My eight year old tires.....


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Old 04-20-18, 08:30 AM
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My eight year old tires.....

DOT date is August of 2010. Only 45K miles in 8 years. Only "going to town" miles. SUV was making slight "thump-thump" or bumpy noise at various speeds. Sounded like road noise to me. Four visits for undercarriage inspections found nothing wrong. Went to local tire shop and paid for spin balancing. All 4 tires were out of balance, even after the weights were adjusted. Tread looked OK to me, but not tire tech. Saw cupping and other minor flaws.

Tech thought the belts were damaged. Ordered 4 new tires. Hope that fixes the noise. So...8 y.o tires could be the problem.

When new tires put on.....will the old tires show belt damage by looking/feeling inside.....or does the tire have to be cut to see damaged belts?

Thank you.....
 
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Old 04-20-18, 09:00 AM
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When a belt breaks it usually shows a slight bulge in the tire but I'm not sure about when they are just starting to go bad. At 8 yrs the tires likely need replacing anyway - not so much for tire wear but weathering.
 
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Old 04-20-18, 09:16 AM
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No signs

Sometimes a failed tire will show no visible signs. You only can diagnose by putting a known good wheel and tire in its place. 8 years is getting old for a tire, it looses compliance and grip. Make sure you keep tire pressures proper in a car that is little used sometimes the pressures end up low and causes unusual wear (from heat build up) outcomes. Check pressures each month, its a good habit, or at least do a visual so you can spot a tire problem more readily.
 
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Old 04-20-18, 11:35 AM
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A broken belt usually shows up with a low speed wobble. I worked around tires and can spot a bad belt but took many years. Sometimes the only sign is a pull that will follow the tire t the side you put it on.
 
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Old 04-20-18, 12:18 PM
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Thanks for the replies. After the new tires are on....will see what an autopsy shows.
 
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Old 04-20-18, 01:50 PM
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My dad bought a new pickup maybe a month or so before he passed of an unanticipated heart attack, and mom liked it so kept it, but she also had her own car, so it sat in the garage more often than not. But at about 6 or 7 years, with something like 10-12,000 miles if I remember right, I just happened to be looking it over one day and those tires were splitting so badly that I told her not to drive it at all except straight to the tire store. I had seen trailer tires like that, and had attributed it mostly to sunlight, but seeing those tires like that really woke me up to the fact that aging is also a big contributor.
 
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Old 04-20-18, 03:21 PM
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Originally Posted by aka pedro
". . . seeing those tires like that really woke me up to the fact that aging is also a big contributor . . ."
Yes and the rubber will begin decomposing due to age even if the tires are still new and have never been mounted.
 
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Old 04-21-18, 03:58 PM
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Old 04-22-18, 12:22 AM
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I bought a set of brand new tires years back. They had been pulled off a new truck (supposedly) cause the owner wanted fancy wheels and tires, still had the "nubs" on them. Paid around $120 as I remember and took them to a tire store to be mounted. Even told them the story, they said they look in great shape, 0 wear. Not 3 days later driving at 55-60, started getting a whomp, whomp almost like a flat. Couldn't see any issue. Went back to tire store they lifted truck and said big bulge in tread, belt separation. Said call manufacturer about possible warranty. Called, had no clue what a DOT number was back then, so they held while I got it. The person couldn't find it in the system, so transferred me to an "engineering tech". Gave him the info, he talked to someone, turned out the tires weren't even made anymore and that they were at least 10 yrs old. Of course no warranty. But they seriously looked like brand new...., dusty, but no cracks or dry rot visible inside or out. Didn't even try to get money back from seller, since he said he was selling for his son.

Lesson learned...don't buy used tires except in emergency. You don't know how they've been stored or abused.
 
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Old 04-25-18, 09:18 PM
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New tires on.....noise/bump-bump went away. Could not feel any belt separation on inside. Did not cut into tire. Lesson learned.
 
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Old 04-26-18, 04:52 AM
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People whose have to buy new tires because of age and not mileage are getting the shaft because they will never use the thread wear warranty they paid for initially. Does anyone know of a tire manufacturer who makes tires with a 20k, 30k or even a 40 k? The same applies to newer cars requiring synthetic oil with oil change interval of 10k miles or 1 year, whichever occurs first. I asked my dealer's service manager if they change the synthetic oil on brand x used cars on their lot for a year. Still waiting for an answer.
 
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Old 04-26-18, 05:25 AM
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"The same applies to newer cars requiring synthetic oil with oil change interval of 10k miles or 1 year, whichever occurs first."

Which cars would this be? Who "requires" synthetic oil?
 
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Old 04-26-18, 05:55 AM
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Originally Posted by beelzebob
". . . People whose have to buy new tires because of age and not mileage are getting the shaft because they will never use the thread wear warranty they paid for initially . . ."
I'm afraid that the Tread Warranty is just a sales gimmick that no Customer should place their faith in.

I've tried to get a tire manufacturer to fulfill their commitment on a 50,000 mile Warranty when the set of four tires began wearing irregularly at 18,000 miles and some were considered un-safe at 25,000 miles. Despite being able to verify proper alignments and validate mounting and dismounting dates, the local Brand Manager was unable to obtain Corporate Approval for the loss of safe usage.

I discussed it with my Attorney . . . . for the few hundred dollars of potential refund, it was not worth pursuing unless I could also prove more of a loss and run them through Small Claims Court. If I get in that situation again, I just might carry it further ON PRINCIPAL . . . . but the manufacturers are willing to bet that most Americans don't have that much energy, or willingness to keep the necessary records.
 
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Old 04-26-18, 06:50 AM
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Tires are one thing I don't mess around with partially because I seem to be pretty hard on them. I'm usually replacing them about every two years and never get near the warranty mileage. I also don't wait to get down to the wear indicators.

My last new tires happened a couple weeks ago. Two tires were better but the worst pair were 1/32" above the wear marks and on rainy days I could really notice the hydroplaning. We've had a lot of rain since getting the new tires and they perform noticeably better in the wet.
 
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Old 04-27-18, 05:18 AM
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2 granddaughters,
Some models made by VW, BMW, Mercedes=Benz, Honda, Toyota and Subaru as a start. My 2013 Lexus is included.
 
 

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