Buying junkyard tires

[92saturnsl2]

I've purchased used tires from junkyards and tire dealers alike. Of about a dozen tires, I had perhaps one or two that had some visible cupping or other treadwear issue. None presented any safety concerns or other issues; you must realize that reputable tire dealers selling used tires do not have you sign a waiver of liability-- They stand behind their product.

I don't buy the tire life rumor either. I used to be skeptical but recently was in a position where I had to put my 8 year old full-size spare on after an unrepairable flat. I chose to keep it on the vehicle so that I had no waste and could purchase 4 new tires at the appropriate time. The tire rode and perfored just fine for 30k+ after spending 7-8 years underneath the pickup bed.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
I've purchased used tires from junkyards and tire dealers alike. Of about a dozen tires, I had perhaps one or two that had some visible cupping or other treadwear issue. None presented any safety concerns or other issues; you must realize that reputable tire dealers selling used tires do not have you sign a waiver of liability-- They stand behind their product.

I don't buy the tire life rumor either. I used to be skeptical but recently was in a position where I had to put my 8 year old full-size spare on after an unrepairable flat. I chose to keep it on the vehicle so that I had no waste and could purchase 4 new tires at the appropriate time. The tire rode and perfored just fine for 30k+ after spending 7-8 years underneath the pickup bed.


That is good to know...

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
I used to be skeptical but recently was in a position where I had to put my 8 year old full-size spare on after an unrepairable flat.


Why weren't you keep the full size spare in part of the rotation sequence?

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
.........

I don't buy the tire life rumor either.

.........


I think that it is obvious that really old tires are unfit for service - even if they have never been used.

I think it is also obvious that once a tire has been put in service that there is a point in time where continued use is unwise.

The question is how to best express this.

Heat is certainly a factor as is exposure to sunlight (UV rays)

Properly stored, a tire can have a fairly long shelf life. But the consumer doesn't know under what conditions the tire was stored before he purchases it. Most consumers also don't know much about proper tire maintenance.

Again, how does one express to the uninformed consumer what he should do? Do we use the Pareto Principle? 80% of the problems are caused by 20%. (I've also heard this expressed as the 90/10 rule.) Or do we need an even higher ratio, given that a tire failure at high speed can sometimes have tragic consequences?

Whichever percentage you choose, there will be situations where tires will perform adequately - that is without failure. That doesn't invalidate the rule.

If we also consider that the heat and sun exposure in Phoenix is quite different than in Minneapolis - and any guidelines have to be simple to understand and use - we are going to have many situations where "the rules" are overkill.

I don't have the answer to those questions. Nevertheless, a bit of common sense goes a long ways here.

 

[Kestas]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Why weren't you keep the full size spare in part of the rotation sequence?

I don't know about 92saturn12's situation, but my spare is mounted on a steel rim, whereas the four tires in service are mounted on alloy rims. That makes it a pain in the butt to include in the rotation.

 

[Tosh]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
A junkyard is the best place for used tires because the car is in there for something else. A tire dealer is the worst; that tire was pulled for some specific reason! Only way to get lucky is if someone never rotated and wanted four new "just because".

This deserves repeating!

 

[kschachn]

I dunno, I have had pretty good luck with used tire dealers that I've bought from in the past. There used to be this huge dealer on the near south side of Milwaukee. One time I needed one tire for my '81 Mazda 626 and I went to him to see if he had the specific tire and at a similar state of wear. The owner/boss man was sitting at the desk when I came in, and I told him what I needed. He sat there thinking for a second and said, "follow me". We walked into this enormous warehouse where black tires were stacked 10-12 high to the ceiling (edge facing out). We walked, and walked past thousands of unlabeled and unmarked tires, and (I couldn't believe it) into a second, equally large warehouse. The guy stopped in the middle of the open area and scanned the walls of tires. All of a sudden his arm shoots out at some nondescript tire about halfway up the wall. His go-fer guy runs for a ladder, swings it up against the tire wall and after a bit of "this one? that one?" he yanks out a tire and shimmies down the ladder with it. It was exactly the right one.

I was bug eyed! he says $35 for the tire and $10 for mounting and balancing. I think I mumbled "OK" and the deal was done. I've never forgotten that, even though it was about 25 years ago.

 

[Chris142]

I wouldn't mind using them if I could look inside them. Look for fresh rubber on the sides that will tell you if it was ran flat.Also look for rubber dust inside.


Look for repairs too. If you find a patch the tire shop that patched it they must have determined that it was not run flat.

If it's been plugged it probly was not inspected internally.

Here Pic-A-Part sells tires for $6 each on Mondays.

 

[MNgopher]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Originally Posted By: 92saturnsl2
I used to be skeptical but recently was in a position where I had to put my 8 year old full-size spare on after an unrepairable flat.


Why weren't you keep the full size spare in part of the rotation sequence?


If his truck is like mine, while the spare is full size, the rim used on the spare is a cheapo steel rim and looks like [censored] compared to the stock alloy rims. A deterrent to running a 5 tire rotation when you need to acquire and remount the spare...

 

[daves66nova]

how do you read the tire code?

 

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted By: daves66nova
how do you read the tire code?


First locate the letters "DOT" on the sidewall of the tire. Nearby will be the DOT code. DOT codes are 10 to 12 digits long. BTW the digits can be numbers or letters.

The first 2 digits are a code for the manufacturing plant.

The next 2 digits are a code for the tire size.

The next 3 or 4 digits are a code for the type of tire.

The last 3 or 4 digits are the date code. The format is week/week/year/year or week/week/year. These are always numbers.

Starting in the year 2000, the date coding used was 4 digits. That means the largest number you should see for the year is 09. Before 1999 the format was 3 digits. 1999 and 2000 are transition years, so you will find both 3 and 4 digits.

The date code only has to be on one side – and it is permissible for there to be a partial DOT code, so long as one side has the complete code.

 

[ZZman]

Originally Posted By: toytundranator
I was looking at some junkyard tires today and I found an excellent pair of Michelin truck tires that fits my rims. The tire is 2 yrs old from it's DOT code and still has lots of thread yet. However they have been exposed to the sun. Are junkyard tires safe to use?


All tires are exposed to the sun. Look how long people have tires on their cars and trucks before they get new ones. As long as the tread is good and the sidewalls do not have cracks in them save some money and use them.

 

[addyguy]

I've got a pair of used tires on my Cavvy right now. Had 'em on going on two years now, and they are working great. Saved me a bundle!

 

[92saturnsl2]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Why weren't you keep the full size spare in part of the rotation sequence?


When I bought the truck used a few years ago, it had 245/65/17 Geolanders (all terrain) while the OEM spare is a 265/55 Firestone Firehawk. Couldn't really mix the two..

It's a different story now that I'm back to the OEM size and a highway type tire, I could put the spare on no problem.

I do have the same alloy rims in all positions (including spare) so that didn't apply.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
I've got a pair of used tires on my Cavvy right now. Had 'em on going on two years now, and they are working great. Saved me a bundle!


What brand?

 

[Need4racin]

old thread I know, but wow looks good for $5.

 

[SLCraig]

I have no issue buying junkyard tires. The prices are usually good and worth the gamble if they look good.

I've had success installing used tires more than a few times. New tires are so expensive its hard to not consider a good set of used ones. You know they are there because the vehicle was wrecked, not because someone didn't like them.