Well, I broke down (or should I say I am broke now) and went and bought 10 tires and had them all put on; 6 for the motor-home and 4 for the Jeep. Had all that done in just part of yesterday afternoon. I just hooked up the Jeep to the back of the old motor-home and went to the tire shop less than 10 miles from my place. Yes, there were a lot of tire places closer, but the people at this one impressed me the most.
I almost cried when I made the decision to replace all the tires, since they all had a whole lot of tread left. In fact, the ones on the motor-home looked almost new. That is, until you looked closely at the side walls near the tread and near the bead. They were dry-rotting. The tire guy said it was not dry-rot but weathering and this area with the high humidity and lots of sun was hard on tires, especially if they didn’t get used and the tires start cracking. The Jeep’s tires had more tread wear but the side walls looked new.
You should always replace tires that were manufactured over 6 years ago, or at the most, 7 years ago. The last four digits on the serial number are the week and year of manufacture. All my tires were original and the Jeep is a 2004 model and the RV is a 2005 model, so it was time. I didn’t replace the spare on the jeep, since it was never used and hopefully never will be. If I need to use it, it will be just long enough to get another tire. It is too old, so would not trust it too far.
I wasn’t too worried about the Jeep. It probably could have gone another year or so, but I have a couple of trips planned for this year and didn’t want any tire troubles, so just did my best to prevent any.
The tire guy was surprised to see that the old tires on my Jeep where made the same month as the Jeep. They didn’t sit around in any warehouse. Depending on the popularity of your tire brand and size, a newly purchased tire can already be a couple years old. Always check, tires start to disintegrate as soon as they are made, not when you put them on your vehicle.
I want all of you out there to be safe on the roads. Check your tires. Remember, yours and your loved ones’ lives are riding on those tires. How many of you have replaced tires that appeared good but had reached the 7 year old mark? Please do.
So? Did replacing all those tires cut into your travel budget Badly? Someday when we can sit down face to face I would like you to explain to me in simple English how a tire can go bad just sitting!
ReplyDeleteThe thought has been nagging at me every time I drive my truck that I need new tires in front. I replaced the rear duallies just 2 years ago, so I won't worry about them. I almost hate to bother because I want to sell the truck and the camper in the next few months, but I don't know if new tires would make it sell any faster.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the last four didgets being manufacture date,thanks. I need two new tires on my car now. That was a very costly purchase I imagine. Blessings jane
ReplyDeleteI know how much them tires costed ya, so I don't rekon we'll be see'n ya on the road for some time.
ReplyDelete"Sally da house" is 2003, so I guess I'm gonna be biting the bullet here in a year or so. Hate that thought.
Same here! I kept 10 ply heavy duty tires on the truck when I was towing the camper. The camper's tires by their very nature sit for long periods of time especially when compared to vehicle tires.
ReplyDeleteI put brand new Goodyear Tires on the camper and in 6 months one got a bubble in the sidewall. I also kept a very good spare tire, and kept it out of the weather and sunlight. It was ready to go when I found the bubble.
put new tires on my car last spring, looked good too, but,, old n weathered, didn't trust them on hot pavement thru the summer, n sure didn't want blowouts. i've always done the upkeep on my vehicles, get the most outa what i've got, n mainly,,, tires r a safety issue. keep em up!!!
ReplyDeleteBen, travel? I have not been any where with the motor-home since last April when I went to Terlingua. E-mail sent with some explanations.
ReplyDeleteGypsy, I can’t answer that question for you. It depends on how old and how bad the front tires are.
Jane, yes, the last four digits are the date, for instance XXX4209 would be the 42 week of 2009. The price of tires is worth the peace of mind, especially my wife’s.
Billy Bob, Yep, quite I bit, but not as much as for your “Sally da house”. My class-C only takes LT 225/75 R 16 with a Load Range of E.
Ernest, Goodyear is owned by Michelin, so hope they are good, that is what I got. Don’t want a bubble on the RV, don’t have a spare and I don’t think I could change it anyway.
Trouble, You are right, good upkeep is the key for a long lasting vehicle. And full rated tire pressure is also good for the long life of a tire.
Dont know when these Tires were made , but I just traded in my range rover with brand new tires for this f 250 with what looks like new Load range E tires. load Range E tires GREAAAT
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