Trailer Tire Age and Methods to Prolong Tire Life

Question:

Hi, before I order 4 of these tires and rims, can you give me the DOT information and guarantee the age of these tires when shipped. Thanks.

asked by: Phil E

Expert Reply:

Trailer tires made overseas are usually at least 6 months old by the time they are fabricated, shipped via ocean container ship to a distributor here in the USA and reach our temperature-controlled warehouse. It is safe to say that you will not find us shipping a tire much "younger" than 6 months old. It is also likely that the very oldest a tire would be when we ship it, meaning a tire that is not among the most common and popular sizes that we ship every day, is about 2 years.

I went to our warehouse and checked a few of the Kenda Loadstar wheel/tire item # AM3S870. The tires that I checked showed a manufacture date code of 0817, which is the 8th week of 2017.

The age of a trailer tire is a real concern only if it was not properly stored. That is to say that if kept out of the elements and stored inside there is nothing to worry about with that age. Our trailer tire manufacturers (and we) store our tires inside, out of the elements, so they won't suffer damage from the sun or any dry rot. Tires that are well cared for can last easily 6 or 7 years, sometimes longer.

Use of protective tire covers like Adco # 290-3953, which fits the tire you referenced, will go a long way toward extending the life of the tires. UV radiation is brutal on tires. It is recommended to use covers on all tires (and your spare too if it is exposed to the sun) even when at your campsite, not just during off-season storage. It is a lot easier to replace (and afford) a tire cover that has been trashed by sun exposure than to replace an unprotected tire.

In truth, the single most common cause for tire failure is excessive heat build-up, and in our experience the single most common cause for that heat is under inflation. Trailer tires should always be inflated to the maximum cold psi pressure noted on the sidewall. It is never appropriate to deliberately under- or over-inflate a special trailer tire.

Proper inflation, protection from the sun and observance of the tires' rated weight and speed capacities will help ensure the longest possible service life from the tires.