Check out this report on tires coming apart due to its age, even if they haven't been driven a single mile:

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897

Another cool takeaway is that you can learn how to decode the sidewall numbers to determine the manufacturing date of the tire.

 

being that i work for Sears Auto, and have for 6½ years, i'll give our side of things if you will.

First, i'll mention dry rot
its common knowledge in the industry that after 4 years, tires can start to deteriorate. they're rubber. it happens. i'm sure that Sears is mentioned in that story. there was a local story with our ABC affiliate about the same thing. it mentions in our paperwork that every customer gets that we cover dry rot after 4 years of PURCHASE. we go above and beyond. Tire manufacturers will only cover up to the DOT.

most dry rotting is caused by sunlight and changes in weather conditions. when tires are stored in a temperature controlled environment, they won't start cracking all of a sudden. it doesn't happen. large tire chains such as Sears has a HUGE turn around of our inventory. we hardly (at least at my store) have tires sitting longer than a year. we have a First In, First Out (FIFO) method of our inventory. every couple months we mark our tires with chalk to determine which ones are the oldest, and install those on vehicles first.

Its absolutely bullshit that they single out Sears. I guess its probably because we're one of the nations largest tire retailers. They nailed it right on the head that its for one, not common for tires to reach those ages in our stores. the story is incredibly biased because they ARE brand new tires. the definition of brand new is that they've never been used. never hit the roads. no miles on them. that is the defintion of a new tire. They also threw out the fact that they got a tire off of a "manager special" rack. wanna know how tires get on those? because they're old, discontinued, or tires that shouldn't be in the store to begin with (its somewhat common to get a tire shipped to us from our warehouse that isn't regular inventory)

In regards to tread separation
The biggest reason for a tire failure is improper maintence, high speeds, and putting a lower rated performance (or also load rated for trucks) tire than original equipment. Of course a tire will fail if you're driving 80 mph with 15 pounds of air in them. or if you're driving a BMW that calls for a V-rated tire and you put an S-rated tire on it. people are cheap and don't want to spend the money on something their car needs. (which is why we're only allowed to drop 1 performance rating from OEM). Or an F-250 with only P-Metric tires on 'em. The van in the opening of that story appeared to be a GMC Safari van. VERY heavy vehicle. Although those only call for a P-metric tire, they require an "extra load" rated tire. I'm sure they cheaped out and bought a standard tire on it when its not what belongs on the van.

and.... a DOT code is nowhere near being close to a "secret code." it's common knowledge to anyone in the business. ask anyone who works in a shop and they know what it is. type it in google. DOT production dates are only put on one side of the tire. technicians are supposed to mount the DOT out, but its not always possible on directional, asymetrical, or tires with white letters on one side and not the other.

we had this story air in Mass about 2 months ago and it was nothing but a headache for us. The majority of our brands barely sit on the shelves for 6 months. We stand by the INDUSTRY standard of selling tires. until the standard changes, it is what it is.


don't take this news story as serious as these news reporters are making it out to be. it's unwarranted

 

drillsergeant.gif you tell 'em Sparty!!!

 

lmao. shut up. this shit is my job... i kinda have a knowledge of this stuff

 

^^ no kidding, Sparticus!!! You definitely know it!!! You're right, reporters do tend to blow things out of proportion. It was cool to read things from your end at Sears.

I never thought of the possibility of them using a mis-matched tire on that van.

To be honest, I didn't know that the manufacturing date was on the tire. Now I know how to decode it.

So is the manufacturing date a big thing you look at/consider when buying tires?

 

for the most part i would say no. i would find it kinda sketchy to purchase a tire made in the 90's. thats just crazy. but a couple years? no

 

I thought it was funny they kept cutting to pictures of retread laying on the side of the road.

I've never really heard of age being a concern before. My cutlass has tires PUT ON in 83, I drove it for ~10k miles during high school.

Like spart said, tire inflation is a much bigger concern than age. I pay attention and check my tires at least every oil change and often find tires low on air. 90% of the population doesn't do that.

 

You would not believe the number of cars you see going down the road with under inflated tires. Its baffling really. I have even see people at work with under inflated and bald tires and they wonder why. I think basic car maintenance needs to be part of getting your drivers license. Changing a bulb,checking the oil, checking and filling a tire with air. Just those 3 basic things.

 

There would be alot less women on the road then joke.gif