Tire Age at Time of Purchase

[quonset]

I am planning on buying new Michelin tires at my local Sams but the tires were made in June and July of 2007. I presume they have been at the Sams or their warehouse since shipped from Michelin. My preference would be for tires with a more recent date of manufacture. Any thoughts on what effect putting on the 2007 tires would be versus trying to find 2008 tires??

Russ Hagberg

[Roger H]

I am not a tire engineer, and free advice is worth exactly what you pay for it, but... while everything has a shelf life, I don't think a few months one way or the other on a new tire before they're mounted is going to affect its service life significantly. While I'm sure there is some chemical migration, most of the damage to the tires occur from UV exposure. Unless your new tires were stored outside in the weather, I doubt there's much difference to be found in a tire stored for a few months indoors and one that was recently shipped from the factory.

Roger

[bill crommett]

Furthermore, if you are a prudent owner you will be buying new tires after five years anyway. Most tire gurus recommend that tires be replaced after five to seven years, and I prefer to be conservative and lean towards the five year date. A year in a warehouse should not give anyone a worry.