Tire age
The issues of passenger tire life are again being discussed in the media, with all sorts of recommendations the consumer should consider when buying tires.Should we insist on “new” and “fresh” products and when making a purchase check the date of manufacture (the so called DOT number)?
The true fact is that there are no scientific and technical data from which to determine the age of a new, unused tire for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles!
But this notwithstanding, it is important to take into consideration the requirement that tires must be correctly stored.
Although the recommendations we read in the media should not be interpreted as a minimum service life of the tire, we give this advice to dealers – to ensure an adequate turnover of inventories – sell tires made by Goodyear Corporation within five years after their date of manufacture.
In major European countries the issue of the tire service life induced a reaction from several specialized magazines, national associations of tire distributors and dealers, but also manufactures themselves.
They point out that a tire is not a short consumption products and that customers are being often misinformed by the media ! They have one thing in common though – an emphasis on correct storage conditions of tires and maintenance principles. Besides professional advice, many seek answers in national legislations, traffic regulations and other documents in which they try to find anything about the time limit after the date of manufacture within which the tire must be sold..
Below you can read some of the best known and most common recommendations from various organizations:
An opinion of a technical association:
The European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO).
In its official publication, ETRTO gives recommendations how to store tires, tubes and rims. Although this document has no legal standing, in practice one can be guided by its directives without any problems. The recommendations do not define any time limit for selling tires, but rather focus on correct storage essential to maintain the tire properties. Correct storage means, apart from other things, protection against high temperatures, temperature fluctuations, humidity, ozone, ultraviolet radiation and corrosive chemicals.
Tires from Goodyear Corporation are made in accordance with ETRTO regulations to be resilient against natural aging of tires, and thus provide a long life
European countries:
A time limit for tires to be considered new (provided they have been stored correctly) and sold as such can be found in the British Standard BA AU 50. It states that a tire can be six years old, while the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) in this respect mentions five years after the date of manufacture.
German rubber industry associations, tire manufacturers and dealers state that they consider tires to be new if they are less than five years old. Interesting is that documents of these organization do not say that after this time limit tires should not be sold or that they are not suitable for their purpose any more. This notwithstanding, such tires should be inspected by a specialist, or the manufacturer’s opining should be sought.
Goodyear’s standpoint:
Tire brands made by Goodyear Corporation (Goodyear, Dunlop, Fulda, Sava, Debica) and their accessories (tubes, tapes) are designed to be resilient against large forces, stresses, exposure to sunshine and driving temperatures throughout their life. In order to maintain its properties, the tire’s components are made from an optimal compound of waxes, antioxidants and antiozonants.
Stored as well as used tires will maintain their properties provided they are maintained correctly, are not handled unsuitably and are stored in correct conditions
Correct storage is of an utmost importance.
That’s how stored tires maintain they original properties. It is important to note that when being used, the properties of tires of course do change due to a slow but constant wear, i.e. gradual reduction in the depth of the tread channels.
Some properties degrade with time, but others actually improve. For instance resilience against aquaplaning and wear on a wet surface generally decreases. On the other hand handling and wear on a dry surface is being optimized. So with a reasonable approach, drivers can adapt their driving style to the wear conditions of their vehicle’s tires.
About Goodyear:
Goodyear is one of the largest manufacturers of tires in the world. The corporation employs some 71,000 people and has production facilities in 55 locations in 22 countries throughout the world. Its two innovation centers – Akron in Ohio, USA, and Colmar-Berg in Luxemburg – have been intensively working on the development of state-of-the-arts products and services which set technology and performance standards for the entire industry. For more information on Goodyear Corporation and its products visit www.goodyear.ro.