They sold me old tires?

[LanceS4803]

I ordered a set of BF Goodrich g-force Sport comp-2 tires. After I picked them up, I was checking them over at home and noticed the following date codes:
0212 on 205/55Z R16
0212 "

1414 on 225/50Z R16
1514 "

I understand some tire sizes are not made that frequently, but isn't 2.5 years just a little too old to be sold as new?

[johnsjmc]

According to Tire Rack ,tires are usually warrantied for 4 yrs if you keep your receipt OR 5 yrs from date of mfg.
They then go on to explain how if you bought tires 2 yrs old and lose your receipt the tires would only be warrantied for 3 yrs. Seems from that ,they might sell 2 yr old tires as new. 2 1/2 seems a little old to me. I would call your dealer and ask for a newer pair.

[theiceman]

Ho often do you replace tires ? thats where i woul start

its my own opinion that people get hung up on this way too often. its not like the tires will instantly fail at the due date. if you are tracking your car at 8/10ths i could see it maybe .

I have gone 2-3 years past the 5 year mark on my cars and have never had an issue or felt they lost raction or even felt harder than the new tires i put on. Now if they were 10 -12 years old instead of 5 , i could see it .

how long did your last tires last and what was the date coding on them when they took them off .. thats where i would start.

[LanceS4803]

This is purely a weekend driver, so excessive mileage/use is not an issue.
The tires on there are 10 and 12 years old (PO didn't know how long they had been on the vehicle). When I researched tire dates, that scared me.
I'm just thinking that DOT recommends not to use tires over 6 years old, so this pair would be almost at their half life.

[Bleedsblue]

From which distributor did you order? Typically Tire Rack (not sure about others) mentions the "stock" or production-year of tires when you're ordering, if the tires are not current/fresh stock. They will note "2012 production" or similar.

Looks like the distributor you picked didn't have any new stock for that model, but that is unusually old stock. If you don't foresee wearing through the tires in the next 4-5 years, I would try to source newer tires.

When tires "go bad" is dependent on the compound and type, not an arbitrary number of years. I've had Bridgestone RE070s that turned rock hard in 5 years, and Michelin PS2s last 7 years with no ill effects (before being replaced due to low tread).

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by Bleedsblue

From which distributor did you order? Typically Tire Rack (not sure about others) mentions the "stock" or production-year of tires when you're ordering, if the tires are not current/fresh stock. They will note "2012 production" or similar.

Looks like the distributor you picked didn't have any new stock for that model, but that is unusually old stock. If you don't foresee wearing through the tires in the next 4-5 years, I would try to source newer tires.

When tires "go bad" is dependent on the compound and type, not an arbitrary number of years. I've had Bridgestone RE070s that turned rock hard in 5 years, and Michelin PS2s last 7 years with no ill effects (before being replaced due to low tread).

Michelin makes exceptionally nice tires.

First thing I did when I bought the car was toss the Goodyear Eagle bricks for a set of Michelins.

[911pcars]

Front tires usually outlast rears by a substantial margin. Therefore, I'd get back with the retailer and work out something; either that or document the tire numbers and send to the manufacturer/retailer in case there are issues down the line.

It isn't unusual to have tires with some shelf history on them, but 2.5 years indicates some dormant shelf storage there or elsewhere.

Sherwood

[kach22i]

I think 7-1/2 years old is a reasonable age before replacement.

Question is are you prepared to change these tires out in only five years?

My magic number is very subjective and based on my own personal experiences, not any published reports or science.

The hairline cracks which appears on the sidewalls at about 8-years should not be on a performance automobile in my opinion.

Soft sport tires are going to wear out long before age gets to them if you drive at least 3,000 miles a year.

[gsjohnson]

Usually the vulcanization process, where the tire becomes hard and subject to cracking, only begins once the tires have been mounted and hit the road (heated up). How the tires are stored is also a factor in vulcanization.

[Bleedsblue]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

Michelin makes exceptionally nice tires.

First thing I did when I bought the car was toss the Goodyear Eagle bricks for a set of Michelins.

Agreed. The PS2s transformed my E36 M3 compared to BFG Sports and Hankook V12s.

Speaking of which, weren't you a member of M3F.net back in the day, same username? I was, same username too.

[Rodek]

I believe storage has a little to do with tire age stability as well. The front tires on my car are 12 years old and show no signs of cracking or the like. The car was stored frequently in a low humidity environment by the original owner prior to my purchase. With that said, I'm planning on 2 new tires very soon simply due to their age. I'm a firm believer that everything has a shelf life.

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by Rodek

I believe storage has a little to do with tire age stability as well. The front tires on my car are 12 years old and show no signs of cracking or the like. The car was stored frequently in a low humidity environment by the original owner prior to my purchase. With that said, I'm planning on 2 new tires very soon simply due to their age. I'm a firm believer that everything has a shelf life.

Exposure to the elements (sun, use, ozone, etc.) play a large part in the longevity of a tire .

Tire manufacturers sell tires. Sometimes their advice is weighted toward their bottom line.

[johnsjmc]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

Michelin makes exceptionally nice tires.

First thing I did when I bought the car was toss the Goodyear Eagle bricks for a set of Michelins.

I just had the original equipment Michelin tires on my 2012 F150 replaced under warranty because of cracking between the tread elements. all 4 went bad with 15000 mi. in less than 2 yrs. Not sidewall sun/ozone cracking. Every manufacturer can make bad tires, all 4 suggests a batch problem to me.
I would be very reticent to drive a motorhome with single front wheels on 6 yr old tire carcasses no matter who made them. Rears not so much because they are duels in that situation.
WRT the 911 ,as someone pointed out already the older pair you have are for the front. They will outlast the rears 2:1 so I would want a newer front pair ,as the rears will probably be worn out before too old but the fronts might not be.

[Rodek]

Originally Posted by 911pcars

Exposure to the elements (sun, use, ozone, etc.) play a large part in the longevity of a tire .

Tire manufacturers sell tires. Sometimes their advice is weighted toward their bottom line.

This is good info. On another note, I can find the date code on my new rear tires but am having trouble finding the date on my old front tires. The DOT numbers look totally different. Any way to tell the actual date on older tire dating methods?

[johnsjmc]

I believe date coding changed format in 2000. to 4 digits.first 2 are week and second 2 are year eg 1511 would be 15th week of 2011.
I believe prior to 2000 they only uses 3 digits 238 would be 23rd week of 98 or could be 88 ?

[RedCoupe]

Also, remember that the complete DOT number is only on one side of the tire. The other side has a DOT number, but without the date code.

[Rodek]

Originally Posted by johnsjmc

I believe date coding changed format in 2000. to 4 digits.first 2 are week and second 2 are year eg 1511 would be 15th week of 2011.
I believe prior to 2000 they only uses 3 digits 238 would be 23rd week of 98 or could be 88 ?

Thank you!

[LanceS4803]

I'm the OP - Update -

I talked to the owner of the tire shop and he said 2.5 years is not old at all. When I told him DOT recommends replacing at 6 years, he said 7 to 8 years is not old, either.
He said he would try and find another set (none in the region), but there was no guarantee they wouldn't be even older. AND it would cost me $75 shipping for the 2 tires!
He gave me a number at BF Goodrich to call if I was still concerned. I'll call them Monday and see if they can another set. If not, I guess I'll have to live with them

At least the tires in question are for the front.

[RSTarga]

Costco won't sell tires more than 2 years after production date.

[911s55]

And some tire shops won't mount tires over 8 years old. Local Discount Tire mentioned it to me a few weeks ago, company policy.