tire manufacturer has conformed with certain standards set by the Fed. The standards not only set minimum performance levels but means that the manufacturer has paid the Fed the proper taxes. But, the DOT number itself is laden with information. Here's a typical DOT number that might be found on a European tire... DOT XT VE XKAw 09xx. What's all this mean? The obvious is DOT, Department of Transportation, but next is XT. The two letters or numbers following "DOT" refer to the manufacturer and the factory location at which the tire was made, in this case Pirelli's factory in Sandbach, West Germany. The "VE" is a typical letter - number combination that refers to the specific mold used for forming the tire. The "XKAw" can mean anything... possibly even secret code from one Pirelli chap to another, but likely batch codes. And the final numbers refer to the date when the tire was made. In the case of our example "09" is the ninth week of "xx", where "xx" can either be a single digit if the tire was made prior to 2000 or 2 digits if after 2000. The "xx" is the year. A single "7" would be 1997, "03" would be 2003. This dating is important for those serious go fast boys who know that tires harden with age, thus tires that have a more recent date maybe more desirable. This is taken from this website that gives you all the factory locations and a multitude of other interesting info....read and be informed. http://gglotus.org/ggtech/tire-DOTnotes/tirerat.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie_sheen Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 sniff sniff, i smell a lawsuit . time to have a pleasant word with the "trusted" mechanic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 This thread just helped me decide what I'll do with the 8 wheels and 12 tires that came with the car I bought in March. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRSCobra Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 ^^^ Put them on the honda and smoke 'em off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 One thing about the pictures I noticed that should have been huge red flag from the mechanic is the cracking rubber on the sidewall. I dont care how young or old the tire is the rubber shouldn't be cracking like that. Now I need to take my own advice and get new tires for my RSTi. -Jake http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg AIM: AZP Installs | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) | T-1 Certified Amsoil Dealer "Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 ^^^ Put them on the honda and smoke 'em off! No it's more like swap the tires around and use them up before they get to old. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy51 Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I guess I'll say what everyone is thinking, prior to this incident did she know dad had it out for her? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 OP, glad no one got hurt... that looks like it couldve been disastrous! That being said, I don't believe age of the tire is necessarily indicative of the condition it's in. Rubber deteriorates much quicker in heat and dry weather, and if not properly cleaned and protected. A tire that's been in direct sunlight will rapidly age, whereas the same tire in a gararge that's been sheltered and coated with a rubber protectant will last a very long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrench Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Sorry to hear of your issue.Sidewall failure due to insufficient air pressure(kenetic heat detoriates rubber). I've seen tires of all ages(new and old) do this when driven on with low air pressure. "Tire protectants" or "shine" acually dry out rubber especially when exposed to extreme heat,direct sunlight,or freezing temperatures. The way these products make your rubber look shiny is by having a chemical that sucks the moisture out of the rubber to give you that shiny look. Stoner's is the only tire protectant approved by tire manufactures not to cause what is commonly known as "o-zoning" in the tire industry. Remember you can't just replace one tire on an AWD vehicle unless the 3 remaining tires are within 2/32's of thread difference. I run a Michelin tire store just in case your wondering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 "Tire protectants" or "shine" acually dry out rubber especially when exposed to extreme heat,direct sunlight,or freezing temperatures. The way these products make your rubber look shiny is by having a chemical that sucks the moisture out of the rubber to give you that shiny look. Stoner's is the only tire protectant approved by tire manufactures not to cause what is commonly known as "o-zoning" in the tire industry. That's true. Armor All is bad for the tires as are all alcohol based shines/protectants. Actually, lemme qualify that by saying that Armor All is fine for the tires, IF you continuously apply and clean it and never let it really completely dry off. When Armor All starts drying off, then it sucks the moisture out of the tires. This goes for their vinyl protectant as well. I stopped using AA products a long time ago as a result. Some people recommend using Aerospace 303 on their tires. I use it only on my vinyl and rubber trims. Has UV protection, no alcohol, and doesn't leave a greasy feel. For my tires, I use Black Magic shine, which I seem to recall reading somewhere doesn't contain alcohol, but I'm not 100% certain anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Shelf life is a critical part for tires, however it also depends on the rubber quality and their intended use. Tires for heavy duty use (farm tractors, excavators etc.) are usually having a different rubber compound that survives for decades but also have a horrible traction on hard surfaces due to the hardness. But those vehicles are mostly used on soft surfaces and are so slow on roads that traction there isn't of a concern. As for cleaning tires and making them shiny - don't. It's even better to have them dirty since it will act as a shield against the UV radiation from the sun which can shorten the life of the tires severely. So tires never used and stored indoors may not age as much as tires that has been outdoors, but they will age too and get hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS5689 Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Shelf life is a critical part for tires, however it also depends on the rubber quality and their intended use. Tires for heavy duty use (farm tractors, excavators etc.) are usually having a different rubber compound that survives for decades but also have a horrible traction on hard surfaces due to the hardness. But those vehicles are mostly used on soft surfaces and are so slow on roads that traction there isn't of a concern. As for cleaning tires and making them shiny - don't. It's even better to have them dirty since it will act as a shield against the UV radiation from the sun which can shorten the life of the tires severely. So tires never used and stored indoors may not age as much as tires that has been outdoors, but they will age too and get hard. Good thing a set of tires never lasts me more than a season . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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