Really "new" tires?

[EmeraldCoaster]

I recently rented a local 2001 MCI bus conversion for a 1,600 mile trip.  During my orientation over 3 visits, the owner repeatedly advised me all tires were "brand new."  I learned during a 3-hour tire service break (for tread separation) that the tires on the rented MCI were manufactured from 1998 to 2001.  After my trip, I spoke with the manager at my region's #1 RV tire provider.  He said there are myriad conditions (warehousing, temperature, sunlight, humidity, etc.) that affect tires before installation, and he explained the dynamics of oil depletion over time and potential adverse affect upon cord cooling.   My wife and I are still looking at a possible bus conversion RV purchase, but we want to be smart about it.  Now infinitely smarter on tire dating, I'm curious to know what current owners consider "new" tires.

[kyle4501]

In my opinion, new is less than a year old. If unused, never mounted, & older than that, it is old stock. If it has been mounted, it is used.

Usually up to 5 years is safe. Depending on useage & storage conditions, you may be able to exceed that, but it is a gamble.
Anything past 5 years is old. 
I've had old tires blowout at highway speeds, that is why I replace my tires at 6 or 7 years.

As I understand it, in addition to the rubber ageing issues, there is the issue of steel cords separating from the rubber - this can have several causes. If a heavy tire goes flat where the rim nearly reaches the ground, usually, the sidewall will have internal damage & the failure is a matter of when, not if.

There is also the potential of the cords to rust, which also is not good.
Bias ply are a little different than radials as far as belt separation goes, but a tire failure can ruin lots more than the cost of the tire.

[Rick59-4104]

 There is a DOT date code on tires, just because you buy them new does not mean they are ... The tires may have been in the warehouse for several years. The date code will be a series of letters and numbers inside an oval after the letters DOT. The date code since 2000 will be a 4 digit number, the first 2 numbers are the week of manufacture, the last 2 numbers are the year the tires were made......
I recently went to my tire shop to buy some tires for a heavy duty trailer, the tires are an odd size and apparently not a fast mover, the "new" tires they first tried to sell me were in fact 9 years old....

If you Google how to date tires you can learn how to read the codes.

Rick

[plyonsMC9]

Welcome to the group EmeraldCoaster!

I'm about to replace our tires as well.  I think they are dated in the 6 - 7 year old range.  Well, that would be our drive tires.  Our steering tires are just 3-4 years old.  Toyo.  Expensive! 

One interesting idea I was thinking about, and maybe someone else more knowledgeable could chime in, is to look at "pulls" from fleet coaches.  Apparently they pull tires after a year or so.  Quite a few miles on the tires, but would be "new" to me age-wise.  And we'd likely never use all the tread remaining before time to replace the tires due to age.

anyone else?

Kind Regards to all - Phil