BFG a/t tires are they too old?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
May 26, 2006
Threads
27
Messages
128
Just wondering if any one ever had any issues with BFG tires mine were made in 99 so that makes them 10 years old i bouthg them in 2005 but i only use them in the winter months, so there in apparent good shape with lots of tread but i'm worried about the age because i read a few articles on old tires should i be worried?
 
This was just conversed and debated in the 40/55 section. The story was that the manufacturers date the tires and recommend their replacement after XX yrs due to safety reasons.

All I gotta say to all you the-sky-is-falling people, send me all your out-of-date tires with good tread, no visible buldges, cracking, dry rot, etc and I will wear them out of you.
 
I think it all depends on the storage. If they have been sitting in your garage clean and dry then probably safe. A good visual inspection should give you a good idea if they are good to go.
 
I'm with dgangle on this. I'm pretty friggin cheap and hate having to buy tires. I will get older used tires from friends all the time and have been running them on most of my rigs for years, long as they are not all cracked up.
 
I am a Michelin/Uniroyal/BFGoodrich dealer and my boss won't even repair flats on tires older than 5 years. I believe here in the near future there is going to be a law on the age requirements of a tire. 5-6 years I think. After 4-5 years even tires sitting in a warehouse out of the sun light seem to begin to dry crack and fall apart. Thats one reason the manufacturers such as Michelin will only warranty their tires for 4-5 years. I would get a new set. Just my .02$

D
 
I am a Michelin/Uniroyal/BFGoodrich dealer and my boss won't even repair flats on tires older than 5 years. I believe here in the near future there is going to be a law on the age requirements of a tire. 5-6 years I think. After 4-5 years even tires sitting in a warehouse out of the sun light seem to begin to dry crack and fall apart. Thats one reason the manufacturers such as Michelin will only warranty their tires for 4-5 years. I would get a new set. Just my .02$

D

Many tire places are quite paranoid about this sort of thing, and for good reason.

Thanks to the massive lawsuits that have happened over tires failing (remember the Firestone debacle?), they are terrified of being targeted for another lawsuit.

Some states already have stupid laws, such as making it illegal to repair a tire if the damage is in the shoulder or sidewall of the tire. I've had tire companies turn me away because of a screw in the edge of the tread, but it was too close to the sidewall (though clearly still in the tread).

The spare on the :princess: truck was manufactured in '94. A visual inspection showed no cracking, dry rot, or other forms of damage. The rubber was still pliable and it looked and reacted just like a new tire should (even had the little nubbies on it). Since it was older than 5 years, the tire shop was technically not supposed to reinstall it on the rim. Fortunately for me, the tech went ahead and did it as even he thought the tire was in perfect condition, and it was only the spare for her rig. (Plus she has Toyo M/T's on there....they'll never wear out. :rolleyes: )

This is a tire that's lived it's life in a moderate climate (Cali then Oregon), but has been exposed to the elements (hung in stock location).



As others have said, if the tire checks out, run it.
 
It also depends on the climate. Tires dry out in AZ. The older tires that I've used have only gotten 60 to 70% of normal tread wear. If they look good, use them, but I inspect them every few weeks.
 
well thank you all for your imput i guess i will inspect them frequently and use them. I normally store the tires in basement which is dry and about 60-70* but there on the truck in winter months in NJ.
 
Many tire places are quite paranoid about this sort of thing, and for good reason.

Thanks to the massive lawsuits that have happened over tires failing (remember the Firestone debacle?), they are terrified of being targeted for another lawsuit.

Some states already have stupid laws, such as making it illegal to repair a tire if the damage is in the shoulder or sidewall of the tire. I've had tire companies turn me away because of a screw in the edge of the tread, but it was too close to the sidewall (though clearly still in the tread).

The spare on the :princess: truck was manufactured in '94. A visual inspection showed no cracking, dry rot, or other forms of damage. The rubber was still pliable and it looked and reacted just like a new tire should (even had the little nubbies on it). Since it was older than 5 years, the tire shop was technically not supposed to reinstall it on the rim. Fortunately for me, the tech went ahead and did it as even he thought the tire was in perfect condition, and it was only the spare for her rig. (Plus she has Toyo M/T's on there....they'll never wear out. :rolleyes: )

This is a tire that's lived it's life in a moderate climate (Cali then Oregon), but has been exposed to the elements (hung in stock location).



As others have said, if the tire checks out, run it.

True, such lawsuits are bad...I too have ran old tires that looked new, but after working here I have seen lots of old "new" tires chunk the tread after just a few days and things of that nature. A set of new tires, or cheaper used tires (still within a few years old) is a safe bit of assurance to make sure I don't have a potentially fatal wreck. Plus here in Texas, tires dry out. And quickly. Like I said I am biased just because I see alot more tires than the average guy and with that being said I see alot more ruined tires, some of which I attribute to age, even though they still have lots of tread and no cracking. It was just my .02$. Take it with a grain of salt. :cheers:

D
 
There is a coded date on the sidewall that will tell you when the properties in the rubber will start breaking down. You probably won't see it on the outside, but the inner part of the tire will start to fall apart. I had one old tire that I was using as a spare. It was always aired up and in the back of my 80. I took it out and while I was rolling it, it sounded like there was golf balls in the tire from the insides falling apart.
 
Many tire places are quite paranoid about this sort of thing, and for good reason.

Thanks to the massive lawsuits that have happened over tires failing (remember the Firestone debacle?), they are terrified of being targeted for another lawsuit.

Some states already have stupid laws, such as making it illegal to repair a tire if the damage is in the shoulder or sidewall of the tire. I've had tire companies turn me away because of a screw in the edge of the tread, but it was too close to the sidewall (though clearly still in the tread).

The spare on the :princess: truck was manufactured in '94. A visual inspection showed no cracking, dry rot, or other forms of damage. The rubber was still pliable and it looked and reacted just like a new tire should (even had the little nubbies on it). Since it was older than 5 years, the tire shop was technically not supposed to reinstall it on the rim. Fortunately for me, the tech went ahead and did it as even he thought the tire was in perfect condition, and it was only the spare for her rig. (Plus she has Toyo M/T's on there....they'll never wear out. :rolleyes: )

This is a tire that's lived it's life in a moderate climate (Cali then Oregon), but has been exposed to the elements (hung in stock location).



As others have said, if the tire checks out, run it.

Many tire shops in East LA pretty much only deal in used/ "old" tires. If they looked at the dates to determine anything, they'd have few tires to work wiht and very little business. Not saying it's always safe, just reality.
 
True, such lawsuits are bad...I too have ran old tires that looked new, but after working here I have seen lots of old "new" tires chunk the tread after just a few days and things of that nature. A set of new tires, or cheaper used tires (still within a few years old) is a safe bit of assurance to make sure I don't have a potentially fatal wreck. Plus here in Texas, tires dry out. And quickly. Like I said I am biased just because I see alot more tires than the average guy and with that being said I see alot more ruined tires, some of which I attribute to age, even though they still have lots of tread and no cracking. It was just my .02$. Take it with a grain of salt. :cheers:

D

Location, location, location.

The environment matters heavily. If you're in lots of nasty weather, then your tire won't last as long. If you're in very hot and dry weather, then your tire won't last as long. I don't think I'd run a 10 year old tire that's been sitting out in the desert sun. :meh:

There is a coded date on the sidewall that will tell you when the properties in the rubber will start breaking down. You probably won't see it on the outside, but the inner part of the tire will start to fall apart. I had one old tire that I was using as a spare. It was always aired up and in the back of my 80. I took it out and while I was rolling it, it sounded like there was golf balls in the tire from the insides falling apart.

That's why a good visual inspection both outside and inside is important. :cheers:
 
There is a coded date on the sidewall that will tell you when the properties in the rubber will start breaking down. You probably won't see it on the outside, but the inner part of the tire will start to fall apart. I had one old tire that I was using as a spare. It was always aired up and in the back of my 80. I took it out and while I was rolling it, it sounded like there was golf balls in the tire from the insides falling apart.


Now I'm getting worried. I got great deal on 4 "new" old BFG ATs that were sitting in this guys garage for 2 years, mfg date 2006
how old was that spare that you were having trouble with?
 
Only 3-4 years old? I wouldn't sweat it. Most tire places will deal with any 5 year old or younger tire, even in the states with silly laws.
 
Now I'm getting worried. I got great deal on 4 "new" old BFG ATs that were sitting in this guys garage for 2 years, mfg date 2006
how old was that spare that you were having trouble with?

Run'um until they're bald. That's what a mechanic (friend) in Ainaloa told me.:)
 
Tyres suffer far more damage by being left on a vehicle that is standing for about 6 months, off the car and laid on their side is not a problem. I have seen tyres marked (By Michelin) "reject, for horse drawn vehicles only" these as they are marked were rejects meant for 3rd world country's, some git had got a batch in London and was selling them cheap to min cab drivers looking for a bargain. I noticed some of the 'reject' marks and had a proper look, can you imagine the drivers look on their faces as they realise they were just coming down the motorway at 70 mph?

The point I am making is that tyre manufacturing standards are very high so a 8-10 year old tyre that has been dry stored is unlikely to be a problem, as mentioned, check them regularly for bumps/crack/air loss.

JMHO

regards

Dave
 
...a 8-10 year old tyre that has been dry stored is unlikely to be a problem, as mentioned, check them regularly for bumps/crack/air loss.

JMHO

regards

Dave

I'm sure that light, temperature and humidity play a significant part in tire degradation, but from what I understand it's actually ozone gas in the air that causes the rubber in tires to crack and break down.

Taking that into consideration dry storage wouldn't necessarily mean that the rubber is still perfect, or as good as new, but using common sense it should stand to reason that if the tire looks to be in good shape and the rubber is still pliable, I'd say it would be fine to use an older tire.
 
Also Armor-All and similar tire shine products can significantly reduce the life of a tire regardless of whether it has been garage kept or not. I believe Michelin is the only company that makes a product to shine your tires guranteed not to make them dry out. I could be mistaken, but I do remember reading something of the likes.

D
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom