Is there a law as to the age, in years, of tyres for vehicles in general,
And dose any one know if there is any special laws for Caravans, Re / Insurance companies.
Or dose it just come down to common sense,
My policy, says, No cover, caused by, road cuts, punctures, bursts or braking.. Dose no mention age.
Regards Bowser.
swamp said
08:12 PM Mar 26, 2019
hi,
Common sense . Keeping the rubber rotating 5000kms per yr = approx. 10-15yrs . OR When side wall or tread cracks appear its time to replace if the tread is road worthy.
Remember lack of use also deteriorates rubber .
Wheel alignment as needed.
Wheel balance helps bearing life .
maintain brgs and tyre pressures.
Some tyres are 3yrs old when sold .!!
Terryt said
08:14 PM Mar 26, 2019
Not sure what you are saying. As far as I know no insurance policy covers tyres unless you took it out just for the tyres. Age of tyres is not a legal issue. You can be defected if they are dangerous.
Whenarewethere said
08:22 PM Mar 26, 2019
Look on the tyre for week & year it was made WWYY. 10 years is the maximum life of a tyre under idea care & no potential damage, but look at replacing it after 5 years.
I check tyres daily at least when in the outback.
Recently helped a potentially stranded 4wd with rock through the tyre. 3 plug repair. Their spare was 10 years old & full of cracks & flat, in a modestly remote area.
If you value your & other lives put some new tyres on at 5 years.
dabbler said
08:26 PM Mar 26, 2019
Age is irrelevant, condition is everything. Same laws for all vehicle types whether motorised or not, trailed or not.
Insurance and legality don't always go hand in hand as insurance covers causes that affect an event not potential causes.
dabbler said
08:30 PM Mar 26, 2019
I recently put two brand new but 5 year old tyres on my Hilux hoping to get a little extra from them. Both were well sheltered their entire life with no obvious cracks or bulges. One lasted less than 800km before a huge chunk was carved off by an abrupt edge of a pothole or road edge. Old tyres are brittle and no where near as flexible as new tyres.
Hewy54 said
09:04 PM Mar 26, 2019
dabbler wrote:
Age is irrelevant, condition is everything. Same laws for all vehicle types whether motorised or not, trailed or not. Insurance and legality don't always go hand in hand as insurance covers causes that affect an event not potential causes.
Your first statement is completely wrong as you have pointed out in your second post.
Modern tyres have a life of about 5 years and then should be changed out.
The second part is correct in that condition is important.
Whenarewethere said
09:19 PM Mar 26, 2019
A 2006 Michelin USA document:
The following recommendation applies to RV/Motorhome tires. Tires are composed of various types of material and rubber compounds, having performance properties essential to the proper functioning of the tire itself. These component properties evolve over time. For each tire, this evolution depends upon many factors such as weather, storage conditions, and conditions of use (load, speed, inflation pressure, maintenance, etc.) to which the tire is subjected throughout its life. This service-related evolution varies widely so that accurately predicting the serviceable life of any specific tire in advance is not possible.
That is why, in addition to regular inspections and inflation pressure maintenance by consumers, it is recommended to have RV/Motorhome tires, including spare tires, inspected regularly by a qualified tire specialist, such as a tire dealer, who will assess the tires suitability for continued service. Tires that have been in use for 5 years or more should continue to be inspected by a specialist at least annually.
Consumers are strongly encouraged to be aware not only of their tires visual condition and inflation pressure, but also of any change in dynamic performance such as increased air loss, noise or vibration, which could be an indication that the tires need to be removed from service to prevent tire failure.
It is impossible to predict when tires should be replaced based on their calendar age alone. However, the older a tire the greater the chance that it will need to be replaced due to the service-related evolution or other conditions found upon inspection or detected during use.
While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10 years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a simple precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not reached the legal wear limit.
For tires that were on an original equipment vehicle (i.e., acquired by the consumer on a new vehicle), follow the vehicle manufacturers tire replacement recommendations, when specified (but not to exceed 10 years).
The date when a tire was manufactured is located on the sidewall of each tire. Consumers should locate the Department of Transportation or DOT code on the tire that begins with DOT and ends with the week and year of manufacture. For example, a DOT code ending with 0304 indicates a tire made in the 3rd week (Jan) of 2004.
dabbler said
09:54 PM Mar 26, 2019
Hewey54, Responses need to read in the context of the question asked. My comments are quite correct in terms of the question posed by the OP. There is no law pertaining to tyre age in any Australian jurisdiction, as opposed condition.
Hewy54 said
10:02 PM Mar 26, 2019
Hey Whenarewethere,
I guess it also depends on what you Google and who you believe
From Tire Safety Group
Tires Expire in Six Years
The evidence is clear: tires should have an expiration date. Older tires are substantially more likely to fail than newer ones. This is because tires are made mostly of rubber, and rubber degrades with age. Sunlight, heat, ice, and general wear and tear can accelerate the breakdown of a tire. Once a tire begins to break down, it becomes more likely to fail in the form of a tread separationoften at highway speeds, when the failure is most likely to cause catastrophic injuries or death.
For most tires, this expiration date should be six years from the date of manufacture. Tires age dangerously because of a chemical process commonly referred to as oxidation, which simply means that as the tire components are exposed to oxygen, the oxygen particles cause the flexible components of a tire to harden and become brittle. Over time, the tire will simply fall apart under normal stress, just like an old rubber band. Because this process occurs naturally, it does not matter if a tire is being used, stored as a spare, or simply waiting on a store shelf for an unsuspecting consumer. 1
In 1973, the average tread life of a passenger car tire was approximately 24,000 miles. Tire tread life has quadrupled over the last forty years and some currently sold tires promise 100,000 miles of tread life. As tread life becomes less of a factor in the service life of a tire, oxidation becomes a more serious concern particularly in hotter climates, like Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana which are routinely the hottest states in the United States. 2
Tire Manufacturers Warn that Tires Expire in Six Years
Many auto manufacturers have taken small steps to warn consumers by placing warnings within the owners manual of newer model vehicles. However, due to the cryptic code tire manufacturers use on tires, the warnings are of only limited use to consumers. Nonetheless, the following manufacturers have issued warnings on 2013 and newer vehicles about tire aging:
Sadly, these warnings are not retroactively provided to consumers who own older model vehicles that are more likely to have aged or expired tires.
Hewy54 said
10:13 PM Mar 26, 2019
dabbler wrote:
Hewey54, Responses need to read in the context of the question asked. My comments are quite correct in terms of the question posed by the OP. There is no law pertaining to tyre age in any Australian jurisdiction, as opposed condition.
I stand corrected when I read it in context with the question asked, but I still do not like the statement "age is irrelevant".
It may be so in context of the law or insurance, but not in safety.
Whenarewethere said
10:16 PM Mar 26, 2019
My expensive Pirreli AT Plus tyres are made in China like everything else so I won't be leaving them on the car too long if I haven't used them!
-- Edited by Whenarewethere on Tuesday 26th of March 2019 10:17:51 PM
dabbler said
10:28 PM Mar 26, 2019
Hewy54, Age *is* irrelevant mate. A near new tyre stored in the elements and subjected to environmental and mechanical extremes can fail very quickly, because it's condition is the governing factor. The time a tyre should be replaced is opinion and not a measurable characteristic. Why a tyre be replaced is easily quantified and measured. That's why laws are written in terms of condition not age. You can argue certain things paralleling age and condition but there is only generality and no consistency.
Hewy54 said
10:36 PM Mar 26, 2019
dabbler wrote:
Hewy54, Age *is* irrelevant mate. A near new tyre stored in the elements and subjected to environmental and mechanical extremes can fail very quickly, because it's condition is the governing factor. The time a tyre should be replaced is opinion and not a measurable characteristic. Why a tyre be replaced is easily quantified and measured. That's why laws are written in terms of condition not age. You can argue certain things paralleling age and condition but there is only generality and no consistency.
Yes it is opinion, but condition cannot always be determined by outward appearance.
Just have to agree to disagree on this one.
dabbler said
11:11 PM Mar 26, 2019
Hewy54, the thing is, you have been selective with the points you present in favour of relying on "age". Other factors such as construction, speed rating, speed when used, used vs unused, exposure to elements, tyre type and profile have all been investigated for decades. Some of these factors go hand-in-hand and *all* have been found to be interdependent and probably useless on their own. My own recent experience actually demonstrates why age is not a good indicator as my tyres were a few months under 5 yrs yet almost no one claims a tyre should be replaced at 5 years. By your measure, my tyres where fine. You are correct that a visual inspection often doesn't reveal the real state but that just reinforces why it's critical to know your tyre's history to try to evaluate it's condition (as affected by the factors listed above). We can and do disagree and I urge everyone interested to do some research. It's a far more complicated than looking at the four digit code and/or wear strips and it starts with knowing your tyres.
Warren-Pat_01 said
11:30 PM Mar 26, 2019
I change my van tyres at 5-6 years unless they are worn out before then. Having to throw away an unused tyre, causes me now to do a 3 tyre rotation (single axled van).
The 4wd - about every 2.5-3 years & by that time they've done over 50,000kms.
How the tyres are treated can make a big bearing on their life eg the spare on my car was always covered with a vinyl cover that was difficult to remove/replace. I found out why at my last tyre change - it was a larger tyre (275x16 instead of 265x16). Somewhere in the car's history someone must have fitted larger tyres.
The spare looked perfect - was ten years old, had been used but there were no cracks, irregularities on it. The fact it had been covered, preserved it. I now do a 5 tyre rotation of the correct sized tyres.
Tony Bev said
01:17 AM Mar 27, 2019
Not sure about the legal side of things
I do remember reading (Michelin I think), that they recommended a tyre life of six years
Before I found this forum, I purchased a second hand caravan, with what looked like good tyres
Pumped them up to the pressure on the sidewall, and one tyre blew while I was on the road, and damaged my plastic mudguard molding
bowser said
09:49 AM Mar 27, 2019
Thanks, to every one, My tyres are still looking in great condition, but age is getting up a bit, Contacted my insurer, they have no Year expiry, but as I had put in my
Post and they say Common sense comes into it. But at least I have found out they do not have a year limit on the policy.
Regards Bowser.
Peter_n_Margaret said
02:44 PM Mar 27, 2019
Tyres are not all the same, so to try and put a life on them all the same makes no sense.
Nor are they used all the same way.
In particular, some tyres are loaded to 90% or more of their maximum load carrying capacity. That will make a very big difference.
Mine are never loaded beyond 60% of their maximum load capacity.
Cheers,
Peter
Hewy54 said
04:29 PM Mar 27, 2019
Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
Tyres are not all the same, so to try and put a life on them all the same makes no sense. Nor are they used all the same way. In particular, some tyres are loaded to 90% or more of their maximum load carrying capacity. That will make a very big difference. Mine are never loaded beyond 60% of their maximum load capacity. Cheers, Peter
I guess its the same as all maintenance on your vehicles. There are recommendations about how often you change the oil, but I would suggest that you modify this according to the usage. The word from the manufacturers on tyres is that due to the chemical construction, tyre may last between 6 and 10 years. I have had an excellent run out of my vehicles as I tend to err on the side of caution. If anyone wants to push the limits a bit more, go for it.
Warren-Pat_01 said
11:49 PM Mar 27, 2019
G'day Hewy54,
We saw on our last trip up the Birdsville Track a couple of years ago. a bloke who "went for it"!
He had a Pajero (loaded to the hilt & including a heavy box on his roof rack) & a heavy camper trailer on the back. He was running Coopers & was determined to "get his 80,000kms out of them". Luckily we left Maree before he did as apparently he had SOME tyre troubles!
On the first one to go, another traveller stopped to assist him when the Toyota jack wouldn't lift the car & later on he did another tyre & arrived at Mungerannie Roadhouse well after most of us who had an evening meal there left to hit the sack.
I saw him the following morning - he couldn't foul mouth Coopers any more than he did! I looked at the rest of his tyres - they all had less than 20% of tread remaining! Whether he got to Birdsville, I don't know & at the time I couldn't care. The staff at Mungerannie must have had a field day selling him at least 2 tyres. On those roads, I prefer to have new or near new tyres.
swamp said
04:57 AM Mar 28, 2019
hi One of the biggest killers of van tyres is lack of use . Mounted /inflated tyres prefer to be unloaded when stored but tyres still prefer tobe used a min amount.
-- Edited by swamp on Thursday 28th of March 2019 04:59:01 AM
Aus-Kiwi said
05:54 PM Mar 29, 2019
Having had issues with 8 ton Fuso Bus converterted To motorhome. With 20 year old 18 wheels . The rubber goes hard and breaks off when on long trip where heat gets into them . Plus the rubber goes like plastic. No grip !! Trust me tyres shouldnt be used over 10 years !! Theres so much riding on them !
Evening.
Is there a law as to the age, in years, of tyres for vehicles in general,
And dose any one know if there is any special laws for Caravans, Re / Insurance companies.
Or dose it just come down to common sense,
My policy, says, No cover, caused by, road cuts, punctures, bursts or braking.. Dose no mention age.
Regards Bowser.
Common sense . Keeping the rubber rotating 5000kms per yr = approx. 10-15yrs . OR When side wall or tread cracks appear its time to replace if the tread is road worthy.
Remember lack of use also deteriorates rubber .
Wheel alignment as needed.
Wheel balance helps bearing life .
maintain brgs and tyre pressures.
Some tyres are 3yrs old when sold .!!
Look on the tyre for week & year it was made WWYY. 10 years is the maximum life of a tyre under idea care & no potential damage, but look at replacing it after 5 years.
I check tyres daily at least when in the outback.
Recently helped a potentially stranded 4wd with rock through the tyre. 3 plug repair. Their spare was 10 years old & full of cracks & flat, in a modestly remote area.
If you value your & other lives put some new tyres on at 5 years.
Your first statement is completely wrong as you have pointed out in your second post.
Modern tyres have a life of about 5 years and then should be changed out.
The second part is correct in that condition is important.
A 2006 Michelin USA document:
The following recommendation applies to RV/Motorhome tires. Tires are composed of various types of material and rubber compounds, having performance properties essential to the proper functioning of the tire itself. These component properties evolve over time. For each tire, this evolution depends upon many factors such as weather, storage conditions, and conditions of use (load, speed, inflation pressure, maintenance, etc.) to which the tire is subjected throughout its life. This service-related evolution varies widely so that accurately predicting the serviceable life of any specific tire in advance is not possible.
That is why, in addition to regular inspections and inflation pressure maintenance by consumers, it is recommended to have RV/Motorhome tires, including spare tires, inspected regularly by a qualified tire specialist, such as a tire dealer, who will assess the tires suitability for continued service. Tires that have been in use for 5 years or more should continue to be inspected by a specialist at least annually.
Consumers are strongly encouraged to be aware not only of their tires visual condition and inflation pressure, but also of any change in dynamic performance such as increased air loss, noise or vibration, which could be an indication that the tires need to be removed from service to prevent tire failure.
It is impossible to predict when tires should be replaced based on their calendar age alone. However, the older a tire the greater the chance that it will need to be replaced due to the service-related evolution or other conditions found upon inspection or detected during use.
While most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10 years, it is recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a simple precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not reached the legal wear limit.
For tires that were on an original equipment vehicle (i.e., acquired by the consumer on a new vehicle), follow the vehicle manufacturers tire replacement recommendations, when specified (but not to exceed 10 years).
The date when a tire was manufactured is located on the sidewall of each tire. Consumers should locate the Department of Transportation or DOT code on the tire that begins with DOT and ends with the week and year of manufacture. For example, a DOT code ending with 0304 indicates a tire made in the 3rd week (Jan) of 2004.
I guess it also depends on what you Google and who you believe
From Tire Safety Group
Tires Expire in Six Years
The evidence is clear: tires should have an expiration date. Older tires are substantially more likely to fail than newer ones. This is because tires are made mostly of rubber, and rubber degrades with age. Sunlight, heat, ice, and general wear and tear can accelerate the breakdown of a tire. Once a tire begins to break down, it becomes more likely to fail in the form of a tread separationoften at highway speeds, when the failure is most likely to cause catastrophic injuries or death.
For most tires, this expiration date should be six years from the date of manufacture. Tires age dangerously because of a chemical process commonly referred to as oxidation, which simply means that as the tire components are exposed to oxygen, the oxygen particles cause the flexible components of a tire to harden and become brittle. Over time, the tire will simply fall apart under normal stress, just like an old rubber band. Because this process occurs naturally, it does not matter if a tire is being used, stored as a spare, or simply waiting on a store shelf for an unsuspecting consumer. 1
In 1973, the average tread life of a passenger car tire was approximately 24,000 miles. Tire tread life has quadrupled over the last forty years and some currently sold tires promise 100,000 miles of tread life. As tread life becomes less of a factor in the service life of a tire, oxidation becomes a more serious concern particularly in hotter climates, like Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana which are routinely the hottest states in the United States. 2
Tire Manufacturers Warn that Tires Expire in Six Years
Many auto manufacturers have taken small steps to warn consumers by placing warnings within the owners manual of newer model vehicles. However, due to the cryptic code tire manufacturers use on tires, the warnings are of only limited use to consumers. Nonetheless, the following manufacturers have issued warnings on 2013 and newer vehicles about tire aging:
Sadly, these warnings are not retroactively provided to consumers who own older model vehicles that are more likely to have aged or expired tires.
I stand corrected when I read it in context with the question asked, but I still do not like the statement "age is irrelevant".
It may be so in context of the law or insurance, but not in safety.
My expensive Pirreli AT Plus tyres are made in China like everything else so I won't be leaving them on the car too long if I haven't used them!
-- Edited by Whenarewethere on Tuesday 26th of March 2019 10:17:51 PM
Yes it is opinion, but condition cannot always be determined by outward appearance.
Just have to agree to disagree on this one.
The 4wd - about every 2.5-3 years & by that time they've done over 50,000kms.
How the tyres are treated can make a big bearing on their life eg the spare on my car was always covered with a vinyl cover that was difficult to remove/replace. I found out why at my last tyre change - it was a larger tyre (275x16 instead of 265x16). Somewhere in the car's history someone must have fitted larger tyres.
The spare looked perfect - was ten years old, had been used but there were no cracks, irregularities on it. The fact it had been covered, preserved it. I now do a 5 tyre rotation of the correct sized tyres.
I do remember reading (Michelin I think), that they recommended a tyre life of six years
Before I found this forum, I purchased a second hand caravan, with what looked like good tyres
Pumped them up to the pressure on the sidewall, and one tyre blew while I was on the road, and damaged my plastic mudguard molding
Post and they say Common sense comes into it. But at least I have found out they do not have a year limit on the policy.
Regards Bowser.
Nor are they used all the same way.
In particular, some tyres are loaded to 90% or more of their maximum load carrying capacity. That will make a very big difference.
Mine are never loaded beyond 60% of their maximum load capacity.
Cheers,
Peter
I guess its the same as all maintenance on your vehicles. There are recommendations about how often you change the oil, but I would suggest that you modify this according to the usage. The word from the manufacturers on tyres is that due to the chemical construction, tyre may last between 6 and 10 years. I have had an excellent run out of my vehicles as I tend to err on the side of caution. If anyone wants to push the limits a bit more, go for it.
We saw on our last trip up the Birdsville Track a couple of years ago. a bloke who "went for it"!
He had a Pajero (loaded to the hilt & including a heavy box on his roof rack) & a heavy camper trailer on the back. He was running Coopers & was determined to "get his 80,000kms out of them". Luckily we left Maree before he did as apparently he had SOME tyre troubles!
On the first one to go, another traveller stopped to assist him when the Toyota jack wouldn't lift the car & later on he did another tyre & arrived at Mungerannie Roadhouse well after most of us who had an evening meal there left to hit the sack.
I saw him the following morning - he couldn't foul mouth Coopers any more than he did! I looked at the rest of his tyres - they all had less than 20% of tread remaining! Whether he got to Birdsville, I don't know & at the time I couldn't care. The staff at Mungerannie must have had a field day selling him at least 2 tyres. On those roads, I prefer to have new or near new tyres.
hi
One of the biggest killers of van tyres is lack of use . Mounted /inflated tyres prefer to be unloaded when stored but tyres still prefer tobe used a min amount.
-- Edited by swamp on Thursday 28th of March 2019 04:59:01 AM