Don't buy new tyres without understanding this critical code | Auto Expert John Cadogan

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[@craigo7235]

When I was a boy in the fifties, old timers would buy tyres before they needed them and put them on top of the chook shed to harden up before use, to get more mileage out of them. Especially with retreads.

[@ivanolsen8596]

Back then I heard of people hanging tyres in seawater to harden them.

[@wyattfamily8997]

My dad did the same and I'm 73.

[@ianmoone2359]

Well said. I logged in to say pretty much the exact same thing. There was a time where tyre stores basically warehoused their own tyres for a year or so ahead of you buying them, just so the rubber compound got a chance to harden up, so that the client got more miles out of them. Nowadays the importers have warehouses in each state of Oz, and tyres come in from either China or USA etc, straight into the warehouse, then within a week, off to the actual tyre shop, to be sold to you. The rubber was still in the tree a couple months before hand. 🙄 There’s computerised warehousing with “just in time delivery”, and rubber doesn’t get the chance to harden like it once did back when the store itself warehoused them for you and they hardened while in the rack. It’s actually in the tyre industries fiscal interests to sell you soft rubber tyres that, yes they do grip better, BUT they wear out faster, because, they get to sell more of them = better dividends checks to shareholders. Hence the whole “throw them away after 5 or 6 years “urban myth”. Pure sales bullsh!t if you’ve ever worked in the tyre industry. 8-12 years is fine IF you do low kms and keep them inflated & if they are garaged when not in use. Different with cheap sh!t trailer tyres parked in the sun & rain 24/7/365. JCs advice is correct if you believe every fib tyre salesmen peddle, but like asking your bookie if you have a gambling problem, he’s hardly going to say yes, if your losses are putting his kids through private school. Tyre stores don’t generally warehouse your tyres for a year or more for you before you buy them unless it’s some obscure size they don’t sell frequently and have sat for a year or so with no demand. Time is money in the tyre game, compounding interest on your bank overdraft - while you age your tyre stocks for 12+ months? 🙄 That eats away at your bottom line. Generally tyre stores only buy in more than they need straight away if there’s a big discount offer on at end of financial year from the wholesaler / importer to save having yo stocktake them at 30 June. In that case with a remote rural los turnover tyre store you MIGHT “get lucky” and manage to find a set of 12 - 18 months old tyres that have had a chance to cure / harden & as a result get a good service life out of them. I’m sure JC believes the tyre industry propaganda that he’s peddling, but one does have to question / wonder to one’s self “as a shill / spruiker for the companies he is sponsored by and promotes, is his advice totally “sound” or is it perhaps as a result of some “deal” he currently has “in the works” with a tyre company for eg? I’m sure JC will be highly offended by my imputation, as he’s pretty easy to get indignant about his ego if you know which buttons to push. 😜 The thing is JC, you now include “paid promotions” in some of your otherwise usually excellent videos. There are those of us who pay a monthly premium - to KZbin so we don’t have to see the adverts they insert into content providers like your good self videos. When you then go and insert your own adverts as “paid / sponsored promotions”, we end up having to watch adverts that we paid good money NOT to see! 🙄🤬👎 This is basically the advertisers “finding a way” around the KZbin “pay to not see adverts” arrangements, by bypassing KZbin and going direct to content providers like your self and offering “paid / sponsored” product promotions. Advertisers are sneaky bastards. It’s no different to how they get around “no junk mail laws” with stickers on letterboxes. What is still legal to deliver to a letterbox bearing a “no junk mail” sticker is “news papers, magazines & periodicals”. So what do advertisers do? They pay the deliverers of community newspapers 1c / advertising brochure, that they insert inside the community newspapers - this allowing them to legally get their junk mail into letter boxes bearing “no junk mail” stickers. 🙄🤬👎 What your failing to understand JC I’d that SOME of the revenues KZbin pays you isn’t just from advertising revenues KZbin takes in from inserting adverts into your uploaded content. Some of your revenues comes from a monthly premium I & many others pay, to not have to watch feckin’ adverts while on KZbin.🙄👎 So in time to come as viewers move away from KZbin to other platforms and KZbin’s revenues drop as people go to other platforms coz they hate feckin’ adverts, when they have already paid not to see them, KZbin are going to work out that you by including sponsored and paid endorsements into yoyr content on KZbin’s platform, I’d that you are actually “cutting them out” of their advertising sales revenues by going behind their back with your own “advertising content” in the form of “paid / sponsored” product endorsements. And I’m guessing once a group of KZbin viewers who have paid KZbin not to see advertising content, and have to then suffer through embedded content adverts / paid promotions / sponsored endorsements, get together with a lawyer who takes on a class action lawsuit against KZbin for “breach of contract” & “misleading advertising” (for selling advert free content that actually contains adverts in the form of content creator inserted product promotions / sponsored paid advertising) and wins a big payout, then KZbin will start “demonetising” channels that are both stealing KZbin’s advertising revenues by going behind KZbin’s back and negotiating “direct deals” with advertisers to cut KZbin out of its share of advertising revenues & at the same time - putting KZbin at risk from the ACCC for false and misleading conduct - selling “KZbin Premium” packages that are supposed to be “advert free”. 🙄 It’s just a question of time, in my opinion. Your not the only content creator with a monetised channel doing it, but it can’t go on much longer before someone who’s paid good $ every month not to see adverts cracks the sh!ts and starts up a class action Facebook group and the Lawyers get involved & KZbin wakes up to their content creators back footing them with their advertisers by dealing direct and works out how much it’s costing their bottom line, in lost advertising revenues. Lost premium package subscriptions, and potential ACCC & Class Action Lawsuits liabilities - put an end to this situation. My 2C.

[@rustymozzy]

Back then the cars had drum brakes, non radial tyres, leaf springs, no traction or brake force control, tyres were made of simple compounds, ...it's almost like the tyres weren't part of a high performance machine.

[@paulsi1234]

@@ianmoone2359 boy you sure have a lot to say, I can’t be bothered reading it all, but I also pay for KZbin premium, just skip through the in video ads, it’s not that hard!

[@benjionetwo]

This info is especially important for motorcycles.

[@slasher9883]

Yes sportbikes in particular very sensitive to old and hardened rubber.

[@MrWilliam.Stewart]

Ahh, I remember as young 17 year old, the old man had a Triton with tyres so hard, I said they were made of granite. Whenever I drove it in the rain, there was plenty of power overseer, I pre date the modem term drifting. Those tyres, by my calculations would have needed another 197,500 kilometers to wear the tread out. Good video topic John.

[@TonyRule]

Aye, that's quite thrifty. Which clan did you say you were from again?

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

@@TonyRule I know William. He comes from the Kilty McKilty Clan. They were well known in the mother country for producing tires using stone sourced from Hadrian's wall. They also did a performance line using foundation stones from the Antonine wall. These proved to be unpopular amongst locals due to their price and were quickly discontinued. And by the way, if you're reading this, William, you still owe me $20 and I want my Bay City Rollers cassette back.

[@DEVILTAZ35]

i remember how they used to use every excuse about poor suspension and other parts if you said the ride was too firm on new tyres lol. Oh and that Nitrogen would transform the ride lol. My Tyres only last 18 months to 2 years anyway lol

[@stevegraham3817]

Bob Jane Aussie Allrounders were the best, they were cheap, they gripped reasonably well wet and dry, didn't wear out, could be overpowered with power or clutch kicks, but not as easily with brakes, produced lots of smoke, made lots of noise, and left big thick black lines,

[@MrWilliam.Stewart]

@@stevegraham3817 I'm old enough to remember Bob Jane Allrounders. Had good experience with them, mind you in 165/75R13 size, I remember going hard through the hills in my 180B, and my good friend fighting to keep up in his Mums Pulsar, in the rear vision mirror I saw the tyre squish so much under cornering load his rim almost kissed the tarmac, yet the allrounders stayed attached to the rim, it was remarkable how a radial can flex so much.

[@Motumatai3]

Many moons ago I sliced the sidewall of an almost new Firestone triple traction 750/16 when wheeling my series II Landy off road. Back in the late 1980's those tyres were an eye watering price, so I sewed up the 100mm long sidewall slash with flounder net braid, then double patched it inside and out with truck tyre patches, some 125mm dia and continued to use it as a farm trailer tyre. Its still turning around and around, holding air some 33 years later. On road though, completely different set of requirements. Keep those tyres fresh and in good condition

[@stendecstretcher5678]

Then you woke up.

[@Motumatai3]

@@stendecstretcher5678 Come by and check it out if you doubt it. Jeeze, people with no life experience. My old tractor has the same tyres on it as when it rolled off the production line in Japan in 1984. Some things were made well and don't wear out like rubbish today. But car tyres. Different matter all together.

[@robertmorris6529]

@@Motumatai3 How many tractors wear out their tyres in 30 years doing donuts in the paddock ?

[@shanebeaugs]

Thanks John, working for Australia's largest tyre wholesaler I can put your fears to rest that we are actually in a bit of a tyres shortage in Australia. Many manufacturing plants had to slow down productions or even close due to covid, so most are still trying to catch up. So rest assured people there have been no tyres just sitting around ageing in warehouses or retail stores.

[@xchazz86]

You mean North American tyre wholesaler.

[@UnimogAdventures]

Great advice John, I bought a set Contiental MPT81 365/80R20s when I started building our truck, turned out they were 3-4 years old when I got them. It took 6 years to finish the truck, and so the tyes were 10 years old, two of them failed due to cracks in the sidewall in short succession on a trip in the outback, which left us stranded in Halls Creek in WA. Luckily we had a tire pressure monitoring system which gave us a warning as it started to deflate and we were able to pull over. It took a couple of weeks to get new ones sent over from back east, and this time I made sure we got new ones.

[@brucehart4627]

Did they deflate through the cracks in the sidewalls

[@UnimogAdventures]

@@brucehart4627 yes, one when we were driving at 100kph about 30km part Halls Creek

[@biggles1024]

I had to buy new tyres last April. Fortunately, I rewatched your two previous tyre videos and went in well informed. I'm happy with my purchase and given the amount of rain that has fallen since then, I'm very glad I have good rubber to ride on.

[@davexstuntman]

Thanks for the video John, My father was a truckie for many years and thoroughly believed that the older the tires were the better they were just because they got harder. He’s just come around to accepting that new is better after hundreds of blowouts. Cheers DK

[@EddyWoon]

Excellent advice. I had checked the date stamp on my spare tyre some years ago and had it changed as it was 8 years old. It pays to have the spare tyre's pressure checked every so often as I don't want to swap a flat tyre with another flat tyre.

[@ferndog1461]

Lots of new cars come without a spare doughnut. Research online for appropriate spare donut or better yet get a used full size tire from a scrap yard.

[@Agent.K.]

My spare is from 2005 😂😂😂

[@SirNecro]

Just had a new set of rubber on both mine and the Mrs daily drivers. Definitely made sure of the date code before accepting them . But I have been "clever" and found a mechanic that I can trust. I was able to say to him I need both cars fully serviced, wiper blades and a headlight globe replaced and a set of tyres on each and just know that the job is getting done right.

[@paulfrere7902]

Good informative video John. I had my own tyre and alignment business in the 2000’s and being such a grudge purchase, it was difficult enough to get customers to regularly check inflation pressures, let alone be aware of tyre age. A glazed look would appear as soon as this topic was mentioned.

[@allenjenkins7947]

How things have changed in the 58 years since I started driving. Back in the days when tyres were actually made from rubber, a lot of blokes would buy a set of tyres and store them under the house for 5 years or so to age. New tyres were considered to be too soft and wore out too quickly. What you're saying here is essentially the same message, new tyres perform better, but wear a bit faster. You prompted me to go and check the tyres on our various vehicles. I recently put a new set of tyres and wheels on the Jayco camper out of Mr Wong's* warehouse and was pleasantly surprised to find them at 3621. The tyres on my Sorento are 1317, but they're nearing their wear limit. The only dodgy ones are on my 2002 boat trailer and they are the originals!

[@tlevans62]

I bought some Michelin Pilot Sport 4s that were already three years old, the price was good since they were on sale. They had awesome grip and rode really well. After about three years and 40K clicks they still had tread but started to get really noisy and hard, and I noticed that the outside treads were cracking and so I replaced them with Pirelli P7 Performance tyres that were only a few months old. Wow, what a difference, quiet, grippy, and comfortable. Since the Michelin tyres deteriorated over time I really didn't notice how bad they'd gotten. During the lockdown I barely drove the car so they certainly deteriorated from not being used much. It's when I started driving again that I noticed how bad the Michelin tyres had gotten. It's really worth changing tires after this pandemic because I'm sure tires have deterioration issues from sitting. Same thing with running shoes, I put a pair on that I'd not worn for two years and the treads just delaminated while walking. I guess if you don't use it, you lose it..lol

[@DEVILTAZ35]

That is a lot of km's what profile are they?

[@tlevans62]

@@DEVILTAZ35 40,000 kilometers I meant to say. P215-45-17.

[@SeeSawMacaw]

Great video. Just like to add that the tire dry-rot timeline is accelerated a lot in very dry/very hot, sunny climates when the vehicle is parked outdoors all the time. I’m talking about places where summer time high temps are frequently ~115F/45C. In those climates in 4 to 5 years from the DOT code date and it’s game over no matter how much tread is left. No exaggeration. Ignore at your own peril. Shopping for “fresh” tires is great advice.

[@Bubbles12345-cat]

My spare wheel is 22 years old and still perfect from just being cosy in the boot 99,5% of the time. Did a 1000 mile highway speed drive on it just the other day. No problems whatsoever ☺

[@badgerpa9]

John you will love this our old farm truck that has not left the farm since mid 1990s. Kids used it to check fence and animals on the farm, I found my receipt for the tires 1987. Keep a folder for each vehicle is handy. Tires still hold air, after my youngest went to college it has only moved a few times the last 4 years. I prefer my newer junker that has a radio and A/C. I guess another reason for me not to sell it because we both know the tires would not get changed. Some idiot would drive it on the highway and make a U2be video of themselves crashing.

[@jonathonmarr6107]

Thanks John, You learn something new everyday.

[@averyalexander2303]

Great video as always! Yeah I need new tires. My daily driver's tires are from 2001. Decent tread still, but full of cracks and shaky. Incredible that they lasted this long.

[@deanstyles2567]

Thanks for the reminder about the spare John, just had a look at the spare in the boot of my old Falcon, it looks pristine but has a date code of 3503. Might need to pop into a tyre shop soon. 🙂

[@maxgill5620]

This sort of information is one of my very most top of car ownership that people must understand what John has informed you of.Thanks for bringing this to everyone attention John

[@micklee7445]

Love this...I remember my old boy saying buy your tyres a few years before you need them so they harden up to last longer...never thought about grip...just lasting longer for cost purposes.

[@gazzasinkers4140]

I checked my tires for rego a couple of years ago and found that they were about time to get changed as the tread was getting low. I bought the car 2nd hand as a 1 owner and it was a 2006 Pathfinder and now at 160,000kms. When I looked at the codes so I could buy new ones, I found that they were made in 2005....they were the original tires from the factory! I looked at the spare and it is the same, and not used. I guess country driving and mostly freeway use, made them last. When I did get new tires fitted, they said that they had to order them in, so I knew I was getting some new ones, not ones sitting on a shelf

[@letsseeif]

I was the first person to put radial tyres on a car in Victoria ( Michelin X previously only trucks had 'em). [vendor APSutherland SouthMelbourne). [constantly told that they looked flat.]....

[@robertmorris6529]

@ letsseeif WAY back in 69 yeah true , or 70 aged 19 , early in mechanic apprenticeship bought a used 1968 XT Falcon fitted with Michelin X's , I thought they were flat looking too , put 40 psi in didn't handle too well , much better @ 32 psi cold . Punctures killed them .

[@letsseeif]

@@robertmorris6529 thanks I put 36 psi and had to drive about 300 miles weekly jobwise in Education. They could be 'ify' if it was wet. (& always looked flat) later in EType all good.

[@Czechbound]

Fantastic point ! 99% of people - including me - would never have thought about this !

[@Thatguy-cb4qs]

Sometimes I buys older vehicles, they are cheap and I always factor in new tyres. Last time I was in a rush, I changed a couple but did not even think about the spare. Had a flat the other day, Spare was flat (hadn’t even considered it) and the wrong size, all the service stations air pumps were out of order, it turned into quite an adventure.

[@steveharvey4036]

Other than using 2 condoms with Dencorub layer in between,,,, when in doubt. (feel the pain = pull out) This is the best advice I've heard.

[@nigelcox1451]

A very timely posting John. Last night, a mile from home, one tyre went flat very quickly. It is getting on for 8 years old, but not worn much as I have summer and winter tyres, swapped twice a year. Been waiting for them to wear out, to be replaced with some all seasons. (UK, not 'straya). No hole in the tyre, but the valve has rotted and split at the base, where it pokes through the rim. (Steel wheels) Looks fine until wriggled. No date codes on them, but of course, usually replaced with tyres.

[@bryanwalker7031]

Remind...remind...remind AND enlighten. Thank you for your reminder.

[@MattBlack6]

Highly recommended a Noco genius5, you can permanently mount it if you like and leave the connection poking out the grill etc.

[@johnhufnagel]

This is one of those interesting things where, I have friends who know people (yea, we're playing telephone here) higher up in the R&D departments of a couple of manufacturers (think a fat man and a famous bridge at Le Mans), and the general answer was, after MANY beers and hours of discussion: * 4-5 years on an outside all the time tire * 5-7 years on a "stored inside" tire * you might get +1 or 2 if they're stored off the car off season * no one has done any either real world long term or rapid aging testing of tires in environments such as inside spare tire well. * Outside mounted spare you treat it as if it were rolling around anyways. * Oxygen, Ozone, and UV radiation are the biggest factors in aging a tire One of the other factors people don't realize, is that if you have a donut spare, the problem is the same. And finding those replacement tires can be massively expensive and difficult. Anecdotal data: * the OE wheels and tires on my 2005 'toy' car have about 15k miles on them, were swapped out for fancier performance shoes relatively early in the vehicle's life, and now only get used as the 'storage' set to hold the car up off the ground during the winter months. they're still perfectly round, perfectly black, look perfectly fine, but also perfectly hard as the proverbial cue ball. * a full size spare OE wheel and tire from a 2003 vehicle the wife barbecued (front end only) has been in the dark in the wheel well of one of our cars for now going on 19 years. The only time its seen daylight was the 2-3 times a year I'd check it for pressure before a long trip to see the in-laws, or when it was moved between cars. That tire continues to be as soft and supple feeling as a brand new matching tire. It was used sometime 2 years ago for all of 5 miles to get the wife home for me to have the regular tire patched; no issues to report. I've now started the 'clock' on when that tire gets replaced though, as it "touched" the road. Should I even be using that tire? Maybe not? Probably not? Unlike the OE tires from the 2005, it has stayed in an environment that didn't promote aging as much. * I have studded snows for one of my other vehicles, that I plow with in the winter. They go on the vehicle just before the first snow fall, get cleaned diligently after every use, at the end of the season the whole assembly gets a thorough cleaning with salt remover and de-ionized water, dried completely, then deflated, and bagged with desiccant (and possibly soon, oxygen eaters), and stored in the insulated shed. If they see 300 miles of use a year we've had a bad winter, as that rig only hits the road to plow once it's in that configuration; I drive something else after the anti-snow nazis have destroyed the roads. Given my care and feeding of them, do they age out like regular road going tires? Sooner? It'd be great if tire manufacturers did or are in the process of doing actual long term testing of tires, stored in various environment. Of course there's a financial cost to doing that, one which the bean counters (and I suspect, lawyers) are unwilling to spend. All I know is, for the "daily" use tires they'll get changed on time or mileage, and the "special" use tires i'll change when it seems appropriate.

[@sw793]

Just bought a set of Bridgestone tyres today. Checked code and was 2622, only a few weeks old, sweeeeet. Thanks for the tip John. You can't beat fresh rubber......

[@user-uf1vw3ry1m]

Thanks John. This is so valuable. I have a wheel carrier that has had the same tyres on it before I bought the Toyota 100 Series in 2012. I have suspected that these tyres are Kaput. You have just confirmed my suspicions.

[@iansdetailing7236]

John know to well about this just brought Toyota aurion 2014 78000 still has original tyres and spare not used about to change all hard as rock

[@superwag634]

I have a set of BFG all terrains on my play 80 series landcruiser. Checked the DOT code, 1701. Thats some old rubber, and still good as gold. I dont swerve for road kill since the lift kit will cause me to roll over, so rock hard rubber it is. In god we trust

[@paulputnam2305]

Thanks for the great information. My GMC YUKON’s spare tire is only 23 years old and my Ford F-150’s spare is only 22 years old. Both are original…YIKES!

[@johnbambo9036]

Good advice. Once had a 2000 Boxster 986s, When purchased I subsequently realised that the rear tyres were 10 years old and the fronts 12. The old tyres were Michelin and put new Yokohama on. Grip levels were like night and day.

[@brycedubois3023]

Bloody useful bit of info John. Ta. I checked mine... All bought on the same day, same place, and there is 18 month difference in manufacture date.

[@barryd342]

Perfect timing, watched this yesterday when I had my Landcruiser booked in for new tyres today. Dealer looked at me like I was a moron when I asked to see the tyres first, but he did and they were 8 months old so all good. I knew about the date but never though to check it before. Ya bloods worth bottling John.

[@thetyremobb222]

I enjoy your channel John,I own a Goodyear/Dunlop store in NSW and there is no glut of tyres stashed away that Im aware of at the moment,all suppliers of all brands are currenty short of stock,covid closed or restricted production and it has been very trying to say the least to satisfy customers needs.I wish you had halved the deteriation times mentioned as I could have sold more.😉👍

[@longflare]

Thanks oodles JC, although I've been informed and aware for a long time, your reminder has woken me. I had an unwanted excursion from the road at a poorly designed roundabout a few months ago, and although my velocity being exuberant was 88% of the cause, it was cold, dark and my treads badly out of date. Now I've replaced all the suspension, (quite bent), and sport a set of +1 mags with new rubber. It has been a mistake long in the making, and a reminder that even the most fastidious of us can still be foolish.

[@alanmooney]

Really good advice mate, well done! Even if I am not your greatest fan - so many drivers/vehicle owners out there don't have a clue, great video John!!!!!!

[@ck867]

Agree. So many people have no idea when it comes to tyres and just buy the cheapest set possible. You should always buy the best quality tyre you can afford.

[@AB-jk7tw]

Great reminder John. I agree that most drivers don’t pay nearly enough attention to their tires.

[@jeremyaustin9103]

John one of the most accurate video seen. Just replaced a complete set of tyres on my Merc CLS. Grip fell off a cliff 6 years after manufacture. Not worn out at all Wet weather grip was appauling.

[@rob7076]

Yep, I went to replace my 7 year old tyres on my Porsche. Mr BJ was about to fit tyres that were in fact older than the the tyres I want reolaced. When questioned Mr BJ said it was the wharehouse's fault! I'm sure most see the nice new tyre and assume all in good. Good video John to keep people informed.

[@iamspyvspy3077]

Try Porsche N-rated tyres, there really is a difference !

[@warwickhewitt8844]

I recall a case a few years ago in the USA where some kids had a blowout and were all killed. It came to light during the investigation that new tyres had recently been fitted to the car but because there was stockpiling going on due to surplus tyres in the States, the tyres that were newly fitted were already 6 years old.

[@petedean9403]

Good advice dear Johno. Even more pertinent for us motorcyclists ie.temporary Kiwis & Aussis! I do remember with brand new tyres that the release agent on the new tyre has a small protective effect from lady time aging. You have to put a reasonable heat cycle through a new motorcycle tyre before you get maximum grip. Commonly called scrub in. Not so important on a 4 wheeler but I bet if you floor it on a wet road with brand new tyres you'd notice the lack of grip. Cheers Pete Dean

[@pfb3264]

I’ve heard that insurance company won’t cover you in an accident if your tires are more than 5yo I do 30k/yr and get 90k life for a set of tires as a lot is highway driving Thanks for the video .. very informative

[@neilw2O]

When the rubber is cured, it can be cured at a lower temperature for a longer time or a higher temperature for for a shorter time. The life is proportional to the curing time, so a higher temperature short time means the rubber will perish sooner. This is related to the date molded into the battery wall.

[@camgere]

The dealer changed the tires on my RAM 1500 after 10 years even though they had plenty of tread. A few months later the Tire Pressure Monitor sensor light came on. The TPM have batteries in them (mounted on the back of the valve stem) and cost as much to replace as new tires. Live and learn.

[@Bubbles12345-cat]

Fuck that system. Just buy a tyre pressure gauge, and check them yourself. All this electronic gimmicks are just a money making idea by car manufacturers.

[@dustyfarmer]

@@Bubbles12345-cat I've got a T.P.M.S linked to & runs in the background on my NAVMAN Mivue800 dashcam. The senders replace the valve caps & tell me tyre pressure, tyre temp and have low pressure & overheat alarm function. It has saved three x $300 tyres from total destruction by detecting slow leaks from nails & a piece of wire.

[@Bubbles12345-cat]

@@dustyfarmer It's good when it works. It's not good when it goes bad and costs $$$ to fix.

[@bme7491]

On my third Range Rover Velar battery (under warranty) with 6000 miles, haven't driven it during the pandemic. Finally got a trickle charger since dealer just said: "You need to drive it every day".

[@andrewsheean6966]

Thanks for the PSA John. Not something many of us would have thought of!

[@danielrond1935]

Well good on Bridgestone Tuggerah on the NSW Central Coast Got 4 new RE003’s last Friday and they are dated 1722 and 1622 respectively 👍

[@jeffreystorer4966]

Good information thanks it's the same reason you sometimes end up with a new pair of work boots that the soles fall to bits on storage period

[@markh.6687]

Full US DOT number (Tire Identification Number) is required to be only on one side of the tire, as John said. Source Code of Federal Regulations at 49 CFR 574.5(a)(1), with various exceptions noted in (a)(2) through (a)(5) for certain types of tires/tyres.

[@peterclancy3653]

I had two Bridgestone tyres installed as steerers on my motor home and my wife travelled 400km to pick up visiting relations and both these tyres shed there treads within 50km of her destination. She managed to park in a secure area and got assistance from the RAC to get to a caravan park. These tyres were only on the vehicle for less than three months and had done about 500 kms. Both tyres held pressure after the tread loss and were at the correct pressure. I had to do an emergency trip of 900 kms to get replacements and unfortunately got the tyre shop to dispose of the damaged tyres. I think the age of those ” new” was a mayor factor in the failure!

[@richardhoulton4016]

Yep…you should absolutely check the date of manufacture. I had to replace one Conti SCP5S in an emergency, and not only was I charged a fortune for it, the tyre was 4 years old! I was not happy!

[@lancer1993]

Back in the 90s I had my first new car, its was a Lancer Coupe which back in 93 came with 13" steel wheels so the first thing I did was get an upgrade to 14 alloys (big deal back in 93) full set of 5 wheels and tyres. A few years later I got a 2nd set of tyres, it wasn't until many years later when I realised that the spare which was still in the boot from that 2nd set of 'new' tyres were older than the car! I think the tyres were made early 1993, car made mid 93 and the 2nd set of tyres bought in 1996 making the tyres at least 3 years old by the time they were fitted to my car. This was long before I knew of the codes.

[@JJ-wi2uw]

The vast majority of people out there have no idea what any of the codes on tyres mean. Understandable in a way but gee, is one of the major safety components of the car they drive and of major importance.

[@chrissscottt]

My experience with tyres is that they deteriorate from the outside in from exposure to oxygen and sunlight. Cut open an old tyre and the insides generally look pretty good.

[@simonj6117]

Which begs the question, does a tyre stored in a warehouse deteriorate at the same rate as John seems to be suggesting? In saying that, I would be asking for a discount on older tyres.

[@derekhobbs1102]

Two comments. Back in 90's when was at Tafe doing automotive course, there was a lecturer that claimed that he would buy tyres a year early, and then put them on roof of his shed to cure them. At my previous place of employment, we changed tyre suppliers late 2021. Most of the Chinese tyres that arrived from them were only weeks old.

[@mayflowerlash11]

Good and timely advice for me. I was going to get the tyres on my little trailer replaced. It's only been about, oh I don't know, ... 10 years. Thanks John.

[@lancer1993]

A few months back my back left took a knock on a curb going into SuperCheapAuto, a small mark on the wheel but no big deal... until it came time for the tyre rotation and the one which was knocked the tyre is damaged and while no vibration was felt on the back it was really bad on the front even after 3 checks with the balancing. The wheel was fine but the tyre was out so much you could see it on the machine. Now luckily I had a matching spare, same after market wheel and same RE003 tyre, which was the best from the last set. Amazingly it had about the same tread level and still well within the 6 year life. I'll be in the market for a new set in the next 1-2 years. Also with my 25plus year old box trailer got 3 new tyres last year and OMG the world of difference, it no longer shakes and rattles from the old rubber which was probably well north of 10yo, amazing what a fresh set of rubber and balance on even a shitbox trailer will do for towing the thing, I've used it like twice for trips to Bunnings since then LOL BTW Love the t-shirt!

[@skookapalooza2016]

I never knew how to read the date. In my limited experience, they never seem to last anywhere near 10 years before you start seeing signs of dry rot. If a tire has dry rot, replace it immediately. You'll know it's dry rot because the sidewall will start to show light cracking...and it will get worse with time. If you are buying a used car...look for the telltale cracking. The tread could be fine...but you'll still need new tires. Like John said...it's not worth it to take a chance with tires that have seen better days.

[@mikepayne5277]

The Goodyear factory in my hometown in the good old U.S.A. can produce 60,000 tires a day. Right on John.

[@richardpowell1425]

I wish I had known about this in January. Also old tyres probably caused my only motorcycle crash now that I think back.

[@adamhend3211]

Had this problem recently when I went to buy a set of Motorcycle race tyres, the guy said they were only a few years old and had been wrapped in plastic and stored under his house. When I checked the date they were 10 year old. I gave them back to him of course.

[@supersami7748]

Great vid on this subject. The huge problem that has existed in the states for at least 10 years or more are tires on trailers (all types) and motorized RV’s. It is not unusual to see a brand new RV roll in with tires that are dated 12 to 24 months old. Sitting is worse than driving to some degree (especially if the RV sits on dirt) and it’s not unusual to have to replace tires during the first 3 years of ownership.

[@rodm5968]

I go through tyres so quick at the moment because of Bolts being left on the road. But I know I'm only getting 20k kms out of most. But you are right. From my experience in Sydney automotive worlds. Certain retailers will import incorrect load type tyres. Along with 3-4 year old stock of brand name tyres. Hence you get the $40 each cheaper brand name new tyre from said stores. But I do think it is better people who can't afford a new Pilot sport tyre. Do at least fit a quality tyre.

[@garageblitztv3215]

“New tyre age” Interesting how aggressive some tyre shops get when you ask this question … had one use some colourful language to ask me to leave his shop. They all seem to be very protective about this now.

[@justinfargas2367]

Thanks for that J.C. Some really great info that everyone should try to absorb regarding tyres. I have a Noco brand charger/maintainer. In some cases it can bring batteries back from permanent death.😁 Cost $100 6 months ago.

[@phillipevans9414]

Just bought a trickle charger for my "classic" Fairlane online for $40 that arrived yesterday - sick of having to remember to charge the battery before wanting to use the car. Money well spent, and a small price to pay if it does what it's supposed to, as a new battery is close to $300 these days (WTF). Cheers!

[@jasonnapper3938]

Working as a mechanic back in Feb a customer came in with a 2000s Mercedes C class for some work. It had been raining that day and boss asks me to test drive before starting. The first bend that I took at 30kmh I almost understeered into the kerb. Back in the workshop first think I checked on the hoist was tyres… thank and the date code was 2004 :/ … I was filled with rage when the customer said he couldn’t afford a new set.

[@doughamilton1756]

Great information, here in Qatar stores are not allowed to sell any tires past 24 months from time of manufacture

[@bbqcrew1]

Had a blowout of a new looking name brand tyre on my camper that was 6 years old. Properly maintained and in good condition. Failure was purely age related.

[@owennspark8450]

Food for thought Thankyou John . My WH Statesman 2001 build has never had the spare taken out of the boot. I will be buying a new tyre even an Itchymiki brand rather than risk it with a 21 year old spare Bridgestone

[@Mudgrove]

Good info John. I've been aware of this for a few years now.. Not something punters look for. For me, VSB14 and NSRG dictate 4 years usually for tyre age to be accepted. Some dudes (building street rods here in my case) get a rush of blood to the head, and start the project with shiny wheels & new tyres. (for inspiration) After the build is complete, the engineer comes to inspect, and knocks back the tyres. Said Street rod fabricator complains and says "they are new tyres !" too bad, mate. they are stale before you even get a blue slip, or hit the road... a reason why I use the old crap tyres on my build... just for size (stance/fitting inside the guards, etc) then when it's time for inspection.... that's when I'll shell out for a set. Heck, I've seen some builds just use 4 x space saver spare wheels just to roll the project around on.

[@larrykostopulos1332]

Thanks for the info, my Ford 2009 wagon is on original factory tyres. They have plenty of tread but squeal going around corners in the dry rather sedately. Check the date code’s tomorrow morning.

[@mrropey]

Good stuff John 👍👍👍

[@jabulaniharvey]

Thank you John! Life-saving video

[@robhercus6479]

I own a caravan and have owned many trailers. My towing is mainly short trips. This may be a reason for some of terrible failures and I need to think through my tyre life calculations. I however have spent many years in manufacturing. Most do not produce to manufacturing run efficiency formulas any more, certainly not in the motor trade. JIT sorted this out many years ago. If not, those businesses will not have survived. Much better to take the hit now, not allow warehouses to be filled with expensive stock.

[@the.parks.of.no.return]

Good advice. I'll get myself a charger. They normally use the normal sized spare on the vehicle when they change the tyres

[@drincogni]

The biggest killer of tires is cold/snow weather.if u live in hot/ warm regions it will wear out before this happens.Spare tires are for short term use 1 to 2 days at most with low speed.They already warn of all that just need to pay attention.

[@brucesieverts1236]

never fit tyres with a miss matched production date. I've heard of a case of a jeep Cherokee where the bloke went down to the tyre shop for some new rubber and got a matching set fitted or so he thought. the manufactured date was only a couple of years different. but the end result was a blown transfer case.

[@sticustom]

I don’t know if this is still relevant but a number of years ago a friend went to replace the tyres on his car. Dude at tyre shop quotes a massive figure for the time and friend nearly keels over. The reason was that the replacements had to have the same speed rating as those they were replacing otherwise if he had a crash the insurance company could wipe him because the tyres weren’t up to the standard the car had when it was built. . He rang the insurance company and they confirmed it. Not sure it still applies today.

[@chrisnewman7281]

I thought most emergency tyres are speed rated. I know that the doughnut tyres on my previous car had a yellow painted rim and a warning saying not to exceed 80 km an hour. I suppose the insurance company would only have a concern if you had an accident where you had not followed the directions of the tire manufacturer

[@sticustom]

@@chrisnewman7281 yes I know spare savers had limits on them. The mates car tyres had a very high speed rating on them (270 km/h I think ) He wanted the next rating down ( again I think 250km/h) but insurance said nope. The car was not even capable of 250. There was a big $$$$$$ difference between the two.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

@@sticustom The organisation I worked for 25 years ago bought a sports car for a special purpose. Other than raising jealousy to new levels among the persons not allowed to drive it....it was sold off when it's replacement tyres were $400 when "normal" tyres were $100.... It was regularly used at up to 240kmh.....and they wanted to put cheap tyres on it!

[@sticustom]

@@JohnSmith-yv6eq the funny thing is that the particular car I was talking about was owned by a branch of the government and was used incognito if you get my drift. Still wouldn’t do 250. Maybe down a mine shaft with a tail wind. That got me thinking about Bugatti Veyron Tyres. They can only go flat strap for 22 minutes and that’s why it will run out of fuel after 15 minutes flat strap. Hate to put a larger fuel tank in it. Hahaha

[@wburger2178]

Victron has a bluetooth interface. Makes monitoring a trickle charger a dream. (Also have a CTek, as a side note.)

[@kalliste23]

Here in the Philippines it's said tires die after 4 years. Given the harsh weather conditions with extreme UV and the terrible state of the roads it's believable.

[@davidmitchell8490]

Great video my friend. My own Pirelli P7's were new when I bought my new car from the dealership in late 2016. I drive around 2500 miles a year, am religious about spot- on tyre pressures and in 2020 I began to notice minor cracks appearing all the way round where the shoulders meet the treads. It's an age and low mileage inevitability thing clearly showing a drying out process of the rubber. The tyres as at August 2022 have completed just 13,500 miles in the UK and still have masses of tread left. I notice that you did not specifically mention this aspect of tyre aging but that's ok because you've given us all enough info.to be getting on with taking far more notice of the condition of our tyres. One further point I'd mention concerns tyre treatments to refresh the look of car tyres. These must contain chemicals which may cause tyre degradation through absorption over time, chemicals which tyres were not intended to be subjected to.(I have no evidence of this.) Thanks again for a very interesting video. Well done. Dave in Edinburgh, Scotland.

[@warrenjohnknight.9831]

Before I retired I purchased a new battery and 2 new tyres especially as they were staff purchase price, that was in 2013 then I purchased 2 new tyres in 2019, placed the new on front and older ones to the rear, sadly I don't travel anymore since retired but the first tyres are now over due for replacement, but still have 7, 6 mm tread, as a retired tyre fleet technician of twenty years the age of the tyres was always known, sadly so many older retired people have this problem as I used to work on these out on the highways as they blow out, another terrible thing was was the winter tyres secound hand Japanese were actually lethal, sadly I have seen so many a week it's frightening, great information John as usual mate, 😷👀👍.

[@hcavn]

Best tyres go on the rear.

[@warrenjohnknight.9831]

@@hcavn actually they go on the front of a front wheel drive, that's Bridgestone way, I usually put the new ones on the rear for a couple of months to scrub them in especially as I used to travel around the island, but sadly I was forced to retire at 58 from workplace injuries and illnesses, so I just do the minimum as extremely difficult for me to work on my car like did, as have a workshop at home, Firestone used be the rear but Bridgestone changed to the front, after 20 year's as a fleet technician for Bridgestone I understand more than most, especially where live it's important to have extremely good steer tyres for flooding and ice conditions.

[@chooyatam]

Recently disposed a set of Michelin Primacy 4 DOT xx19. An amazing product when new but rubbish just after 3 years. My suspicion is that the producers are aware that only new tires are evaluated and reviewed and no one gives a shit about the tyre's performance next season.

[@modarkthemauler]

the spare on my 2003 is the same the car rolled off the lot with. It's growing moss as we speak.

[@mrsock3380]

It's the tyre manufacturers that set the "used by date", if everybody checked the date and didnt buy any tyres over 3 months old, they would change their tune real fast on the recommended used by date.

[@lesbennett18]

Thanks John, I was aware of the code but not the finer details, good to know. (going out now to check my beloveds' car, and the Vespa).

[@macgibbon]

Got a flat on my Maxima one day, and thought absolutely nothing of changing to the spare. 1996 Maxima, definitely original spare, changed in 2018. Oh well I suppose it was the dealers issue, when I traded it in about 2 weeks later.

[@arthuralexander2257]

i remember the days people would say leave your new tires under the roof of your garage to harden up.on the subject of rubber i had a pair of top aust brand work boots i had purchased two years previous stored in my car when i put them on i walked about twenty meters and the soles crumbled like a biscuit

[@marcusnichols5595]

Car owners who run winter & summer tyres seasonally, or switch to offroads for bush bashing should also carefully consider how to store the unused set. Tyres casually stored outside in the sun, or near electrical equipment that generates ozone will rapidly degrade.

[@mixmastermoods]

If there there is a surplus of tyres around the world, then why are tyres at their highest prices at the moment. I would think the retailer's would be pushing hard for sales with low prices to get the old rubber rolling?

[@longsighted]

A year ago all my my tires were replaced half worn or better because a damaged tire upset the symmetry of the best two at five years old and the other probably 8 years. The increase in driving performance though is quite remarkable. It is considerable an expense when you do only 3k km a year and half that in covert. All in all I wonder if it is worth the hassle of owning a car. Taxis become cheap when all costs savings are considered.

[@phillipevans9414]

Get an electric scooter.

[@robertmorris6529]

@@phillipevans9414 Nah can't afford the electricity to recharge it.

[@boomerau]

rotate the spare when you buy new ones and put the best old one in the spare bay - in normal times this keeps everything young. on the first tyre swap you do save the cost of 1 tyre which is a big down side....not

[@markjwilcox]

John, it might be worth asking the dealer to severely discount the aged tyres or threaten to just walk away. This might work as the dealer may want to shift those tyres out of his garage, either to replace with fresher or to give him space until someone else comes in for the same size, etc.

[@sheerluckholmes5468]

What's the bet the dealer will tell you to walk because he knows the next customer most probably won't look at the code.

[@markjwilcox]

Yep, but at least you might find somewhere with fresher rubber.

[@soundman6645]

tyre age and catastrophic failure is a very real problem on trailers. . most trailers simply don't get sufficient road time to ever wear out the tyres. . I have known and seen trailer tyres that are 20, 30 and more years old. A few months ago, i baught a rim as a spare for one of my trailers, knowing it had a, far too old tyre on it. It looked fine and had plenty of tread. Just for sh1^s and giggles I pumped it up to 40psi and left it out in front of my shed. A couple of weeks later in the middle of the night I hear this KABOOM, said tyre had a major tread and steel belt separation event. Sitting there doing nothing. NOW this tyre was in better visual condition, than many tyres I have seen on trailers. Every time I head out on the highway on a weekend, north, south east or west, I am guaranteed to see at least one trailer on the side of the road with either a tyre or wheel bearing failure.

[@rogerbarrett9920]

The biggest killer of modern tyres is Ultra Violet from sun exposure. My Mazda 3 MPS is in the garage all the time as I don’t use it much where as my daily sits in the sun, all and every day, so obviously it’s going to degrade much faster.

[@tigertiger1699]

Always with the public service JC👍

[@theophilusthistler5885]

I foind out last year that my 2007 Nissan Micra can hold a full sislze spare... sick of the spacesaver (when working long gours for the next hiw many next days). Found a steel rim 2nd hand with compatible width and bolt pattern from (I think) a Toyota or Hyundai and can reliably drive for a week or two before getting into the tire shop/ service centre for change and balance.. My current spare is a diferent brand ans tread pattern to the rest let alone the heavier rim... don't need a spacw saver to remind me I need to act very soon.