# How Old are Your Tyres? Is it time to change them?



## philleiper (Mar 30, 2012)

My MOT warns of crazing in side walls of my Michelin rear tyres, but it passed the test after replacing the obligatory something to keep the garage in business.  The tyres are date marked  *2201* so are now nearly 11 years old but still have plenty of tread. *Should I change them?* Does anyone have experience of failures of old tyres? I am inclined to change them before our big trip to France in June and although its a big expense I expect they will last for many years. *Any recommendations on brands of new tyres?*

Thanks for your interest,

Phil


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## no1kaili (Mar 30, 2012)

I would change them if I were you, we had a blow out last year and it wasn't a good experience, our tyres were just out of date.

As for replacements, if tyres are supposed to last for only 5 years I would buy cheap van tyres making sure load rating is ok.

Karen


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## kimbowbill (Mar 30, 2012)

Change them for deffo, i had two blowouts last year, horrible experience, i was doing 70, don't know how i managed to hold the van, but i did, luckily there was'nt much traffic on the road, if there had have been it would have been a totaly different story

Jen


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## philleiper (Mar 30, 2012)

Thanks Karen. By "out of date" do you mean they were more than five years old? Did it blow out while you were driving, and was it difficult to control?

Phil


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## DTDog (Mar 30, 2012)

Many caravanners have a similar problem. They only do about 1000miles a year and so the tyres don't wear down, but rubber does deteriate over time. Actually, lack of use probably causes more harm than good as they are sat in the same position for months and the rubber hardens up. with my caravan I used to jack it up with blocks under the axle over winter to relieve the pressure on the tyres. And even then I changed then every two or three years even though they actually looked in good condition.
We had a tyre blow on us on the motorway once and let me tell you, it's not nice having a 1.5 tonne caravan snaking behind you.

If, as you say your tyres are 11yrs old then CHANGE THEM. It's them black rubber things that keep your precious mobile home moving.


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## philleiper (Mar 30, 2012)

Yes they are 11 years old! Date mark is on all tyres I'm told and this gives the week number and the year of manufacture - (2201) in my case. Changing them seems to be the only sensible way to go.

Phil


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## oldpolicehouse (Mar 30, 2012)

Hello.
11 years old. Renew them.
The handbook I got with my recently purchased new car says the tyres should be replaced after 5 or 6 years irrespective of the tread depth.
Can't see why motorhome tyres should be any different.
For me this is no problem I wear both my car and motorhome tyres long before this.

Blue Skies


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## Tony Lee (Mar 30, 2012)

Michelin have no 5 year recommendation and suggest that after several years, they should be checked for condition and replaced when needed.
However, 11 years old is probably pushing it, especially if sidewall cracking is evident.

BTW Have you ever checked the axle loading when the MH is in full travel trim and adjusted the tyre pressure according to the manufacturer's recommendations?


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## Deleted member 5759 (Mar 30, 2012)

Tyres should be changed at five years especially if you have wall carcking, motirhomes tend to do low mileages and stand idle fro long periods of time which does not help the tyres.

Crying shame when they have loads of tread left though!

Peter


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## lotty (Mar 30, 2012)

I would replace them too. 

I have the Continental campervan tyres on ours. They were what was on it when we had it when the van was 12 month old.Just had them replaced after 4 years so they had been on for 5 years. They also had passed an MOT a few months ago as there was some tread left on them but the walls were quite badly cracked on the rear so I had a full set.
When I had them fitted I asked about a date stamp and when they looked on the tyre they could not find one? They bought one out to me to show me and we looked together and I couldn't see a number that looked like a date either? Don't know if this brand does not date stamp or just missed it?


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## Firefox (Mar 30, 2012)

To be honest, if you use your motorhome, and by that I mean do 10-15,000 miles a year, the treads will wear out before the walls.

It's only those people who do 5,000-7,000 a year or less and spend most of the the year admiring their pride and joy on the front drive who need to be more carful of age before treads.


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## fairytooth (Mar 30, 2012)

I totally agree that you should replace them.

Bearing in mind how often the walls crack before the tread wears out (unless you do high mileage) I have been seriously considering getting winter tyres next time round.  They cost more of course but the argument that they will wear out faster might not matter if the above applies.

Just something to ponder.


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## kimbowbill (Mar 31, 2012)

Firefox said:


> To be honest, if you use your motorhome, and by that I mean do 10-15,000 miles a year, the treads will wear out before the walls.
> 
> It's only those people who do 5,000-7,000 a year or less and spend most of the the year admiring their pride and joy on the front drive who need to be more carful of age before treads.




Vern, with respect, i dont do many miles a year, and its not because i sit and admire my pride and joy, its just i cant afford to go every weekend as my job doesnt pay that well, we are all not in that fortunate position to do that,


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## lotty (Mar 31, 2012)

I agree Jen, Ours "sit's being admired" because we have to work in the week. Until I retire (in 23 years time) i only get my 5 weeks off over the year and weekends to use her!


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## kimbowbill (Mar 31, 2012)

it wud be nice to sit and look at her, lol, not seen her for 2 months lol


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## lotty (Mar 31, 2012)

kimbowbill said:


> it wud be nice to sit and look at her, lol, not seen her for 2 months lol



won't be long now, :drive:


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## novice1968 (Mar 31, 2012)

the trres on my MH were 9 years old when I bought it and still legal and passed the MOT , but decided to change them , I am the ones that do only 7ooo ml or so a year as  for me there are more in life than  just MHming. and certainly do not sit and admire that ugly square box in the drive way.
I fitted wintertyres and use them all year round ,  I do not speed so the slight increase in wear and adhesion at higher ambient temperature is more than compansated by the super traction in winter conditions.


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## Tony Lee (Mar 31, 2012)

lotty said:


> I would replace them too.
> 
> I have the Continental campervan tyres on ours. They were what was on it when we had it when the van was 12 month old.Just had them replaced after 4 years so they had been on for 5 years. They also had passed an MOT a few months ago as there was some tread left on them but the walls were quite badly cracked on the rear so I had a full set.
> When I had them fitted I asked about a date stamp and when they looked on the tyre they could not find one? They bought one out to me to show me and we looked together and I couldn't see a number that looked like a date either? Don't know if this brand does not date stamp or just missed it?



It is part of the DOT code and it should be on at least one wall of every tyre. (often it seems to be stamped on the inside wall of the tyre so you have to crawl under the car to see it.  Last 4 digits give you the week and the year.
If your tyre place couldn't explain it to you, probably time to change tyre seller.

Always check the age before you buy tyres, especially if it is an odd size because it could have been sitting on the shelf for several years.


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## sparrks (Mar 31, 2012)

3 digit date code of manufacture prior to 2000 4 digit date code since.  See here for further details  Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 1 of 4    Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 1 of 4
Paul


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## fairytooth (Mar 31, 2012)

novice1968 said:


> the trres on my MH were 9 years old when I bought it and still legal and passed the MOT , but decided to change them , I am the ones that do only 7ooo ml or so a year as  for me there are more in life than  just MHming. and certainly do not sit and admire that ugly square box in the drive way.
> I fitted wintertyres and use them all year round ,  I do not speed so the slight increase in wear and adhesion at higher ambient temperature is more than compansated by the super traction in winter conditions.



Many thanks for that info.

I would be interested to Know what make you have and where you managed to source them.  I have found that winter tyres in my size hard to come by.


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## novice1968 (Mar 31, 2012)

fairytooth said:


> Many thanks for that info.
> 
> I would be interested to Know what make you have and where you managed to source them.  I have found that winter tyres in my size hard to come by.



hi
i bought mine on-line at mytyre.co,uk . They were delievered to my home and i had them fitted at my local tyre shop.
from memory, they were readily available and i picked michelin makes , 
regards


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## Ether (Mar 31, 2012)

I have just changed all my tyres as they were 5 years old. There was some crazing of the walls but plenty of tread.As I understand crazing would not be a reason for  failing an MOT. I am told tyre manufacturers will only guarantee tyres for 5 years which I think speaks for itself. My old tyres were Michelin Campers. I have replaced with Continentals. They were cheaper and reviews indicated that they are just as good as Michelins


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## Beemer (Mar 31, 2012)

Crikey!
This has caused me to have a look at my tyres...... 
Mine are coded 1205, so December 2005, so 7yrs old.
Should the mot pick up on 'dated' tyres or just the cracked or worn ones?


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## novice1968 (Mar 31, 2012)

Beemer said:


> Crikey!
> This has caused me to have a look at my tyres......
> Mine are coded 1205, so December 2005, so 7yrs old.
> Should the mot pick up on 'dated' tyres or just the cracked or worn ones?



I was told that Mot only check for legal tread depth and any damage on wall (crack etc)
Mine passed even more than 9 years old (correct pressure is far more important in use)
I am sure someone in the trade will come along to confirm or correct


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## Minisorella (Mar 31, 2012)

Beemer said:


> Crikey!
> *This has caused me to have a look at my tyres*......
> Mine are coded 1205, so December 2005, so 7yrs old.
> Should the mot pick up on 'dated' tyres or just the cracked or worn ones?



Me too - or at least I will as soon as it's light   We only bought our MH last year - it's now six years old but only clocked 13,000 miles, so I'm assuming they're the original tyres. We had no idea blow-outs were such a common problem.  Thanks for the tip everyone.


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## no1kaili (Mar 31, 2012)

philleiper said:


> Thanks Karen. By "out of date" do you mean they were more than five years old? Did it blow out while you were driving, and was it difficult to control?
> 
> Phil



Hi Phil, Yes they were about 6 months over 5 years old had plenty of tread but had been standing for a little while before we bought the van as the previous owner had died.

Luckily for us it was a rear that blew out, we were in lane 2 on the motorway doing about 55 - 60, we were fortunate to get it to the hard shoulder without futher incident.




The steel banding from the tyre flailed about destroying the wheelarch dragging wires from our zig unit and gas heater control module, broke the water heater union and smashed holes in the bathroom waste pipes and floor.

Karen


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## lotty (Mar 31, 2012)

sparrks said:


> 3 digit date code of manufacture prior to 2000 4 digit date code since.  See here for further details  Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 1 of 4    Car Bibles : The Wheel and Tyre Bible Page 1 of 4
> Paul



thanks for that sparrks,
going to check the DOT stamp on them tomorrow now I know what to look for. Only had them fitted 3 weeks ago so I will go back to the garage if the date isn't good!


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## tim1962 (Mar 31, 2012)

as an mot tester for class 4 there is no criteria writen down for perishing cuts to chord yes bulges through damage or seperation yes tread depth on the centre to thirds yes cuts to chords of 25mm or more ? yes  but not perishing if chords are not showing same tyre size on same axel yes xply tyres on same axel radial on same axel corect fittment of tyre ie direction corect no mention of corect spead rating or date either on class 4 we could only put in a manual advise unless anyone can add to that as I do not have the testing manual to hand which is used if any dowt.


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## scampa (Mar 31, 2012)

At the risk of sounding boring (who, me??) if you're in any doubt about the safety of your tyres, it has to be sensible to replace them, however much tread they may have left on them.

You could be lucky and get a few more miles out of them? 

If not, you could be lucky and have one burst gently and in a safe spot at a safe (?) speed??

And if not, you could be lucky and survive a higher speed blow-out with yourself, your passengers and your vehicle unscathed???

I've seen a lot of unlucky people on the roads, so I would recommend changing them.


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## Beemer (Apr 1, 2012)

scampa said:


> if you're in any doubt about the safety of your tyres, it has to be sensible to replace them, however much tread they may have left on them.



This is of course very good advice, however, I certainly could not afford to replace my tyres just because I had doubt about them
So I would seek professional advice (local garage) and take it from there.


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## HAUL83 (Apr 1, 2012)

Just checked mine. Front tyres from 2003, back from 2000. I already decided to change this spring, since I thought they were all from 2000


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## lotty (Apr 1, 2012)

Just checked my new set and they are 0312, so brand new, phew!
 The ones taken off were dated 2006, (i had the best one put on my spare wheel) which I thought was strange on an 2008 vehicle! 2 years old before they were even used so they were 6 years old and due to be changed.


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## Vennwood (Apr 1, 2012)

While I wouldn't disagree with all the posters about changing tyres but I would like to add in a contra thought.

If Michelin don't have a recommended policy for changing their tyres AND the vehicle is regularly serviced AND it passes its MOT AND the pressures are regularly checked for load etc.  Why would you want to spend several hundred pounds on tyres that visibly are little different from the ones that are already fitted?  Just playing devils advocate here as motorhoming is getting much more expensive and the whole point of regular servicing/monthly checks etc. should give some degree of reassurance.   I know of many folks that have had punctures/blow-outs on the road with new (ish) tyres.  

I would also pose the theory that many of our fellow campers drive their vehicles grossly overloaded with some not having a clue as to what payload means so those guys would be more prone to blow-outs even with new tyres..... As I say just a contra thought.


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## no1kaili (Apr 1, 2012)

This paragraph is from the Michelin site it makes sense 

After five years or more in service, your tyres should be thoroughly inspected  at least once per year. If the need arises, follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer regarding replacing the original equipment tyres. As a precaution, if the tyres have not been replaced 10 years from their date of manufacture (see how to read a tyre sidewall), Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator.

There's more about tyres here

http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/learn-share/buying-guide/when-should-i-change-my-tyres


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## lotty (Apr 1, 2012)

Just a thought,
If you go into a garage and ask them to check your tyres for their opinion on the sidewall cracking etc, are they going to recommend you have them changed anyway as they are going to profit from fitting you a new set?

I asked my garage who had just done a timing belt repair on the van to check mine for me as I want to go to france this year and the date on the tyres was 2006, (they had passed the MOT 8 months ago) they told me the fronts were cracked but not too bad and the rear we're bad and advised me to have a full set.
I trusted this garage as they were recommended to me and they had been very good during my dealings with them, however, were they right???  I am not a tyre expert so I can only hope they were advising me for my safety not their profits?


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## Vennwood (Apr 1, 2012)

no1kaili said:


> This paragraph is from the Michelin site it makes sense
> 
> After five years or more in service, your tyres should be thoroughly inspected  at least once per year. If the need arises, follow the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer regarding replacing the original equipment tyres. As a precaution, if the tyres have not been replaced 10 years from their date of manufacture (see how to read a tyre sidewall), Michelin recommends replacing them with new tyres. Even if they appear to be in usable condition and have not worn down to the tread wear indicator.
> 
> ...



So Michelin are saying if they are thoroughly inspected at least once a year (maybe covered by MOT and service) and receive a clean bill of health and there is no recommendation from the vehicle manufacturer then they should be ok for up to 10 years before being replaced - right?


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## scampa (Apr 1, 2012)

lotty said:


> Just a thought,
> If you go into a garage and ask them to check your tyres for their opinion on the sidewall cracking etc, are they going to recommend you have them changed anyway as they are going to profit from fitting you a new set?



I had the same thought Lotty.  I'm sure that a lot of them would often advise a full set for the sake of their profits.  I've been using the same tyre company for years and luckily we have a mutual respect and trust, but I'll admit I'd be wary of using some others.

And BTW, why do they ask us if we'd like new tyres all round?  As if we'd ask for triangular or square ones??


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