C. E. White

I have some tires on farm equipment that are more than 20
years old. Heck, I have some truck tires on a home made farm
trailer that are more than 50 years old. They look bad and I
would not use them on a road vehicle, but they are still
holding air.

There is one difference in modern tires. In a lot of cases
the compounds have change to reduce rolling resistance. This
may have a detrimental on resistance to aging due to
exposure to sunlight.

Regards,

Ed White


Steve wrote:
>
> I have noticed that Ford is recommending that tires be replaced after six
> years, regardless of the remaining tread. Apparently, they have determined
> that the tire's internal components are subject to failure after 6 years and
> the tires are no longer safe. Ford also says to discard the spare, even if
> it has never been used.
>
> This article was in the Wall Street Journal, 5/31/05.
>
> Chrysler has apparently had this recommendation for some time; European
> autos also carry this. GM is not recommending a tire change after a
> specified period at this time.
>
> My Michelin XC LT4 tires have some very small sidewall cracks. The tires
> are about 5 years old now. The tire date code on the sidewall says 12001,
> meaning it was made the 12th week of 2001.
>
> Just wondering if I should change them now, or wait awhile. I still have
> some tread after 48000 miles. Summers are hot in Texas.