New Tire Age

Joined
Jun 2, 2016
Messages
439
Location
US
Hello everyone,

Picked up a new set of tires this afternoon. While checking in for my appointment and with my car still in the parking lot, I was clear that I would only accept tires with a manufacture date in the last year. The rep went into the storage area and came back to confirm a June 2021 manufacture date – GREAT!

I get my car back after installation, pay, and go outside to inspect the work and notice the manufacture date for all four tires is November 2020 – making them about a year and a half old. Not sure how this mixup happened. I made note of this to the rep, and he apologized and ordered a replacement set directly from Hankook (they are about a week out).

Am I overthinking the age of new tires? Being that the tires are already installed, I honestly do not feel like going back and waiting for another installation. Part of me wants to just forget about it.

I only drive 5-6k miles per year, so I will likely be replacing these tires based on age and not mileage.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. From my experience, tires age primarily by baking in the sun and being exposed to all sorts of weather variables, not in a climate controlled warehouse (where new tires spend nearly all their time).

Now if it were 2+ years old, I'd be speaking with a manager, especially if I lived in a annual safety inspection state that might ding me for old tires a few years down the road.
 
I wouldn't worry about the tires being slightly older than your expectation. Ask if the store will throw in tire protection package at no charge for the misunderstanding and life goes on. I have used many tires into 7-10 year age without issues such as cracking. Where I live don't get too many hot days and since we use winter tires for the other 6 months, it takes double the time to wear out both sets of tires. The tires are stored inside the garage, out of the sun when in storage.
 
Am I overthinking the age of new tires?
Yes.

 

The scrap tire survey examined more than 14,000 tires that had been removed from service. The date codes on the tires showed that the survey sample contained tires from one to 16 years old.

The RMA worked from the premise that if chronological age was a determining factor in tire performance, the data would have shown a spike of tires removed from service after a particular time. "Our data showed no magic date when tires are removed from service," says Baulig.

Here are some other study results.

* 42% of tires in the study were removed due to wear-out (had tread at or below tread wear indicators). After the first year of service, 59% of tires in the study were removed due to wear-out.

* 25% of the tires had road hazard damage.

* 17% of the tires had been repaired.

* 87.5% of the observed tire repairs were improper (not performed with a plug and internal patch as specified by RMA tire repair guidelines).
 
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The date of manufacture as well as the expiration date (if there is such a thing) should be clearly marked on tires.
 
If you like to have your tires as new as possible? Your money, your choice. At least he actually apologized and is solving the issue for you. The only drawback is your extra time you're now going to loose there.

I would not trust the rep at all next time, verify your dates before installation. The rep was either prone to making important mistakes, or just plain lied to you thinking you wouldn't know the difference.
 
People make mistakes. If he's willing to make it right, chances are he did not outright lie to you. Maybe he accidentally checked the wrong size, or they have more than one set and the other set got put on... Who knows.

End of the day the six months isn't going to make any difference.
 
The thing that I notice at my local Discount Tire, is they have several shipping containers full of tires as the building can only handle so much. A closed container will get blazing hot with summer and sun, and of course, will have below zero in winter. That seems like a negative factor for tire longevity.
 
First, I am disturbed that the sales guy didn't have a good handle on how old the tires were. I am pleased he stepped up to fix it.

Second, tires age much more slowly when stored. I would not make an issue of anything within 3 years.
 
A while back I bought expensive Continental new tires for my 2015 Toyhighlander and when I got home I noticed a couple of the tires were older than the 2 newer production date ones and I was a bit upset at first, but I decided to let it go as I calculated given the number of miles I drive annually, I would wear them all out before age really became a factor anyway. Then, less than a year into the new tires, my 2015 Highlander was completely totaled by an uninsured motorist, rendering all my 'tire age' concerns pointless!
 
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