Replace trailer tires due to age not wear?

[nastav]

My m101cdn has Goodyear MT/R tires that are approximately 8+ years old.
Realistically the tires have less than 6,000 miles on them, and most of those were from me over the past year that I’ve owned it.
Tires appear to be in good condition after Visual inspection, no issues with ride or balancing.

I’ve finally found a stock spare wheel and I need a spare tire.
My options are:

Buy one new tire for spare. (This wouldn’t be a GY MT/R because there are so many choices that cost less)
Buy two new tires and keep one MT/R as spare.
Buy three new tires and sell the two MT/R.

I’ve found an excellent online deal on a very good tire, so I can get each tire for $120 shipped.

I have no complaints with the current tires, so I’d be good with keeping them and just buying a new spare.

I’ve never had a tire “age out” they always worn out from usage before they were “old”

 

[WOODY2]

Buy all 3. You will not regret it after you leave the tire shop. Besides you won't have that Damn I shoulda swapped them out feeling at the most inopportune time.

 

[tarditi]

Assuming these are not matched to the towing vehicle - get 3 new tough tires that fit the budget.

Trailer tires can look cool, but at their best, they simply provide flotation - tread has no real value in the equation, other than scuff/puncture resistance, as they simply spin idle... no driving, no steering inpouts

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

Without question you need to replace all 3. I've got a boat on trailer that may see 1,000 miles a year if I'm lucky. Tires are 4-5 years old, blew one at end of last season. They are all getting replaced before this season. Jack up the trailer and turn the wheels you will see they have likely lost their shape. The lack of regular use is probably worst abuse on a tire. Sure they may work at night or in the rain, but as soon as the roads heat up they will come apart.

 

[vintageracer]

Ride em till they blow or wear out.

That's why you carry a spare tire!

THEN go replace all 3 tires.

 

[CampStewart]

If budget is a concern I would buy the needed spare in the new size and style that you want and run the current tires until one goes bad. My reasoning is that the current tires are leading a very easy life. They are not running anywhere near capacity and not getting hot or really stressed. A single axle trailer isn't going to really care if tires are a size off or different tread pattern.

 

[cameron_a]

I have two trailers. one wears out a set of 4 once a year, the other will dry rot before they get to half worn. once they start showing cracks etc etc I usually grab a set of half worn tyres from a tyreshop and pop those on. rinse. repeat.
If you monitor them well there's no need to replace them until they're well over 10 years old probably

 

[rkj__]

If the tires look good, with no cracking and obvious signs of dry-rot, you could likely delay replacing them. You could likely buy a single used tire of similar age and quality for very cheap for your spare.

Then, in a couple years when the tires start to not look so good, you could replace all three.


The last set of AT tires I had on my truck were recycled due to age. I bought them used. By the time I got them low on tread, they were very clearly cracking / dry rotting on the sidewalls. Half of them went flat over the winter in storage. Tread wise, I probably could have got a little more distance (maybe 5,000 miles) out of them, but it was very clear they needed replacing.

 

[nastav]

Thanks for all the responses.
I'll probably order two new tires, and use of the current ones as the spare.
I don't want to store, sell, or dispose of good/old tires if they can serve as a spare.

I'm just attempting to avoid having a trailer tire issue in the middle of nowhere moab. The trailer sees most use off-road there, and it can be pretty far away from assistance.
I just replaced and repacked the trailer wheel bearings on both sides for the same reason......preventive maintence.

 

[grogie]

I also have Goodyear MT/R tires (32x12.5x15) on my trailer. They've got 8-9k after about 5 years. They honestly look new, and I think I'd keep them past 10 years? I don't see any issues from them sitting a lot (like flat spots), and they don't lose air at all. Unless I see any cracking? They are beefy tires after all.

But yes, great idea to at least keep one of the originals as a spare.

Curious, what's the weight of your trailer and what's the PSI that you run?

 

[CampStewart]

If I didn't trust my tires to be reliable now I would trust one much less 5 years from now when I needed it to get home.

 

[broncobowsher]

Pick a holiday weekend. Drive down the highway and look at the trailers that have blown out tires. Notice they are usually about 5-6 years old. And they look like they only go out a couple times a year. Tires have plenty of tread, but the rubber is rotton.

I've replaced tires on my boat that had less than 100 miles on them, the spare still had the titties. They simply aged out. The boat lives indoors now, that will buy another year, maybe two of life. That means in a year or two I'll be putting new ones on again and the old ones look perfect with only 1,000 ~ 1500 miles on them.

It is amazing the amount of damage that happens when a tire blows out. Fenders, wheel wells, wiring, plumbing, is all game to be destroyed. It is the flailing bits that hang onto the rim that act like a monster weed eater attacking everything up to several feet away. Thousands of dollars in damage is common.

 

[highlandercj-7]

That is the case with actual trailer tires, not so much on truck tires that are used on trailers. Carlisle trailer tires are one of the worst. A few others share their same tread pattern and are just as crappy. I would bet that 90% of the blow outs you see are due to dry rot and tread separation and not damage or wear. I just replaced my 2005 30' Jayco's tires last year. They were like new except the one contact area that touched the ground for a few years before I bought it. I did not want them to blow out so I replaced them.

IMHO, replacing tires due to age alone is ridiculous. Very rarely will a tire fail without telling you first. You must inspect the tire: if it is in excellent condition with no dry rot, bubbles or damage, it is good.

 

[Factoid]

The beauty of a discussion forum is the differences of opinion that often drive clarity. Such is my strong disagreement with the above post. All tires age out and need to be replaced. Read the date code and then proceed at your own risk! I wouldn’t have tires on any of my vehicles that are over 6 years from the date code, even if they were just installed recently.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk from Belize!

 

[Mccool]

This is a good discussion. I'm in the same boat. I just bought 4 wheels for my trailer that match my tow vehicle. They came with a perfect size set of BFG AT tires with 80%+ tread left. They are 7+ years old though. I only paid $200 for the set, so I'm fine with replacing the tires but it would be a shame to waste such nice tires.