New tires already?

[JAS21]

Sorry guys, I don't believe you all got 120,000 plus kilos on your tires. Not possible, maybe some memory loss. If you went that far on your tires you would be riding on the core of the tire and it would be very unsafe.

I finally changed mine at 192,000 km from new. They didn't stick to the road well and squealed in turns. I found a small piece of tread separating and decided safety was more important with the rainy season approching and the wife driving.

There was one wacko on here told me I was stupid and only needed to align the front tires. I failed to see that logic with the rears. All squeals stopped immediately as soon as the the new tires were fitted. Alignment was checked and it was good.

Just for info .. there are a number of cars that you can do a full suspension alignment on. I watched an 'Eagle Garage' do it on my step-daughters 1995 Mazda Lantis last week. Suppose I should have taken a pic of the gear ... it's reasonably high tech ... but basically they attach 'gear' to each wheel and then the status comes up on a screen.showing the alignments.

Here is a bit of light reading https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070107104714AAmppyK

All I can say is what a difference it made to the steering ... from being a dog and pulling to one side ... it drove straight and the steering wheel felt much lighter and self centered correctly, unlike before. Think it was 4-500THB to get it done. It took quite a while. I don't think that she had hit a kerb, I'm blaming the problem on the guy who did 'something' with the rack.

I'm pleased that you got sorted.

[Pib]

40,000 k's on a set of tyres seem awfully low.

The Michelins on my 2year old 37000ks Toyota Pick-Up look hardly worn, at this rate I expect to get at least 100K out of them.

:-)

The tires are likely to go hard way before 100K kms. They won't be as comfortable or have the same grip as before, especially in the dry. It seems those with 4wd are quoting very high mileage, much more than those with sedans. I've found all of the sets of tires I've used on my sedan have gone hard by 40K kms, even though there seems plenty of tread left. Heat / age kills tires here, usually a long way before the tread disappears. I always change when they go hard and / or noisy, or have visible cracks in them.

The Michelin tires that came with my new 2009 Toyota Fortuner lasted approx 95K/5 years before I had to change them...not because of thread wear as there was still "plenty" left but because of a rough/shaky ride from the front tires starting at around 70kmh and above...and when braking from around that speed. Looking at the tires they still looked great...even wear...no flat spots...I had always rotated all tires every 10km...the Toyota dealership where I always have the SUV serviced tried rotating & spin balancing the tires again and an alignment to get the rough ride out of the front wheels, but it just was not going to happen.

Replaced the Michelin tires with some Bridgestone tires and the rough ride was gone instantly....I'm at 140Km right now (about 45Km/2 yrs on the Bridgestone tires) and the ride is still smooth and plenty of thread left. It looks like the Bridgestone tires will approach 100km just like the Michelen tires but I expect like Daffy D said they may become "hard" before then and start giving a rough ride on the front wheels/steering as the front wheels are much more susceptible to shaking with funky/hard tires (the rubber dries out/become less flexible) even when perfectly aligned, balanced, inflated, etc.

[Anthony5]

Sorry guys, I don't believe you all got 120,000 plus kilos on your tires. Not possible, maybe some memory loss. If you went that far on your tires you would be riding on the core of the tire and it would be very unsafe.

I finally changed mine at 192,000 km from new. They didn't stick to the road well and squealed in turns. I found a small piece of tread separating and decided safety was more important with the rainy season approching and the wife driving.

There was one wacko on here told me I was stupid and only needed to align the front tires. I failed to see that logic with the rears. All squeals stopped immediately as soon as the the new tires were fitted. Alignment was checked and it was good.

Tyres start squeal when the rubber has dried out and is too hard, because they are too old, which also makes them unsafe because they don't stick to the road surface anymore.

Tyres from which the rubber has dried out, because they are way past their expiry date, will also last much longer, because the rubber doesn't stick to the road surface anymore.

[Jessi]

Sorry guys, I don't believe you all got 120,000 plus kilos on your tires. Not possible, maybe some memory loss. If you went that far on your tires you would be riding on the core of the tire and it would be very unsafe.

I finally changed mine at 192,000 km from new. They didn't stick to the road well and squealed in turns. I found a small piece of tread separating and decided safety was more important with the rainy season approching and the wife driving.

There was one wacko on here told me I was stupid and only needed to align the front tires. I failed to see that logic with the rears. All squeals stopped immediately as soon as the the new tires were fitted. Alignment was checked and it was good.

Just for info .. there are a number of cars that you can do a full suspension alignment on. I watched an 'Eagle Garage' do it on my step-daughters 1995 Mazda Lantis last week. Suppose I should have taken a pic of the gear ... it's reasonably high tech ... but basically they attach 'gear' to each wheel and then the status comes up on a screen.showing the alignments.

Here is a bit of light reading https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070107104714AAmppyK

All I can say is what a difference it made to the steering ... from being a dog and pulling to one side ... it drove straight and the steering wheel felt much lighter and self centered correctly, unlike before. Think it was 4-500THB to get it done. It took quite a while. I don't think that she had hit a kerb, I'm blaming the problem on the guy who did 'something' with the rack.

I'm pleased that you got sorted.

jas21, can you please tell me where "The Eagle Garage" is?

Many thanks.

[Jessi]

I have Bridgestone tyres on my car now. They are 2 years old done 35,000K.

I just had the car serviced and the mechanic tells me I should replace all 4 tyres.

Still plenty of tread left on them. I went to the tyre shop they said still OK but should replace them in a years time as they will be three years old.

I have been thinking of buying Maxis tyres. Any members have experience with these?

This is for a Toyota Corolla.

Many thanks.

[giddyup]

"very unlikely to see any balance weights ... attaching weights to the outside is long gone ... modern way is to fit them on the inside of the wheel".

Sorry to disagree.

A well balanced wheel can have weights on the inside as well as the outside.

You can disagree as much as you like but attaching weights to the outside is long gone

And of course the rules of physics haven't changed ... A well balanced wheel can have weights on the inside as well as the outside... yes you are correct about that.

Not sure how you can say long gone when there are weights on the outside of my brand new Triton wheels.

[DavisH]

Many wheels don't have the lip to attach that kind of weight. My mag wheels have a flat adhesive weight put on the inside of the wheel instead.

[Pib]

I have Bridgestone tyres on my car now. They are 2 years old done 35,000K.

I just had the car serviced and the mechanic tells me I should replace all 4 tyres.

Still plenty of tread left on them. I went to the tyre shop they said still OK but should replace them in a years time as they will be three years old.

I have been thinking of buying Maxis tyres. Any members have experience with these?

This is for a Toyota Corolla.

Many thanks.

That's a common scam recommendation in Thailand, maybe other places also, to replace your tires after they are three years old. My Toyota dealership recommended the same thing. Highly profitable recommendation for tire manufacturers and sellers...they are just looking out for your safety. But a I bet a high percentage of people, especially many women and old folks, follow the recommendation.

[paulchiangmai]

I have Bridgestone tyres on my car now. They are 2 years old done 35,000K.

I just had the car serviced and the mechanic tells me I should replace all 4 tyres.

Still plenty of tread left on them. I went to the tyre shop they said still OK but should replace them in a years time as they will be three years old.

I have been thinking of buying Maxis tyres. Any members have experience with these?

This is for a Toyota Corolla.

Many thanks.

That's a common scam recommendation in Thailand, maybe other places also, to replace your tires after they are three years old. My Toyota dealership recommended the same thing. Highly profitable recommendation for tire manufacturers and sellers...they are just looking out for your safety. But a I bet a high percentage of people, especially many women and old folks, follow the recommendation.

And when they change those tyres that are three years old and still have 50% tread left do you suppose they throw them away or sell them on as used tyres?

[keemapoot]

Years ago, recapping or retreading was commonly done to get new life from old tires. I guess it's not done anymore.

Sent from my GT-N5100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Pib]

Sorry guys, I don't believe you all got 120,000 plus kilos on your tires. Not possible, maybe some memory loss. If you went that far on your tires you would be riding on the core of the tire and it would be very unsafe.

I finally changed mine at 192,000 km from new. They didn't stick to the road well and squealed in turns. I found a small piece of tread separating and decided safety was more important with the rainy season approching and the wife driving.

There was one wacko on here told me I was stupid and only needed to align the front tires. I failed to see that logic with the rears. All squeals stopped immediately as soon as the the new tires were fitted. Alignment was checked and it was good.

Tyres start squeal when the rubber has dried out and is too hard, because they are too old, which also makes them unsafe because they don't stick to the road surface anymore.

Tyres from which the rubber has dried out, because they are way past their expiry date, will also last much longer, because the rubber doesn't stick to the road surface anymore.

Tires don't have an expiration date on them like a date of manufacturer. Many times tires may not be sold until years after their manufacture. Having an Expiration/Best Used By Date on a tire would probably result in many customers demanding the "freshest" tires and probably flat out refusal to buy if they felt they planned to use the tires for say 4 years but an Expiration/Best By Date on the tires was say only 2 years away because the tires had laid around in inventory unsold for quite a while. No doubt having an Expiration/Best By date on tires would be best for safety but expect manufacturers and sellers will continue to fight any such recommendation.

Manufacturers rate their tires by the number of miles/kilometers you can expect to get out of them and you "may" find some recommendation in manufacturer literature where they may recommend the tires be changed after 5 or 6 years.

Take a look at below partial quote...and go to the weblink given to read more and below quote was just from one page.

I didn't mention it in my post a few posts up where I talked replacing my Michelin tires with Bridgestone tires, I too started experiencing slight tire squeal in sharp turns at low or high speed on "really smooth" payment at around the 4 year/80Km point. However, like I mentioned in the post the tires still looked almost new, still plenty of thread, no flat spots, no cracking, no separation, etc....but as everyone knows it's not only the "visible" to be concerned about but also "what you can't see"...then you have to balance that against what some tire "seller" may recommend...unfortunately a lot of tire sellers in Thailand use a 3 year figure from looking at the tire manufacturer date on the tire even though you have have only bought the tires a year or two ago.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/car-part-longevity/tire-sell-by-date1.htm

Should auto tires have a sell-by date? Tire Expiration Dates

Tires, like most other auto parts, are built to withstand a great deal of wear and tear. Unlike other car parts, however, tire manufacturers always give an estimate for about how long a tire should last. The estimates themselves can range greatly for each tire, but you'll usually see a manufacturer listing of how many tens of thousands of miles you may expect out of that particular tire.

When it comes to car part longevity, however, there are always circumstances when the auto part information given by a manufacturer may not apply. In the case of tires, the estimate of how long a tire can last is based primarily on the tread wear. But some safety advocates want to add an expiration date of six years onto each tire, regardless of how much tread is left on them. The reason for setting up this six-year standard is that some research has shown that after that amount of time passes, tire failures dramatically increase. The tire industry has not yet set up its own estimate, partly because it doesn't want to give consumers the idea that its tires are guaranteed to last that long [source: Holguin].

Although there isn't a set expiration date as of yet, companies like Ford Motor Company already encourages its customers to scrap their tires if they're more than six years old [source: Holguin]. But how can you determine the age of a tire?

You can tell how old a tire is by looking on the tire's sidewall. There are lots of markings ranging from the type of tire, a speed rating that corresponds to a maximum safe speed your tire can sustain, the size of the tire and also when the tire was made; however, if you look after the Department of Transportation (DOT) letters, you'll see another list of numbers. If the tire was made before the year 2000, you'll see three numbers after the DOT letters; the last number indicates the year the tire was made. On newer tires, those manufactured in 2000 or later, you'll see four numbers. The first two numbers indicate the week it was built and the last two digits specify the year the tire was made. So, for example, if you see a "297" the tire was made in 1997, or if you see a "2409" that would mean that the tire was made in the 24th week of 2009 [source: Holguin].

So now we know how to determine how old a tire is and that some car manufacturers and safety groups encourage a six-year limit on tire age. But how does a tire's age affect its performance? Read the next page to find out.

[Pib]

Years ago, recapping or retreading was commonly done to get new life from old tires. I guess it's not done anymore.

Sent from my GT-N5100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

It's still done in Thailand, more so for BIG truck tires but also for small trucks/passenger vehicles but I'm not sure of the price differential between new and rethread tires in Thailand. I see large truck tire rubber separation common for rethreads on the roads leading into and out of Bangkok all the time....and sometimes while idling beside a BIG dirt truck say at a stop light you can see some of the rethread tires starting to have rethread separation.

I know when I was getting ready to replace my Michelins for the Toyota Foturner my inlaws warned me not to get rethreads...I assured them I wouldn't and didn't. But I will say decades ago in my youth in the U.S. I bought some rethreads for my ride when money was really tight...they preformed fine for the short time I used them....but after I started making enough to be more HiSo and safety conscious I stopped buying them.

[Anthony5]

Sorry guys, I don't believe you all got 120,000 plus kilos on your tires. Not possible, maybe some memory loss. If you went that far on your tires you would be riding on the core of the tire and it would be very unsafe.

I finally changed mine at 192,000 km from new. They didn't stick to the road well and squealed in turns. I found a small piece of tread separating and decided safety was more important with the rainy season approching and the wife driving.

There was one wacko on here told me I was stupid and only needed to align the front tires. I failed to see that logic with the rears. All squeals stopped immediately as soon as the the new tires were fitted. Alignment was checked and it was good.

Tyres start squeal when the rubber has dried out and is too hard, because they are too old, which also makes them unsafe because they don't stick to the road surface anymore.

Tyres from which the rubber has dried out, because they are way past their expiry date, will also last much longer, because the rubber doesn't stick to the road surface anymore.

Tires don't have an expiration date on them like a date of manufacturer.

You may review your opinion on that. You will also know that in a tropical climate rubber wears much faster than elsewhere. Take your screen wipers as an example.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201407071400.html

Since 2000, the week and year the tyre was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tyre Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.

How old is too old?

This is a subject of much debate within the tyre industry and no tyre expert can tell exactly how long a tyre will last. However, on the results of experience many tyre companies, including Bridgestone, warrant their tyres against manufacturing and material defects for five years from the date of manufacture. Based on their understanding a number of vehicle manufacturers are now advising against the use of tyres that are more than six years old due to the effects of ageing.

Regardless of their age tyres should be replaced if they show significant crazing or cracking in the tread grooves or sidewall and or bulging of the tread face or sidewall. All tyres, especially unused spare tyres, should be inspected periodically to determine their suitability for service.

http://www.nairaland.com/1154178/how-check-tyres-expiry-date

*Tyres have expiry date. To start with, vehicle tyre have a 4-year validity period from their Date of Manufacture (DOM). Thereafter, the tyre expires and may burst whilst in use.

*How to find out whether your tyre has expired? First, check for a stamp like this: (*0504*). There is an asterisk at the beginning and at the end of this serial number (Some tires don't have asterisk).

*The First two digits are the week so 0504 is fifth week in 2004. Therefore, *0504* shows that the said tyre is manufactured in the 5th week of the year 2004

[Pib]

Yes, tires have a Date of Manufacture physically on the tire themselves, but do not have have an expiration date physically on them like indicated in above posts/links.

To determine if a recommended expiration date exists you must determine if the manufacturer or maybe some govt/safety organization recommends the tires be replaced after X-years from the date of manufacturer. Those recommendations seem to generally lie within the 3 to 10 year from date of manufacturer ballpark...quite a wide recommendation range....most tire sellers will most likely recommend towards the lower end of the range.

[Pib]

Since we have been talking Bridgestone tires quite a bit, I've attached a Bridgestone Tire Maintenance, Safety, and Warranty Manual...it's 42 pages long but is in big print with lots of pictures n color...really an excellent manual...talks a ton of stuff about tires. Starting on the middle of page 13 it talks service life...a quote follows:

Tire Service Life

Make sure your tires, including the spare, continue to be regularly inspected after 5 years of service to determine

if they can continue in service. Regardless of the tire’s condition or tread depth, it is recommended that tires more

than 10 years old be taken out of service and replaced with new tires. REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR FULLSIZE

OR TEMPORARY SPARE, ALSO. A spare tire over 10 years old may look like a new tire, but it should be

replaced. See “Tire Manufacture Date,” the next section in this manual.

The 10 year period after the date of production is not an indicator of actual service life for any individual tire. Some

tires will need to be replaced before 10 years due to conditions such as punctures, impact damage, improper infl ation,

overloading, tread wear or other conditions involving use or misuse of the tire. If a tire is worn out or otherwise

unserviceable from damage or conditions of use, it should be replaced regardless of when it was produced or placed

in service.

And here's the whole manual...really an excellent manual...well worth the download (a little over 2MB in size)...lots of info on tires in general.

BSFS1.pdf

[Jessi]

I have Bridgestone tyres on my car now. They are 2 years old done 35,000K.

I just had the car serviced and the mechanic tells me I should replace all 4 tyres.

Still plenty of tread left on them. I went to the tyre shop they said still OK but should replace them in a years time as they will be three years old.

I have been thinking of buying Maxis tyres. Any members have experience with these?

This is for a Toyota Corolla.

Many thanks.

Can any members give me some advice about Maxxis tyres please?

Many thanks .

[JAS21]

Sorry guys, I don't believe you all got 120,000 plus kilos on your tires. Not possible, maybe some memory loss. If you went that far on your tires you would be riding on the core of the tire and it would be very unsafe.

I finally changed mine at 192,000 km from new. They didn't stick to the road well and squealed in turns. I found a small piece of tread separating and decided safety was more important with the rainy season approching and the wife driving.

There was one wacko on here told me I was stupid and only needed to align the front tires. I failed to see that logic with the rears. All squeals stopped immediately as soon as the the new tires were fitted. Alignment was checked and it was good.

Just for info .. there are a number of cars that you can do a full suspension alignment on. I watched an 'Eagle Garage' do it on my step-daughters 1995 Mazda Lantis last week. Suppose I should have taken a pic of the gear ... it's reasonably high tech ... but basically they attach 'gear' to each wheel and then the status comes up on a screen.showing the alignments.

Here is a bit of light reading https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070107104714AAmppyK

All I can say is what a difference it made to the steering ... from being a dog and pulling to one side ... it drove straight and the steering wheel felt much lighter and self centered correctly, unlike before. Think it was 4-500THB to get it done. It took quite a while. I don't think that she had hit a kerb, I'm blaming the problem on the guy who did 'something' with the rack.

I'm pleased that you got sorted.

jas21, can you please tell me where "The Eagle Garage" is?

Many thanks.

Sorry ... I have just seen your request. It's approximately at 13.895592 100.533237 On the small road at the side of ChangWattana Road... Makro is on the other side of ChaengWattana Road. A Blue Sign with EAGLE written on it. Be careful not to overshoot.

So when you see Makro on the other side of the road keep in the left lane.

If you are coming from LakSi end then you have to do a U-Turn after Makro.

[millwall_fan]

The tyres on my Mitsubishi Pajero need replacing and I am being quoted:

Thunderer 16,360

Roadstone 19,160

Dunlop 21160

Bridgestone 23400

Michelin Latitude Tour HP 23,800.

This is by B Quick, Pahonyottin Rd in Bangkok

I know sweet FA about tyres/tires. I could afford any of the above, but am not wealthy so would like to save money if it is not false economy.

What would you experts recommend?

[Pib]

The tyres on my Mitsubishi Pajero need replacing and I am being quoted:

Thunderer 16,360

Roadstone 19,160

Dunlop 21160

Bridgestone 23400

Michelin Latitude Tour HP 23,800.

This is by B Quick, Pahonyottin Rd in Bangkok

I know sweet FA about tyres/tires. I could afford any of the above, but am not wealthy so would like to save money if it is not false economy.

What would you experts recommend?

I've heard of the last three as they are major tires makers worldwide...sold worldwide. Michelin came on my new Toyota Fortuner and lasted to about 95Km before needing to be changed because they started giving a shaky ride on the front wheels even after tire rotation, spin balance and alignment...they still had plenty of thread left and looked great...however the rubber had got hard and started to give the rough ride at high speed and squealing on turns. I replaced them with Bridgestones and now have about 45Km on them...they sill look new, plenty of thread left, ride smooth. I think Thunderer and Roadstone are Thai brands...can't speak to their quality, but I do see they seem to be on the lower cost side.

[millwall_fan]

I think Thunderer are a Thai manufacturer and Roadstone are a Korean company with a factory in China that probably makes them!

[Pib]

Yeap, doing some googling Roadstone is S. Korean with a plant in China also: Link

More googling says Thunderer tires are made 100% in Thailand with a owing company name of SVIZZ-ONE Corp with an HQ in Bangkok: Link

I've seen a few Roadstone tires stores/signs around my part of Bangkok but don't remember ever seeing a Thunderer store/sign.

[MYKTHEMIN]

Go for the Bridgestones

[millwall_fan]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Yeap, doing some googling Roadstone is S. Korean with a plant in China also: Link

More googling says Thunderer tires are made 100% in Thailand with a owing company name of SVIZZ-ONE Corp with an HQ in Bangkok: Link

I've seen a few Roadstone tires stores/signs around my part of Bangkok but don't remember ever seeing a Thunderer store/sign.

Thank you, yes Id already done that research, I can also use Google! What I was l looking for were some recommendations from people who've used them.

Go for the Bridgestones

Thank you Mykthemin, My feeling is though that if I'm going to go for the more expensive end, I might as well go for the Michelins as the price difference between Dunlop-Bridgeston-Michelin is quite small. Do you think Bridgetone's are better than Michelin?

[Ace of Pop]

If its anything to go by,ive noticed that the Market Traders by me change to Mich Latitude for their first change from Originals.I lke Mich personally for the quiet road noise

[MYKTHEMIN]

I have had many Michelins fall apart and blow out, never had a Bridgestone fail and I have had many vehicles here and have driven in excess of 500000kms here

[Pib]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Yeap, doing some googling Roadstone is S. Korean with a plant in China also: Link

More googling says Thunderer tires are made 100% in Thailand with a owing company name of SVIZZ-ONE Corp with an HQ in Bangkok: Link

I've seen a few Roadstone tires stores/signs around my part of Bangkok but don't remember ever seeing a Thunderer store/sign.

Thank you, yes Id already done that research, I can also use Google! What I was l looking for were some recommendations from people who've used them.

Go for the Bridgestones

Thank you Mykthemin, My feeling is though that if I'm going to go for the more expensive end, I might as well go for the Michelins as the price difference between Dunlop-Bridgeston-Michelin is quite small. Do you think Bridgetone's are better than Michelin?

I've had never owned Michelins until they came new on my Fortuner...you read my experience with those. But highly unlikely I would buy them in the future, because of the many, many different brands I've owned over my life time I've got really good thread life on all (but I don't go bargain basement) but the Michelins were the first one's to go "hard" (dry out) on me and in only approx 5 years. Plus, I think Michelins are overpriced...I guess the their brand name automatically earns them a higher price with many people. The Bridgestones I currently have on the Fortuner (and I think new Fortuners now come with Bridgestones instead of Michelins) may do the same thing (get hard) but I won't know for a couple more years/10 of thousands of kilometers hopefully.

[Ace of Pop]

Only 5 Years.

[Pib]

Only 5 Years.

You bet...you must be a change them every 3 years guy.

[millwall_fan]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Yeap, doing some googling Roadstone is S. Korean with a plant in China also: Link

More googling says Thunderer tires are made 100% in Thailand with a owing company name of SVIZZ-ONE Corp with an HQ in Bangkok: Link

I've seen a few Roadstone tires stores/signs around my part of Bangkok but don't remember ever seeing a Thunderer store/sign.

Thank you, yes Id already done that research, I can also use Google! What I was l looking for were some recommendations from people who've used them.

Go for the Bridgestones

Thank you Mykthemin, My feeling is though that if I'm going to go for the more expensive end, I might as well go for the Michelins as the price difference between Dunlop-Bridgeston-Michelin is quite small. Do you think Bridgetone's are better than Michelin?

I've had never owned Michelins until they came new on my Fortuner...you read my experience with those. But highly unlikely I would buy them in the future, because of the many, many different brands I've owned over my life time I've got really good thread life on all (but I don't go bargain basement) but the Michelins were the first one's to go "hard" (dry out) on me and in only approx 5 years. Plus, I think Michelins are overpriced...I guess the their brand name automatically earns them a higher price with many people. The Bridgestones I currently have on the Fortuner (and I think new Fortuners now come with Bridgestones instead of Michelins) may do the same thing (get hard) but I won't know for a couple more years/10 of thousands of kilometers hopefully.

Thank you for that, most helpful. I found a TV thread from 2013 that suggests that Thunderer tyres are fine as budget tyres, but you guys seem to be slowly pushing me toward Bridgestone (they are what I have on my Mitsubishi Pajero currently (from new) they have done 55,000KMs.

[Pib]

I have Bridgestone tyres on my car now. They are 2 years old done 35,000K.

I just had the car serviced and the mechanic tells me I should replace all 4 tyres.

Still plenty of tread left on them. I went to the tyre shop they said still OK but should replace them in a years time as they will be three years old.

I have been thinking of buying Maxis tyres. Any members have experience with these?

This is for a Toyota Corolla.

Many thanks.

That's a common scam recommendation in Thailand, maybe other places also, to replace your tires after they are three years old. My Toyota dealership recommended the same thing. Highly profitable recommendation for tire manufacturers and sellers...they are just looking out for your safety. But a I bet a high percentage of people, especially many women and old folks, follow the recommendation.

I must have reached the "old folks look" age because this morning I took my Fortuner to the Toyota dealership for a 140Km checkup. Now my current Bridgestone tires now have 45Km on them...look like they have at least another 45Km of thread left on them; bought them in Jan 13....and the manufacture date on the tires is 5012 (50th Week of 2012...mid Dec 2012)...so they are almost 2.5 years old. The dealership recommended I change them. I said why? They said because they are old...over 3 years.

I walked out to the car, pointed to the manufactured date on the tires, and explained to them what date that was....their faces immediately turned red and they said OK.