Tyre expiry dates??

**Charliewool** · 13-12-2007, 10:07 AM

Received an email this morning about tyre expiry dates... 4 years?? I have never heard of this... anyone??

TYRE EXPIRY
Vehicle tires have a 4-year validity period from their Date of Manufacture (DOM). Thereafter, the tire
expires and may burst whilst in use. How to find out whether your tire has expired? Check for a
stamp like this: (*2603*) There is an asterisk at the beginning and at the end of this serial number.
The first two numbers 2 6 will tell which week of the year has it been manufactured.
NB: One year has 52 weeks. The last two numbers represent the year of make. Therefore, *2603*
shows that the said tire is manufactured in the 26th week of the year 2003. *2699* this shows that the
tire is made in the 26th week of 1999.
Check all your tires for safety purposes. Do not use expired tires. They are likely to burst (especially
when running in hot weather) because the rubber component may have hardened and cracked.

mrfordguy · 13-12-2007, 10:16 AM

never heard of it either and i used to be a tyre fitter.. but that ws 10 years ago so things could have changed since..
it does make sense though.. although i have driven on tyres that im sure were from the 80's and had no problems.

one would think that if it is true then the insurance companys and police would be on top of it making sure..

sgt_doofey · 13-12-2007, 10:36 AM

I was just thinking the other day that I should use the spare tyre. It was brand new when I got the car, 7 years ago. Still nice and black with heaps of tread!

**ebxr8240** · 13-12-2007, 11:07 AM

The flexable brake lines is what gets me on older cars...
Sheesh that means I will NEVER get to wear any tyres out!!!
Be different if garaged out of heat and sun??
I guess.. After Fords issues with the Explorer I can see why they
do this to save on legal issues...

**GasoLane** · 13-12-2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charliewool

the tire..your tire
NB: One year has 52 weeks...

Note the the spelling is 'Murrican.

Another giveaway it's from Seppoland is the fact that they have to point out that a year consists of 52 weeks.

:

Whats the bet that it originated from a Tyre dealer.

And dont forget that this from a country where you can buy a 2008 car in August 2007!

Ignore it.

GoldCoastGTP · 13-12-2007, 01:33 PM

What a crock of bah humbug
Tyres do go off only if they are in the sun all day for about 10 years
From a tyre dealer using the scare campaign just to improve hi bottom line

mcnamg · 13-12-2007, 02:23 PM

This site has some interesting info on it if you want to find out more

http://www.aa1car.com/library/tire_expire.htm

no rules currently in place re tires best before dates as its too hard to determine but European manufactures recommend 6 years as the longest you should use them for.

Kryton · 13-12-2007, 02:47 PM

anyone that owns a motorcycle would already know that tyres are date stamped.
go look if you havent already.
the only difference is that motorcycle tyres use a 3 number code.
first 2 are week, last number is year.
266 would be week 26 2006 (or 1996 if the tyre is really old)

smciner1 · 13-12-2007, 03:31 PM

Always made me wonder why people with old Muscle Cars would drive it around on a 30 something year old Tyre. The older Rubber gets, the harder and less grippy it gets. I know I would hate to try and drive my XB on a set of Olympic Reflex Tyres from 1974......

XRMATE · 13-12-2007, 03:46 PM

I am in the conveyor belt industry and they put a wax on the belts which is a UV protectant. Stops the belt from hardening and cracking in the sun, however with age they still crack.Some belts last 10-15 yrs before they are replaced. I would very much doubt they would use this on tyres as it would make them very slippery.

XR Martin · 13-12-2007, 05:13 PM

The rubber on some new shoes will only last 3-4 years or so too. Even if you put them in the cupboard and pull them out years later the rubber sole just crumbles.

cupic · 13-12-2007, 06:39 PM

Turbo nick brought up this question on another forum and it was he opinion that tyres out of the element stored in the boot could last up to 6yrs or longer

[Tonko] · 13-12-2007, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smciner1

Always made me wonder why people with old Muscle Cars would drive it around on a 30 something year old Tyre. The older Rubber gets, the harder and less grippy it gets. I know I would hate to try and drive my XB on a set of Olympic Reflex Tyres from 1974......

I wondered that aswell, but with a mates XY GS, it was ****ing rain and he was driving on aquajets...
The word 'suicide' came up in conversation...

Scareybear · 13-12-2007, 06:56 PM

Most manufacturers have a 5 year warranty from date of manufacture, ie if the tyre falls apart after this they'll not cover it. I've seen 6 year old tyres that should'nt be on the road, and 25 year old one that are fine, too many factors involved to put a firm "expiry" date on them

dave351cid · 13-12-2007, 07:00 PM

i have been told by a friend who owns a tyre shop about the code numbers on the tyre to identify the build date.
i haven`t heard of any set use-buy period before but it would not surprise me if its something they are working on. these days tyres are made with more and more synthetic materials and less rubber, this is sure to affect the life expectancy of the product.

i had some goodyears on the front of the XB for about 5 years and the sidewalls were all starting to get tiny cracks /perish marks and the tread started to lift on one. only about half worn.

" XR6 martin " ..... your right about the shoes. i have had brand new work boots kept in their box in a dark cupboard for a couple of years and went to wear them and the soles were falling off.

Nostalgia · 13-12-2007, 08:01 PM

This may be true. I bought a set of second-hand 15" tyres off a Commodore and the were used by 16/4/08. It also has written on them "MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF PEANUTS". Previous owner must of given them a hard time. (in the wet). Bwahahahahah

:

1970galaxie · 13-12-2007, 09:38 PM

Does this mean my Eagers I bought back in 1986 are no good anymore?

FTGAutosalvage · 13-12-2007, 09:55 PM

if tyres had a use by date it would be clearly marked on the tyre. not put on the tyre in code.
this is just scare tactics by a tyre dealer IMO

AWD Chaser · 13-12-2007, 10:32 PM

If I leave my milk on the kitchen bench for 3 days straight, will it go off before the expiry date?

If I put it in the freezer, will it be off when I defrost it 1 month later?

Too many factors here. I think it's right to put an expiry date on tyres, but it comes down to the conditions. eg. Permanent snow vs desert conditions....

RASER · 01-08-2012, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charliewool

Received an email this morning about tyre expiry dates... 4 years?? I have never heard of this... anyone??

TYRE EXPIRY
Vehicle tires have a 4-year validity period from their Date of Manufacture (DOM). Thereafter, the tire
expires and may burst whilst in use. How to find out whether your tire has expired? Check for a
stamp like this: (*2603*) There is an asterisk at the beginning and at the end of this serial number.
The first two numbers 2 6 will tell which week of the year has it been manufactured.
NB: One year has 52 weeks. The last two numbers represent the year of make. Therefore, *2603*
shows that the said tire is manufactured in the 26th week of the year 2003. *2699* this shows that the
tire is made in the 26th week of 1999.
Check all your tires for safety purposes. Do not use expired tires. They are likely to burst (especially
when running in hot weather) because the rubber component may have hardened and cracked.

I have never heard of them bursting, but becoming out of true round and also the rubber compound changing is a real issue

U need nice fresh tyres, nothing thats been on the shelf for to long, nothing like a nice visual check, like a pilot does of a plane

**Captain Stubing** · 01-08-2012, 08:50 AM

As I've found out, after bringing back a car that's been in storage for 10 years, the rubber will dry out and go hard. While it may look okay, the tyre loses the gripping qualities that a soft compound will have.

Enquiries that I made was that tyres have a shelf life of 7 years.

OzJavelin · 01-08-2012, 09:10 AM

Anything you can do to make people go out and have a look at their tyres is a good thing. Most people just assume that their tyres were inspected and "fixed" (inflated, rotated, replaced, etc) at their 15,000km service and just ignore them .. like oil, water, washer fluid, cleaning lights, cleaning windscreen, etc, etc ........ maybe they have an iPhone app for that??

cobramania · 01-08-2012, 09:12 AM

Guess it all comes down to, they don't make 'em like they use to. I have noticed the date markings of tyres over the last 2 years, & had heard something similar about use-by dates.
Having said that, I did sell some wheels & tyres to a mate last year, off a '93 XR8 that I hadn't used in years, & he's still running around on those tyres quite OK.

But I have found this information (quite detailed) on the Bridgestone Australia Website, about aged tyres. http://www.bridgestone.com.au/tyres/.../care/age.aspx

RASER · 01-08-2012, 09:15 AM

Tyre performance keeps improving too, whats the ants-pants now is old hat in 12 months time, forget fitting old tyres to your car.

Buy the latest and greatest, all the talk know is of eco-tyres with silica for reduced rolling resistance and around 5% improved milage...for nothing!

As soon as these origional Dunlop G26 wear out [bloody hell, 115,000km and still RWC!] i will be buying eco tyres, the Hanook look interesting, $/quality ratio

http://www.hankooktire-eu.com/about/...2b7fb115c7753b

neptune blue · 01-08-2012, 09:21 AM

Im no expert but I have a set of T/A's on my XB coupe that are 25 years old have about 70% tread left on them, no cracks
obviously I dont drive the car all that often
the only problem I do have is that it is some what bumpy when I take it out of the garage but about 15 Minutes on the freeway fixes that

aussie muscle · 01-08-2012, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoldCoastGTP

What a crock of bah humbug
Tyres do go off only if they are in the sun all day for about 10 years
From a tyre dealer using the scare campaign just to improve hi bottom line

They did a story like this on an american tabloid show 2020 (like 'today tonight') about 2 years ago. They were *shocked* that they were being sold 5yo tires.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgx2aiur31c

JimStone · 01-08-2012, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neptune blue

Im no expert but I have a set of T/A's on my XB coupe that are 25 years old have about 70% tread left on them, no cracks
obviously I dont drive the car all that often
the only problem I do have is that it is some what bumpy when I take it out of the garage but about 15 Minutes on the freeway fixes that

I was doing the same with some 10 year old well maintained Road Huggers that had travelled less than 5,000klms

Just not worth risking your pride and joy over (in my case) $700 worth of rubber IMHO

fat4D · 01-08-2012, 12:01 PM

I've heard about this before, but from what I've heard its more in relation to the age of tire a shop can sell not so much when they should be thrown away. Have also heard that the spare should be replaced after 6 years? So may be some truth to it. But let's face it, if it starts to perish and crack its ganna go flat and won't hold pressure so it would be replaced

neptune blue · 01-08-2012, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fat4D

I've heard about this before, but from what I've heard its more in relation to the age of tire a shop can sell not so much when they should be thrown away. Have also heard that the spare should be replaced after 6 years? So may be some truth to it. But let's face it, if it starts to perish and crack its ganna go flat and won't hold pressure so it would be replaced

I had better never use my spare as its the origional one that came with the car ....still not cracked though
build date May 1976!

Martyvan · 01-08-2012, 12:27 PM

There is some level of Truth to the story. Tyres do have a best before life of about 5-7 years, after that the rubber can be brittle, and just break/flake, lose its structure and grip. Bike tyres is an example, my old bike i rode it and hit the brakes, and there was zero adhesion left, and the front brake locked and skidded(that was 10 years old) Rubber on cars also has a shelf life... most people would never get to the point where it became brittle, given they wear out over distance, not generally time. Rubber not exposed to any elements, would likely last a hell of a lot longer. Spare on the pajero hanging out back in the sun, wont last a long as one stored inside the boot.