Whoops, check those tires

[bdosborn-SMB]

We're heading out to the Walk the Wind next week so I checked the tires on the Dodge. They're getting pretty worn so I've been looking at them more often then I normally would. I checked the air pressure a little while ago and they were fine. I'm glad I looked as this is what I found:

A trip to Discount and now I have a set of Michelin Agilis CrossClimate. :

I've never seen tire damage like that, I must of ran over something that cut the tread up? The front tire on the same side was fine. The old tire is a Hancook, I got 50K miles out of them. That's the most I've ever got from tires on the Dodge...
Bruce

 

[philpom]

I'm glad you checked, that could have been bad. This is why I always run with a good set of LT 10 ply tires. They cost more but i haven't had a flat in many years and the truck sees its share of dirt roads.

Now I'm gonna go knock on wood!

 

[Squigie]

Unfortunately, I was unable to use my pop-up tent trailer last year. But I did keep tabs on it and "exercise" it a few times.

I noticed some checking and dry rot getting worse, and figured the tent trailer would need new tires this year - the spare included.
The last time it was moved, I took a good look at the tires and decided that I'd definitely be ordering tires before camping season this year. There was no single issue that was terrible, just a lot of checking and crumbling tread corners from dry rot. I could get away with running them longer, I just didn't want to take any chances.

Round about January, I walked outside one day and noticed one side sitting on the rim.
I took a look and couldn't see anything obvious, except the sidewall cracked through where the rim had pinched it.

I ordered the tires and waited until the trailer was uncovered and ready to be prepped for the year, before trying to install them. (Late March, this year.)

When I rolled the trailer forward to change the tires and repack the wheel bearings, this is what I found to have been contacting the ground and hidden from view the whole time it was parked.

 

[philpom]

Unfortunately, I was unable to use my pop-up tent trailer last year. But I did keep tabs on it and "exercise" it a few times.

I noticed some checking and dry rot getting worse, and figured the tent trailer would need new tires this year - the spare included.
The last time it was moved, I took a good look at the tires and decided that I'd definitely be ordering tires before camping season this year. There was no single issue that was terrible, just a lot of checking and crumbling tread corners from dry rot. I could get away with running them longer, I just didn't want to take any chances.

Round about January, I walked outside one day and noticed one side sitting on the rim.
I took a look and couldn't see anything obvious, except the sidewall cracked through where the rim had pinched it.

I ordered the tires and waited until the trailer was uncovered and ready to be prepped for the year, before trying to install them. (Late March, this year.)

When I rolled the trailer forward to change the tires and repack the wheel bearings, this is what I found to have been contacting the ground and hidden from view the whole time it was parked.

Buy a couple of 12" pavers to get the tires off the ground. It will help a ton.

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Tires only last 6 years now, they changed the rubber formulation awhile back. They blow out if you try and run an old tire. It used to be that I would wear out tires before they timed out. The Dodge has been taken out of active duty (the Tacoma is the daily driver) so it doesn't see the miles it used to. I'll have to watch the date on the tires more closely than I used to.

Bruce

 

[Tom&Shelly]

Tires only last 6 years now, they changed the rubber formulation awhile back. They blow out if you try and run an old tire. It used to be that I would wear out tires before they timed out. The Dodge has been taken out of active duty (the Tacoma is the daily driver) so it doesn't see the miles it used to. I'll have to watch the date on the tires more closely than I used to.

Bruce

We bought our trailer in April 2018 with new tires. It's been in the shop since then as we built the teardrop. So does the 6 year clock start then, or do I still have essentially new tires?

We'll probably switch them out with passenger tires at some point. Should it be sooner than later?

Tom

 

[GTS225-TNT]

We bought our trailer in April 2018 with new tires. It's been in the shop since then as we built the teardrop. So does the 6 year clock start then, or do I still have essentially new tires?
Tom

Sorry, Tom......the "clock" starts from the date of manufacture. There's a date code cast into the tire, right up close to the bead. (At least in my experience.)
Now, if the tires have been inside all this time, out of the sun, and not in dirt, it's your decision as to whether to run them, and how long to run them.
T'were me, I'd start the "clock" from when the trailer is usable. Seems kinda silly to trash tires that have never been run, and have been inside out of the weather, just over a date code.
(Nomex underwear on, ready for the firestorm that's about to come my way.)

Roger

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/how-old-and-dangerous-are-your-tires.html

Bruce

 

[featherliteCT1]

bdosborn,

Thanks for posting that very informative article.

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Bruce

 

[Squigie]

A trip to Discount and now I have a set of Michelin Agilis CrossClimate.

I've never seen tire damage like that, I must of ran over something that cut the tread up? The front tire on the same side was fine. The old tire is a Hancook, I got 50K miles out of them. That's the most I've ever got from tires on the Dodge...
Bruce

Those Agilis look a lot like the Michelin AT2. I wonder how much difference there is in the compounds...

Were those Hankooks the Dynapro AT?

My brother ran that tire on one of his Durangos. They were extremely prone to large punctures from (small) rocks on the road, as well as throwing tread blocks (probably related to the first issue). Off-road, they were much better. But on the road, they really couldn't handle point loads.

At first, he thought the tires (which came on the vehicle) may have just been in poor condition from being run at low pressure, or perhaps they had aged poorly. He replaced the full set with the same type of tire. But kept having the same issues. Since they were all basically brand new, as well as under warranty, he got new replacements each time the puncture wasn't repairable, or a tread block decided to depart.
Over about a three and a half year period, that Durango went through 11 tires.

I even watched one of them happen. A little, pointy, but not sharp, rock the shape of a strawberry and about 1" tall, in the street in front of my brother's house. As soon as the front left tire went over that rock, we heard a little pop and a very distinct rapid air loss. It was ridiculous. It was not a rock that anyone would suspect would give a tire trouble, regardless of tire type or vehicle.
My sister-in-law was driving at the time. I think everyone within 20 miles could hear her exclamation of anger, beginning with some profanity and ending with, "Are you serious!? Again!?"

https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/how-old-and-dangerous-are-your-tires.html

Bruce

Pretty good article. I don't agree with everything, but the rubber band analogy is a good one.
I was going to say that the worst thing you can do for a tire is park it. Tires need exercise. They need to flex. They need to be used. As soon as they get parked, the deterioration accelerates.

Buy a couple of 12" pavers to get the tires off the ground. It will help a ton.

Ground or paver wouldn't have made a difference here. It was highway damage that, somehow, went unnoticed until this winter.

I know it's not obvious in the photo, but it's very obvious in person that the tire ran for quite a few miles once the chunk came off.
I just don't understand how I missed it, unless that spot ended up on the bottom every time it was parked.

 

[bdosborn-SMB]

Those Agilis look a lot like the Michelin AT2. I wonder how much difference there is in the compounds...

I think the Agilis is the replacement tire for the Michelin Defender LTX? I have a set on the Tacoma and liked them a lot so I went with Michelins on the Dodge.

Were those Hankooks the Dynapro AT?

Why yes as a matter of fact. I bought them 2/2013 so they're more than 7 years old. I didn't had any flats with them, they were good tires. The guy at Discount Tire said they had been discontinued by Hancook and they picked the tire up as a house brand.

Bruce

 

[Squigie]

Those Agilis look a lot like the Michelin AT2. I wonder how much difference there is in the compounds...

I think the Agilis is the replacement tire for the Michelin Defender LTX? I have a set on the Tacoma and liked them a lot so I went with Michelins on the Dodge.

I'm not sure where the Agilis falls in the 'new' line of tires, but I'm sure it's still based on the LTX core. And that's a good thing. They're excellent for (internal) wear and longevity, while resisting tread separation and issues with the steel. The Michelin LTX core is one of the best truck tire cores out there.
The tread patterns, compounds, and sidewall reinforcement that Michelin uses aren't always the best, but they're usually pretty good and the core is a great foundation.

They should do well for you.
I hope they do.