Told I Should Replace My Tyres Because They Are Too Old!

[Greenside]

I have an early 2008 D-Max with 60,000 km under its belt. Back in October the tyres started to squeal at the slightest corner so I took it in to have the wheels aligned but the problem didn't really go away, in fact it started to get worse over the past couple of weeks.

I finally got round to taking it back to the place that did the job today and the owner took a quick look at the tyres (which still have plenty of tread, by the way) and pronounced them getting too old. He said that tyres are only good here for two or three years, assuming they have sufficient tread.

In the UK I've always simply run tyres until they get to the legal limit or get damaged in some way. Is there something about the climate, the roads or the spec of tyres here that would back up his thory or is he just trying to get me to shell out 14000 for a new set?

[MoonRiverOasis]

He's not having a go at you - it's the climate destroying them, and it's real.

I typically hear and feel the degradation sometime within 18-24 months, regardless of KM's travelled,

In fact, on one car I replaced a full set of tires with just 2,600KM on them, because they had clearly gone off at just 24 months old.

[katabeachbum]

He's not having a go at you - it's the climate destroying them, and it's real.

I typically hear and feel the degradation sometime within 18-24 months, regardless of KM's travelled,

In fact, on one car I replaced a full set of tires with just 2,600KM on them, because they had clearly gone off at just 24 months old.

agreed, no more than 3 years. Less if its in daylight all day. They are worne out from UV rays and age, not milage so not visible in treadwear

2008 Dmax has low performance tyres to begin with, so get some better if you want to brake within reasonable distance

[N47HAN]

Unfortunatley hes telling you the truth , but the good news is hes told you !

I on the other hand found out the hardway only a few weeks ago , car ended in a ditch after breaking , the problem / Old tyres ;(

Trust me for 14k change them

[sparebox2]

Press it with your finger nail.

If soft, OK.

If hard, no good.

Remember your pencil eraser in school?

[transam]

Unfortunatley hes telling you the truth , but the good news is hes told you !

I on the other hand found out the hardway only a few weeks ago , car ended in a ditch after breaking , the problem / Old tyres ;(

Trust me for 14k change them

Hmmmm, you the problem.

[N47HAN]

I wish I could agree ,

Light Rain , Brake , bad tyres , not a good combination , if only schumaker had tought me to drive .

[transam]

Tend to agree and disagree here with some comments. Do a Thai search on your tyre manufacturer and design. Thai tyres are designed for Thailand and the climate. Thai Michelin guarantee up to 9 years from manufacture date .

I had front tyres on my fun car for 20 years but the traction tyres lasted 2 years.

My truck rear tyres are in their fifth year, no probs. Noooooooooo squeal, nothing. All this 3 year stuff is BS. Sorry guys.

[Totster]

I agree what the others have said, I have a 2007 Hilux Vigo.. we had a puncture and I was gonna get it repaired (use it as the spare) but they wouldn't because it still had the 2007 tyres.

No problem, I changed the two front ones and I will replace the back ones later this year.

Tyres are important, listen to the advice and change them.. it's how you stop.

I paid 11500 for 2 Michelins, the same that were on originally (I checked 4 places first)

totster

[MoonRiverOasis]

Tend to agree and disagree here with some comments. Do a Thai search on your tyre manufacturer and design. Thai tyres are designed for Thailand and the climate. Thai Michelin guarantee up to 9 years from manufacture date .

I had front tyres on my fun car for 20 years but the traction tyres lasted 2 years.

My truck rear tyres are in their fifth year, no probs. Noooooooooo squeal, nothing. All this 3 year stuff is BS. Sorry guys.

uh huh... and when you do finally change your tires, you'll be on here exclaiming how they made your car feel "better than new!"

[transam]

Tend to agree and disagree here with some comments. Do a Thai search on your tyre manufacturer and design. Thai tyres are designed for Thailand and the climate. Thai Michelin guarantee up to 9 years from manufacture date .

I had front tyres on my fun car for 20 years but the traction tyres lasted 2 years.

My truck rear tyres are in their fifth year, no probs. Noooooooooo squeal, nothing. All this 3 year stuff is BS. Sorry guys.

uh huh... and when you do finally change your tires, you'll be on here exclaiming how they made your car feel "better than new!"

Anything new is better than old, stands to reason,but all this 3 year old crap really is crap for a daily driver tyre UNLESS a manufacturer says so. .

[MoonRiverOasis]

Tend to agree and disagree here with some comments. Do a Thai search on your tyre manufacturer and design. Thai tyres are designed for Thailand and the climate. Thai Michelin guarantee up to 9 years from manufacture date .

I had front tyres on my fun car for 20 years but the traction tyres lasted 2 years.

My truck rear tyres are in their fifth year, no probs. Noooooooooo squeal, nothing. All this 3 year stuff is BS. Sorry guys.

uh huh... and when you do finally change your tires, you'll be on here exclaiming how they made your car feel "better than new!"

Anything new is better than old, stands to reason,but all this 3 year old crap really is crap for a daily driver tyre UNLESS a manufacturer says so. .

Our client base includes the Michelin and Goodyear groups (which accounts for the biggest brands on the TH market, e.g. Michelin, Bridgestone, Yokohama, Goodyear, Dunlop etc), and I can tell you, the only official public line they'll ever state (due to competitive/marketing reasons) is that their tires will last until the tread depth reaches 1.6mm.... But there's a big difference between that and the reality of what they all avoid disclosing.

Perhaps this link can be of help however: http://en.chevrolet.co.th/service/gofast-tips/tips/use-tire.html

[janverbeem]

I just changed my dunlop tyres which had 55000 Km and were less than 2 years old with exactly the same tyres.It is a huge difference in driving comfort.

[metisdead]

A post with profanity has been removed:

3) Not to post in a manner that is vulgar, obscene or profane.

You're free to repost, but leave the profanity out.

[MoonRiverOasis]

A post with profanity has been removed:

3) Not to post in a manner that is vulgar, obscene or profane.

You're free to repost, but leave the profanity out.

Was wondering why my reply kept being met with a "permission error".

In any case Transam, it's not personal mate - I'm just saying what I know, and you're just speaking form your own experience - which I too respect.

Let's just leave it that. But please do be honest with us all when you do change your tires - whichever argument it supports.

[transam]

A post with profanity has been removed:

3) Not to post in a manner that is vulgar, obscene or profane.

You're free to repost, but leave the profanity out.

Was wondering why my reply kept being met with a "permission error".

In any case Transam, it's not personal mate - I'm just saying what I know, and you're just speaking form your own experience - which I too respect.

Let's just leave it that. But please do be honest with us all when you do change your tires - whichever argument it supports.

Think my reply was deleted, don't know why as we are talking about <deleted> tyres , didn't mention a go go girl either.

[MoonRiverOasis]

A post with profanity has been removed:

3) Not to post in a manner that is vulgar, obscene or profane.

You're free to repost, but leave the profanity out.

Was wondering why my reply kept being met with a "permission error".

In any case Transam, it's not personal mate - I'm just saying what I know, and you're just speaking form your own experience - which I too respect.

Let's just leave it that. But please do be honest with us all when you do change your tires - whichever argument it supports.

Think my reply was deleted, don't know why as we are talking about <deleted> tyres , didn't mention a go go girl either.

Yeah, your reply wasn't that bad IMHO - and the auto-censor did it's thing anyway..

In any case, I'm almost confident enough about this to buy you a new set of tires, but would prefer to buy you a beer beforehand

[transam]

A post with profanity has been removed:

3) Not to post in a manner that is vulgar, obscene or profane.

You're free to repost, but leave the profanity out.

Was wondering why my reply kept being met with a "permission error".

In any case Transam, it's not personal mate - I'm just saying what I know, and you're just speaking form your own experience - which I too respect.

Let's just leave it that. But please do be honest with us all when you do change your tires - whichever argument it supports.

Think my reply was deleted, don't know why as we are talking about <deleted> tyres , didn't mention a go go girl either.

Yeah, your reply wasn't that bad IMHO - and the auto-censor did it's thing anyway..

In any case, I'm almost confident enough about this to buy you a new set of tires, but would prefer to buy you a beer beforehand

I'll settle for the beer chum.

[Greenside]

Thanks for all the input. I'm pretty much decided that I'll go for a tyre change at the earliest opportunity (ie when I have a spare, unbudgeted for 14,000 baht ) and I'll post my conclusions here. In the meantime, if anyone here has a D-Max SLX 3L 5-speed or Colorado equivalent, are there any tyres that stand above the rest? I don't do much fast long distance (120 kph max) so it's mainly around town and hill roads, sometimes loaded (the truck, not me).

[WarpSpeed]

Best indication too is if they're developing small dry rot cracks either on the sidewall or the tread and looking glossy on the tread, the tread should look rough like it's been sand papered continously..

[transam]

Best indication too is if they're developing small dry rot cracks either on the sidewall or the tread and looking glossy on the tread, the tread should look rough like it's been sand papered continuously..

Agree, if the rubber is deteriorating you will see it. Hands on motoring stuff, use your eyes, fingers, ooooops, nothing else.

[hakku]

KBB and MRO are on it, its the UV that deteriorates the rubber. Transam is on it, manufacturers warrant the product for many years BUT only when stored appropriately ie no uv, no extreme heat.

Manufacturer do NOT design tires for the Thai market exclusively. they live from exports and not from the tiny Thai market. The Sumitomo factory here is good for 60,000 tires per day, that's 3 times local demand. Not talking about Goodyear, Bridgestone, Michelin, Maxxis, Yokohama and local manufacturers yet. My estimate is that roughly 8% of local production stays in Thailand, and they wont make special batches of tires for that.

So i'd say, buy new ones every year, but might be biased.....

More realistic is to keep an eye on dry rot, and 3 years with a car used daily or stored outside is about the maximum in my opinion.

hak

[Semper]

Personally I like my "Hollywood Tyres" that screech when turning ever so slightly. I get the feeling that I'm driving really quick around the corners.

[katabeachbum]

KBB and MRO are on it, its the UV that deteriorates the rubber. Transam is on it, manufacturers warrant the product for many years BUT only when stored appropriately ie no uv, no extreme heat.

Manufacturer do NOT design tires for the Thai market exclusively. they live from exports and not from the tiny Thai market. The Sumitomo factory here is good for 60,000 tires per day, that's 3 times local demand. Not talking about Goodyear, Bridgestone, Michelin, Maxxis, Yokohama and local manufacturers yet. My estimate is that roughly 8% of local production stays in Thailand, and they wont make special batches of tires for that.

So i'd say, buy new ones every year, but might be biased.....

More realistic is to keep an eye on dry rot, and 3 years with a car used daily or stored outside is about the maximum in my opinion.

hak

funny thing with tyre makers, is in their marketing they claim life time warranty (to 1-2mm treadwear), to make you buy it, while they really should focus on safety and inform what they know so very well: 3 years in the sun and they are useless providing up to double braking distance

well. until the 3 years, traction can be improved by some hard driving on concrete roads, high speeds not needed, just drive in 8 circles and old rubber wears off displaying some fresher rubber. Far from new, but better than glazed rubber

at 3 years you need new, can possibly be stretched to 4 years if parked +20 hours a day in a dark (I mean you need to switch on light to see car) garage.

Or keep it under 80kmh on highways and 40 in town

[Gary A]

My 2004 Nissan Frontier still had the OEM Bridgestone tires on it last year at 90,000 kilometers. The tread was still at least half remaining. The tires were dangerous on wet roads for sure. I put on larger sized Dunlap tires. And yes, laugh if you like but the ride is much better. My speedometer read five kilometers per hour fast at 90 KPH according to my GPS and now reads about 1 kilometer an hour slow at 90 KPH.

[WarpSpeed]

Personally I like my "Hollywood Tyres" that screech when turning ever so slightly. I get the feeling that I'm driving really quick around the corners.

Mannix....... His tires always squealed, even on dirt

[Kwasaki]

I find the tyres squeal when they got no tread left.

[WarpSpeed]

I find the tyres squeal when they got no tread left.

Actually not, the tread pattern causes whistling through the treads as air is rapidly compressed through them in most cases for squealing which is why it happens when you spin them, so longer treads are more likely to whistle or squeal as they roll over and compress. Back in the day though the rubber make up caused as much as anything as the old biased ply use to do it almost all the time...

[aussiebebe]

I think tire life depends on maintenance to some extent; most people know someone who's had a timing belt break prematurely (or it's happened to them) but who's ever bought a can of belt dressing spray? It's sold everywhere but virtually no-one bothers with it until they hear squeaking occur. It's the same with tires; my set of Michelin tires are in excellent condition at 60,000km after 5 years and I think some of this is because I use Sonax rubber maintenance spray; it's only 120b from places like Amorn or Big C. I don't have a nice car but I'm somewhat of a 'driveway detailer' and I know a little bit about clay bars, sealants and waxes for the bodywork. For tires, I'd never use any tire sprays, they tend to discolor the rubber, even brand-name ones like Meguiar's. Never let car wash places use that awful blackening stuff on the tires. You use the Sonax spray soaked into a rag and it works great on door seals too.

[mogandave]

Wesley's bleech-white!