Concern about old tires
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2024
Posts: 144
Likes: 61
Concern about old tires
So we are going on a 400 mile road trip on the freeway. (200 there 200 back) Les shwab tires did a trip check. Brakes are excellent and the tread is excellent, but the rear tires on the truck are from 2013 and the fronts are from 2018. Theres only surface cracks, they are not hardened, and the walls have a bit of squishy ness just like new tires. Also the temp is going to be around 50 degrees f outside and a little wet. Im hoping to wait to replace these tires for a few more weeks. Do you guys think these things will hold up for this trip? (2005 f350)
More Turbo
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 525
Likes: 274
From: Kansas
Are these tires that have been used regularly, or have they set for a long time? If used regularly, probably fine. Going to be putting some weight on them? Maybe more risky. Keep in mind a tire that's not near that old can loose a tread or slip a cord. Pack a hydraulic jack, cordless impact and a good spare and roll on!
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,654
Likes: 979
From: Near Yosemite CA
Personally, I hate dealing with flat tires, or worse, blow-outs on the side of the road, and the few times I have trusted old tires, well, let's just say I knew better and paid the price... to me, it's not worth it, right now, my 2000 F150 Scab/4x only gets driven around locally since his tires are from 2015, tires aren't cheap, but the peace of mind is worth it.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 1,583
Likes: 928
https://www.michelinman.com/auto/aut...need-new-tires
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 1,583
Likes: 928
When I was a kid in the late 80's/ early 90's, the family had a lot of various things with tires (four cars, a pickup truck, a dump truck, backhoe, tractor, two RV camper trailers, two equipment trailers, ATV's, a motorcycle, etc). I swear I don't remember having to change the tires on the infrequently used stuff (like the dump truck and low-boy equipment trailer) ever.
All of them were parked outside on dirt and we never really did anything special to the tires (no covers, no UV protective spray) and when we needed to haul the bulldozer or backhoe around somewhere, we'd hook up the low-boy trailer to the back of the dump truck, check the tire pressures and hit the road with no worries on tires that were at least ten years or more old. We never had tire issues (well , at least that weren't caused by running over nails or something similar anyway).
Has tire manufacturing gotten that much worse over the last 40-ish years, or were we just really lucky back in the day?
...
All of them were parked outside on dirt and we never really did anything special to the tires (no covers, no UV protective spray) and when we needed to haul the bulldozer or backhoe around somewhere, we'd hook up the low-boy trailer to the back of the dump truck, check the tire pressures and hit the road with no worries on tires that were at least ten years or more old. We never had tire issues (well , at least that weren't caused by running over nails or something similar anyway).
Has tire manufacturing gotten that much worse over the last 40-ish years, or were we just really lucky back in the day?
...
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,654
Likes: 979
From: Near Yosemite CA
When I was a kid in the late 80's/ early 90's, the family had a lot of various things with tires (four cars, a pickup truck, a dump truck, backhoe, tractor, two RV camper trailers, two equipment trailers, ATV's, a motorcycle, etc). I swear I don't remember having to change the tires on the infrequently used stuff (like the dump truck and low-boy equipment trailer) ever.
All of them were parked outside on dirt and we never really did anything special to the tires (no covers, no UV protective spray) and when we needed to haul the bulldozer or backhoe around somewhere, we'd hook up the low-boy trailer to the back of the dump truck, check the tire pressures and hit the road with no worries on tires that were at least ten years or more old. We never had tire issues (well , at least that weren't caused by running over nails or something similar anyway).
Has tire manufacturing gotten that much worse over the last 40-ish years, or were we just really lucky back in the day?
...
All of them were parked outside on dirt and we never really did anything special to the tires (no covers, no UV protective spray) and when we needed to haul the bulldozer or backhoe around somewhere, we'd hook up the low-boy trailer to the back of the dump truck, check the tire pressures and hit the road with no worries on tires that were at least ten years or more old. We never had tire issues (well , at least that weren't caused by running over nails or something similar anyway).
Has tire manufacturing gotten that much worse over the last 40-ish years, or were we just really lucky back in the day?
...
Heck, I still have some old BFG AT's on my 63 F250 that hold air, and they have to be 30+ yrs old at least... seems like the last 15-20 yrs or so, tires just don't seem to last.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,037
Likes: 310
I'd be more concerned about the rear tires age, but better to have a flat/blowout on the drive axle than the steer axle. I'm typically not concerned with vehicle tires if they don't have cracking from dry rot if they're under ten years old. However, just a couple weeks ago I was coming home from south Texas and started noticing a slight vibration that got worse the further I drove. I was finally able to limp home the last 25 miles or so if I kept it under 50mph. I found the driver side front tire had an issue with a belt and these tires have a manufacture date of 2018 and they still had 8-9/32" tread depth...needless to say I replaced all of them. I guess vehicle tires are getting more like trailer tires that don't last much more than 4-5 years. I have an old 1977 Kubota tractor my dad bought new that still has the original back tires.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Apr 2024
Posts: 221
Likes: 84
Truck tires (like 19.5 and up) I say run until they have wear or cracking. Light truck tires and smaller trailer tires should be replaced no longer than 10 years even in good condition. Just something that I've done. the tires on my F450 are 10 years old and in great shape. Probably good for another two years. The tires on my F250 are about 3 years old and will be relaced next year.
A good spare or two is a good idea.
A good spare or two is a good idea.
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 2,011
Likes: 523
From: Bottom Of Pikes Peak
Probably not a big issue...maybe post a good pic showing the condition of the tires. I'd personally just run them and deal with it if there's an issue during the trip. Most important thing is maintaining proper pressure; that's typically the #1 reason for failures along with people not watching for abnormal wear
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,776
Likes: 1,584
From: France
I was running 10 year old tires, had the second one start to delaminate October/November, now looking at replacing the remaining 2. Over here they recommend 6 years, but agree that up to 10 is possible. One exception is trailers running up to 60mph - those tires need to be less than 6 years old, if not they’re limited to 50mph. I had personal experience of a 9 year old tire on my trailer blowing out big time at 60 so they’re probably onto something with that rule.
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spikedog
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