Brand new tire and rim...but 15 years old

[JDgreen227]

Back in 1995, my Jayco travel trailer was new. I still have the OEM factory spare tire, a Goodyear ST radial, mounted on the factory rim. It has never seen sunlight, never been mounted, always been stored inside horizontally and inflated to at least 30 psi. The tire obviously looks brand new, but it is safe?

My utility trailer has ST bias plies, and because I like the looks of the white spoke rim the Goodyear is mounted on, I am considering buying a matching rim and another ST radial and converting the utility trailer to radials. It is almost never loaded to anywhere near the 3500 lb GVW. If you were me, would you be comfortable using the 15 year old tire?

For what it is worth, the TT tires have about 20,000 miles on them and still have good tread depth and hold air well, although the sidewalls are beginning to check around the bead area. I don't think I would use them for a trip of any further than a few miles. I am in the same situation with the spare on my GMC Y2K Yukon XL...looks brand new, never taken out of the carrier, but it's 11 years old. Would you consider it safe to use?

 

[ultrarunner]

Only thoughts from my experience...

Seems double axle trailers are very hard on tires... even new tires.

I have a lot of old tires under old cars and trailers... some are more than 50 years old...

I don't think I would trust any of them under a double axle trailer.

Might work just fine on a single axle... lot less stress on the tire when you eliminate scrub.

I have two single axle utility trailers and a single axle car carrier... the tube type tires are at least 15 years old, the car carrier is 8 or 10 ply... I have no plans to change any of them in the near future...

Another thing to check is the valve stem... not unusual for the stem to be the weak link...

 

[oldyellr]

No regulations on tire age exist either in Canada or the United States, although Transport Canada recommends tires stored for more than six years should not be used, and that all tires be replaced 10 years after their manufacture date. That's car tires.

 

[ultrarunner]

No regulations on tire age exist either in Canada or the United States, although Transport Canada recommends tires stored for more than six years should not be used, and that all tires be replaced 10 years after their manufacture date. That's car tires.

The tire lobby has been pushing for mandatory tire replacement intervals in this country for some time... it's guaranteed business.

When I worked in Germany... tires were required to be replaced... the reason being the autobahn has sections without speed limits.

I would be hard pressed to find tires for some of my old cars... the white gum rubber tires for my 1905 Oldsmobile are only made by one company and they only make them every couple of years...

 

[JDgreen227]

The tire lobby has been pushing for mandatory tire replacement intervals in this country for some time... it's guaranteed business.

When I worked in Germany... tires were required to be replaced... the reason being the autobahn has sections without speed limits.

I would be hard pressed to find tires for some of my old cars... the white gum rubber tires for my 1905 Oldsmobile are only made by one company and they only make them every couple of years...

For what new tires cost these days, they should be able to manufacture them with materials that last as long as the tread does, even for us low mileage drivers. There is no reason tires should harden and crack and become unsafe in six or seven years.

 

[JDgreen227]

Just remembered this--I have a friend who owns one of the 1978 Corvette Indy Pace Car editions. He is the third owner, and to keep it original, he is still driving on the ORIGINAL SET OF TIRES. 32 years old, they still look really good for the age, because of low mileage and excellent care.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I would not risk it. Especially with a modern day Goodyear Marathon. They are junk. Just blew two out on a tandem trailer in last two weeks. Its documented on this site. They were only 4 years old and less than 5,000 miles. Both had a belt break.

I had a similar experience back in 2007 with Goodyear Marathons on my car haul trailer. Its a 7K trailer but was never loaded past 5K but lost 2 of them on a 140 mile trip. They were about 3 years old. The Goodyear Marathons were top notch tire till about 10 years ago. My uncle has a set he bought in 1999 with well over 20,000 miles on them on a tandem axle trailer. Not a single issue. The only tire that is a bigger POS is Carlisle.

I bough 4 new Hercules tires for the trailer I had trouble with 2 weeks ago. The other trailer got 4 Greenballs and not a single issue.

Short answer, get new tires. Its just not worth the $150 2 Greenball, Hercules, Maxxis, or Gladiator trailer tires will cost you. These are the only good brands out there in my opinion any more. I deal with about 75 trailers a year and these brands are the only ones we use anymore.


Chris

 

[JDgreen227]

I would not risk it. Especially with a modern day Goodyear Marathon. They are junk. Just blew two out on a tandem trailer in last two weeks. Its documented on this site. They were only 6 years old and less than 5,000 miles. Both had a belt break.

I had a similar experience back in 2007 with Goodyear Marathons on my car haul trailer. Its a 7K trailer but was never loaded past 5K but lost 2 of them on a 140 mile trip. They were about 3 years old. The Goodyear Marathons were top notch tire till about 10 years ago. My uncle has a set he bought in 1999 with well over 20,000 miles on them on a tandem axle trailer. Not a single issue. The only tire that is a bigger POS is Carlisle.

I bough 4 new Hercules tires for the trailer I had trouble with 2 weeks ago. The other trailer got 4 Greenballs and not a single issue.

Short answer, get new tires. Its just not worth the $150 2 Greenball, Hercules, Maxxis, or Gladiator trailer tires will cost you. These are the only good brands out there in my opinion any more. I deal with about 75 trailers a year and these brands are the only ones we use anymore.


Chris

Thank you for your feedback and experiences....you have always had EXCELLENT advice when you respond to any subject regarding trailers and towing. I would take your advice over anyone else's no matter where they worked (tire store, garage, etc). Last guy I asked advice from owned a general repair shop where he sold tires, and know he told me? "Replace your trailer tires after four years, and I recommend the Carlisle brand"....DUHHH !!!!

 

[Diamondpilot]

Thank you for your feedback and experiences....you have always had EXCELLENT advice when you respond to any subject regarding trailers and towing. I would take your advice over anyone else's no matter where they worked (tire store, garage, etc). Last guy I asked advice from owned a general repair shop where he sold tires, and know he told me? "Replace your trailer tires after four years, and I recommend the Carlisle brand"....DUHHH !!!!

I bet his sales are though the roof replacing the defective ones. I am by no means a expert but I do tow a lot. This year will be 15,000 miles or so but I be I have average 10,000 miles per year for the last 20 years so I have learned what works and does not.

At the rate I tow I replace about every 3 years so he is not far off with 4 years. I would not go longer than 6 years anyway. Just not worth it. I have changed 5 flat tires in the last month on trailers. Just not fun.

I am all about saving money as well as the next guy but there are some things I just know I am going to have to do. Trailer tires every 3rd season, boat batteries every 3rd season, ect. Just the cost of doing business.

Funny thing is I have had 3 trailer tire spares that have never touched the ground fail while on the carrier. One blew up in my drive. Luckly I was not near it, blew the whole sidewall out but sounded like a 12 gauge. It was 2 years old. Another I was driving down the road and heard something loud then seen something flapping. Got out and the tread was 90% off. It was 5 years old. The last one a employee at the marina was weed-eating and said he was about 20 feet from it and saw it come apart. He said there was a glare off another boats chrome wheels and he felt it heated it up.

Here is a link where I had trouble 2 weeks ago with Goodyear Marathons.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/208950-hercules-trailer-tires.html


Chris

 

[Renze]

I never replace any tire unless it is either worn, damaged or has fine cracks on the sidewall (dry rot)
Never blew out a highway tire either.. while driving mostly pretty much weighted to the max...
It depends on the tire too, small high pressure tire blowouts are hard to foresee (they cant dissipate enough heat, both from tire rolling, and from the axle brakes) where you can judge the condition of most ordinary radial tires pretty good by a close visual inspection.
For my towing, about twice a month, preventive replacement doesnt pay. My brothers rental trailers get preventive tire replacements every few years.

If flakes of rubber are just falling off, exposing the plies (like my bale trailer tire did last year) you're towing a ticking time bomb...