V70 Wheels/Tyres: Winter tyre manufacture date / age of tyre

[jamesl]

I just picked up a set of new winter tyres, on a spare set of steels. Checking them out they looked like a bit different in colour. The manufacture date one pair are 4012 and the other 0313.

Given winters will be kicking around for a few years, do you think the 4012s are a bit old? I am not happy that they are a year old before I have started.

Any views on what is an acceptable at age of a tyre at purchase?

Cheers
James

[Simon Jones]

I think the general shelf life is around 6 to 10 years, so if you've bought them from a reputable supplier, either see if the will replace them, or offer you a discount to take into account their reduced lifespan.

[Brendan W]

Afaik 6 years is an MOT advisory. This probably takes into account the worst possible combination of exposure to UV etc etc. They are only 15 weeks apart and it will be 2018 before a tester will ask you to consider the age of the older pair. Will they still have tread at that point given that the winter compound will wear a bit faster.

[Bill_56]

Originally Posted by Brendan W

Afaik 6 years is an MOT advisory. This probably takes into account the worst possible combination of exposure to UV etc etc. They are only 15 weeks apart and it will be 2018 before a tester will ask you to consider the age of the older pair. Will they still have tread at that point given that the winter compound will wear a bit faster.

Agreed they probably should, but don't always. My late Dad was running around (sedately) in his 12 year old Astra, on original tyres, until a week before he passed away earlier this year.

The tyre rubber was all crazed and hard for at least the past 3 or 4 years, and I kept unsuccessfully nagging him to replace the tyres each time I visited. And year on year, the MOT testers failed to back me up, passed with flying colours!

[Brendan W]

Originally Posted by Bill_56

Agreed they probably should, but don't always. My late Dad was running around (sedately) in his 12 year old Astra, on original tyres, until a week before he passed away earlier this year.

The tyre rubber was all crazed and hard for at least the past 3 or 4 years, and I kept unsuccessfully nagging him to replace the tyres each time I visited. And year on year, the MOT testers failed to back me up, passed with flying colours!

I am sorry for your loss. I think some testers look at the owner vehicle combination when making discretionary calls.

[jamesl]

Thanks for your comments guys, TBH I am more annoyed that given I bought 4 tyres at once, that they weren't the same batch. I am sure there is a law about that in France!

I'll put the older ones on the front (if the directions match), I doubt they last that long.

Off to Spain in the car on Friday, so not fitting just yet anyway.