Had a surprise when checking 365/70 R22.5 tire date codes

[JRS]

Purchased rig in Aug 2019 and did a factory pickup in Sept 2019. I've been under the rig before but never checked the date codes (didn't think I had to) until yesterday. To my extreme disappointment, one of my 365 drive tires had a date code of 2318 and the other 4818! Why the 25 wk difference who knows but one will be 7 yrs old this summer. Could only read half of the rear tires and all were made in early 2019 ( 2 have 0919 other 0519). So..... I suggest those with a similar aged rig to check their 365 tires (only Michelin makes the 365 RV only tire).
Because the tax rate is more favorable in Dubuque, IA compared to other places we'll be later this yr (getting front seats recovered at Bauer RV Upholstery) I gave Bauer Built Tire & Service a call (company has a lot of locations). Jimmy the Mgr is a great guy. He actually suggested I don't get the tags and drive tires done yet and that many run till 8-10 yrs. They're "virgin tires" and if they do blow out, they'll typically blow out from the sidewalls which will not typically cause that much damage. He'll check the rear tires when we get the fronts replaced. He carries Continental tires but suggested B.F. Goodrich which has the same casing as a Michelin and will ride softer than the Continentals. They spin balance and worked with many RVs with Alcoa Dura-Bright coated rims. Said to call 5-6 wks ahead to schedule the appointment. Because the tax rate in nearby Plattsville, WI is 5.5% I called a dealer there and haven't received a response call.
Fortunately all my tires look great and couldn't find a single crack anywhere, bulge, etc on the reverse "unexposed" side of the tires. Now knowing my drive tires are 6.5yrs old, I'm now a firm believer in McKee's 37 Gloss Tire Gel which I've been using for years (don't cover the tires). The outside of the tires look like new.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

My 2₵ observation is Jimmy is giving you some poor information. Those drive and tag tires may run 10 years but they may not run 7 and if and when they do blow the tire coming apart is going to cause damage and usually severe damage. Let's not even consider if and when the tire blows you could lose control of the coach and cause catastrophic damage. Oh, and ask Jimmy about zipper blowouts. Michelin gets that award primarily due to their sidewall construction.

Well sorry, I probably gave you a dollar's worth.

 

[JRS]

My 2₵ observation is Jimmy is giving you some poor information. Those drive and tag tires may run 10 years but they may not run 7 and if and when they do blow the tire coming apart is going to cause damage and usually severe damage. Let's not even consider if and when the tire blows you could lose control of the coach and cause catastrophic damage. Oh, and ask Jimmy about zipper blowouts. Michelin gets that award primarily due to their sidewall construction.

Well sorry, I probably gave you a dollar's worth.

Yeah I agree with the dollar lol

Wanted to keep the post from getting too lengthy.....
Jimmy did agree that the drives are at the time to consider replacing but also said he'll change the rear tires if we want but at less than 6.5yrs old he'll inspect them this summer. If they look good like I told them they do he suggested we could get more time out of them. We were ready to replace the rears but he actually unsold us on replacing them at this time!
The tires look great so I'm going to get more time out of the rear tires. There's a bit of scuffing on the tags but not a single defect on either side or treads of the tires that I could find. Here's a picture of the rear tires I detailed last November and they still look like new.