Yokohama Tires ? Are they Ok?

[luvrbus]

We used to do 20 to 25k a year in the bus I could wear a set out,now we are down to 10k a year 

[chessie4905]

Maybe Scott and Heather. When fuel was under $1.00 per gallon, many racked up the miles. Not so much anymore.

[DoubleEagle]

Who here has worn out a tire before t aged out ?

That is like expecting Diogenes to find an honest man before his light burns out. 

[windtrader]

AH37
Regional all position tire for extreme mileage & fuel efficiency

It'd be even better to state extreme longevity rather than mileage as we all nearly age out first.

[gumpy]

Who here has worn out a tire before t aged out ?

I'm at 16 years, on my drive tires. They still have about 75% tread left and still doing a great job for me. Thinking I may replace them this year, though still not sure.

[luvrbus]

I'm at 16 years, on my drive tires. They still have about 75% tread left and still doing a great job for me. Thinking I may replace them this year, though still not sure.

Finally someone admits running tires over 7 years old. ,I see in the shop all the time owners tell me their tires are outdated and they are going to buy new tire,low and behold next year when they come back they still have the same tires 

[bigred]

Guy's ; MY Prevost had two Goodyear RV  tires on the steer tires that are  2006 models Still look great with no cracking .IF these are still available ,would love to use these

[brmax]

The inspections we do or have to get done should be considered the minimum safety standards set in law.  As always are next good limiting factor is whatever the vehicle or equipment manufacture recommends.

In any case the owner is recomended, required and in all honesty responsible. So its our best judgement following a tire inspection yearly minimum.  Heres a link below and probably on the dite here seversl places, but always good info getting ahead of the travel season.

http://www.moderntiredealer.com/article/312312/final-words-on-tire-aging

I would say if a tire is in question ask your local state licensed inspector mechanic/dot sticker personnel their recommendation.


Good day

Floyd


ps: i sure wished tractor tires lasted longer before cracking up

[luvrbus]

Bus people buying tires are a rare breed,I have this buddy that buys tires for his bus and he he keeps it's to the bare minimum with the weight the tire will handle he would rather run higher air pressure to save 20 bucks on the FET tax on a tire, since that tax is based on the carry capacity of the tire 14 ply is his limit (he is tight)   

[DominicM]

I apologies for sounding ignorant. What is the issue of 7 year limit on tires.  Does the rubber decay? What is it about the magic 7 years that makes a tire unsafe.  Does it make a difference how the tires are cared for, vehicle stored inside vs outside tire covers vs exposed to the elements, weight on the tires etc. Is the 7 years a standard number of years, or is this a federal law on tires?

Thank You
Dominic

[eagle19952]

I apologies for sounding ignorant. What is the issue of 7 year limit on tires.  Does the rubber decay? What is it about the magic 7 years that makes a tire unsafe.  Does it make a difference how the tires are cared for, vehicle stored inside vs outside tire covers vs exposed to the elements, weight on the tires etc. Is the 7 years a standard number of years, or is this a federal law on tires?

Thank You
Dominic

Rule of thumb, particularly on steers.

[DoubleEagle]

The mattress marketers think we should get a new mattress every eight years, but do we? Of course, our mattresses don't blow up suddenly and throw us off the bed into a ditch. Rotating new tires in through the steer tires makes sense, but in reality our tires can be okay for ten years or more. We do not load them as severely as a truck does, or suffer as many cuts and bruises in rough warehouse yards. We might also keep them out of the sun more than a trucker would.

[neoneddy]

I think that's just it, even if it's 95% chance they are safe, I've got a 30,000 lb vehicle at 65 mph that is my responsibility to keep under control for my sake, for my family's sake and anyone else within rolling distance.   

TPMS is on order and I generally sacrifice  bit of ride quality for PSI insurance. From everything I read, the biggest factor to catastrophic failure is heat from overloading via low tire pressure.

It sucks for me right now because I bought a coach with all older rubber so I'm having to spend more this last year and maybe next. When I think about it, it's not that bad, spend $1200 on 2 tires every 3-5 years?  That might be the cheapest bit of maintenance I have !

I moved my steers to my tags, they were in the worst shape. I carry a mounted spare as well, hoping to get that 58:1 gear reduction dingus so in a pinch I could change a tag or drive  tire myself.   


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Branderson]

It's a safe bet that there are a lot of threads on tires and when they should be replaced.  You can see in this thread alone that some agree and some don't.  I'm glad the person that made the mattress analogy admitted this time that there is quite a difference between an catastrophic mattress and tire.

Like I've said before on the topic, I will err on the side of caution and replace tires at 7yrs b/c the risk isn't worth the reward.  I personally don't know where the 7yr rule came from but I trust my uncle who has full timed for over a decade and drove trucks before that.  Course that doesn't do anything for anyone else but I trust him. 

[windtrader]

The effect of tire aging is a frequent topic on the forum. As the tires on my coach are now 8-9 years old, I wanted to satisfy myself about the safety of older tires. After a couple weeks of dedicated research, talking to tire dealers, tire recappers, manufacturer documents, and academic research papers, I am comfortable running older tires that have plenty of solid tread and unblemished casings.

The academic research, scientific studies, and lab testing clearly identify heat as the number one cause of rubber tire degradation. These findings are consistent with common observations from those living in hot arid areas such as Arizona. Many tires from these areas develop cracking and other visible and possibly internal, structural defects.
Tires from mild and cool climates experience this less often.

There is no DOT, governmental, or other regulatory agency that date expires tires. This is why no highway truck checks look at tire dates. What I discovered is the retread industry self-regulates and maintains quality control of the retread product.

Retread tires have had a checkered history, evidenced by the vast number of tread delaminations littering the roadways. After speaking with several tire shops and the recap shops that service them, what is clear is they are very conscientious about inspecting and accepting casings for recapping. Tires are inspected visually and with machines. Xray machines inspect the internal condition looking for any defects.   

No recapper I spoke accepts tires older than 7 years, some even said 5 years, stating that allowed for a couple years of life on the recap.

Another angle I did not research is product liability. Certainly, there must be plenty of court cases that introduce the concept that failed tires caused the accident. There must be case precedence providing legal guidance on what is generally accepted as due diligence with respect to tire condition. I'm guessing that the tire industry uses seven years as a guide point, around when tires generally should be decommissioned. But tires forensics and expert testimony will surely be utilized to determine the precise condition of the evidence.

One last thing. I asked the recap shop if I could pay to get the tires inspected. Never got a clear yes/no but decided not to pursue due to the expense and effort to get tires dismounted, checked, and remounted.

At present, my plan is to replace two steers with all position tire tread each year. Will get current in a couple seasons.