How old are my tires?

[Chuck]

I've had my trailer for nearly 2 years now, and I finally found some numbers on the tires. the PO that had it for 5 years before me said that he had replaced them...so they can't be toooo old, but anyway, someone posted a link to a site that decodes these numbers that are stamped on them a while back, but I can't find it. this is what I found on the tires, only stamped on the inside:

V5NV DXA 086

under this number, the letters DOT.

in another spot, there's another series of numbers...much smaller, and "upside-down" in relation to the previous ones, and in much smaller type: 2137UA 9M03977

(I just happened to be crawling around under the trailer yesterday, and remembered to bring a flashlight with me this time; fwiw, the tires "look" new..in fact, my neighbor at a rally last year commented out of the blue on how good they looked, and said, "you must have just got those, eh?".).

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by chuck

I've had my trailer for nearly 2 years now, and I finally found some numbers on the tires. the PO that had it for 5 years before me said that he had replaced them...so they can't be toooo old, but anyway, someone posted a link to a site that decodes these numbers that are stamped on them a while back, but I can't find it. this is what I found on the tires, only stamped on the inside:

V5NV DXA 086

under this number, the letters DOT.

in another spot, there's another series of numbers...much smaller, and "upside-down" in relation to the previous ones, and in much smaller type: 2137UA 9M03977

(I just happened to be crawling around under the trailer yesterday, and remembered to bring a flashlight with me this time; fwiw, the tires "look" new..in fact, my neighbor at a rally last year commented out of the blue on how good they looked, and said, "you must have just got those, eh?".).

Chuck,
Your tires were made in MEXICO, around the end of Feb, 1996.
It looks like you're sporting tires that are over 8 yrs old.
ciao
53FC

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by 53FlyingCloud

Chuck,
Your tires were made in MEXICO, around the end of Feb, 1996.
It looks like you're sporting tires that are over 8 yrs old.
ciao
53FC

Oh, MAN!

Ok, Carnac, the magnificant: tell me how you gleened this information


...please tell me what I want to hear. there is another way to judge tire condition, other than age. my tires are in excellent condition, (because that's how they look...heck, they even still have those little "hairs" sticking out of the sidewalls..the kind you see on new tires that have very little milegage on them), and I do not need to spend 400 bucks on a new set.

[Over59]

Those three numbers after the DXA are the week 08 and the year 6 Feb 1996. If there were Feb 2001 it would be 0801. Found my PO recent tires were 1990 when I got around to looking. While the side walls looked good (magic tire finish?) there were cracks beginning between the groves on the threads. Changed the tires. Cann't imagine what a pain a flat on a trailer is and don't what to because I postponed spending a hundred dollars I will have to spend during the trailer's life with me anyway.

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by chuck

Oh, MAN!

Ok, Carnac, the magnificant: tell me how you gleened this information


...please tell me what I want to hear. there is another way to judge tire condition, other than age. my tires are in excellent condition, (because that's how they look...heck, they even still have those little "hairs" sticking out of the sidewalls..the kind you see on new tires that have very little milegage on them), and I do not need to spend 400 bucks on a new set.

Chuck,
Visit this site for plant location:
http://www.harriger.com/tire3.htm

This one to find the year of manufacture:
http://www.garbee.net/~cabell/tires.htm

simple..
ciao

Carnac, the magnificant

aka 53FC

[Chuck]

Ok, next question: so where's a good place to get tires around here?

are marathons the end all and be all of trailer tires? hmmm...considering that I got 8 years out of some bias-ply no-name series Firestones that were made in Mexico...(geez, if Firestone wouldn't put their name on 'em...what does that say?...again, not much if they lasted 8 years).

for that matter, after a quick google, it seems that there are still some 7x15 bias-plys available (cheap). or is it really adviseable to go w/ 225-75r15s? any other names other than goodyear? thoughts....

[Over59]

I like the look of the bias on the older units. After all you aren't doing braking snap turns with your AS, I hope. I found tire stores try to sell you a light truck or passenger tire instead of a ST tire. "never heard of that" "don't need it" "have to find them" Check the date on the new tires to be sure they are fresh and not in the warehouse for 4 years.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by chuck

Ok, next question: so where's a good place to get tires around here?

are marathons the end all and be all of trailer tires? hmmm...considering that I got 8 years out of some bias-ply no-name series Firestones that were made in Mexico...(geez, if Firestone wouldn't put their name on 'em...what does that say?...again, not much if they lasted 8 years).

for that matter, after a quick google, it seems that there are still some 7x15 bias-plys available (cheap). or is it really adviseable to go w/ 225-75r15s? any other names other than goodyear? thoughts....

I put Cooper ST225/75R15's on mine. No problems with them, and Cooper is a good national brand, sold by many mom-and-pop tire stores nationwide.
Terry

[uwe]

Chuck,
bias ply tires tow fine. Just as good as the radials, if not better. They also look more vintage and correct on the trailer. But! Having had both, I'd say go with the Marathons for overall safety. Many bias ply tires are re-labeled LT tires. That's all that was available when our trailers were new, and many manufacturers did not change the rubber to ST rubber or ST designs, but simply re-labeled their bias ply tires for trailer use. This is what Ifound out from a tire old timer in my town.
The Marathons are a little bit shorter in the sidewalls, ( make sure and check your tow hitch setup after tire type change) and tend to bind more to the road in very sharp turns, but they tow fine and replacements are available readily.
Try www.tirerack.com and keep digging. They have them...

[wingfoot321]

Chuck,

Your tires look so good because they are probably old enough to have been made with what the industry referred to as "heavy oils" in the sidewall compound and not under USA EPA rules in Mexico.

I don't think there is much difference today between an ST (trailer ) sidewall compound and an LT (light truck) compound. The heavy oils used in trailer & farm tires are gone according to my source.

The ST marathon should be as good as any other brand for long term durability and will have lower rolling resistance than a 700-15 bias ply. Also, the steel belts will turn road debris better than bias. It is a little smaller than the old bias 700-15 but, not much. They are readily available if you should damage one.

Load range "D" may ride a little hard but, gives you a lot more reserve capacity than LR "C" particularly in light of the reduced long term durability of todays tires.

Just my $.02

[53flyingcloud]

Originally Posted by chuck

Ok, next question: so where's a good place to get tires around here?
are marathons the end all and be all of trailer tires? hmmm...considering that I got 8 years out of some bias-ply no-name series Firestone's that were made in Mexico...(geez, if Firestone wouldn't put their name on 'em...what does that say?...again, not much if they lasted 8 years).
for that matter, after a quick google, it seems that there are still some 7x15 bias-plys available (cheap). or is it really advisable to go w/ 225-75r15s? any other names other than Goodyear? thoughts....

Chuck,
When I bought my Airstream, it was located in Texas, where it had sat for nearly 15 years. The very first thing I did was tow it very slowly to the local tire dealer to replace the tires. I had the brakes checked, the bearings repacked and, 4 brand new Toyo radial tires installed. total cost for this was just a tad over 600 dollars then~
I have been very pleased with the overall performances of these tires and, consider them to be exceptionally good tires. I will be staying with this brand when the time comes for replacement.
ciao
53FC

[Chuck]

Goodyear, Toyo, Cooper....Ok. I'll start digging. there's surprisingly little info that I can find via google. most tire sites dont even mention "ST" tires. they'd like to know what year and model "car" you have.... Wouldn'tcha know, "1973 Airstream" isn't on the list. If you search by size only, they only list car tires in the results.

I hope radials wont' lower the trailer too much; its already sagged quite a bit. coupler sits at 18" now, (was 19.5 by the book...). axles have indeed sagged a bit. but I caught a thread somewhere where our resident axle guru stated that he had a trailer that sagged 3", just from the load that he typically carried, and didn't think that this was any sort of problem.

Oh, and fwiw: the current tires that lasted 8 years and look so good are LT 7x15's.

I tried "tirerack.com"; couldn't find any mention on their site. don't people buy tires for RVs?? sheesh!

Ok, next question: I see alot of folks on other threads recommending "D" range tires, but that seems a bit excessive to me. the coach's gvw is 5500lbs. current tires have a 1700lb rating (c). Goodyear marathons are 2100 in the c range. Ds are 2500. seems like 10k lbs worth of tires is overkill for a 5500lb trailer? or am I doing the math wrong?

I thought I saw a thread on another site that said you should take the gvw, subtract the tounge weight, and get tires that match the remaining load.

[53flyingcloud]

Chuck,
Whichever you chose..at least here the link for Toyo..
You have to "look" at the top of the site menu in order to see the RV Center spin-off.
http://www.toyo.com/
Try it again..M54 are the style of RV tires I'm using.
Cooper Tires for RV..
http://www.coopertire.com/us/en/Prod...ype=SUV&id=220
GoodYears Tires for RV
http://www.goodyear.com/rv/
If you're paying the big bucks for the tires..
Why not get the best rating possible?
Good Luck.
53FC

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by 53FlyingCloud

[B]Chuck,
Whichever you chose..at least here the link for Toyo..
You have to "look" at the top of the site menu in order to see the RV Center spin-off.
http://www.toyo.com/
Try it again..M54 are the style of RV tires I'm using.
Cooper Tires for RV..
http://www.coopertire.com/us/en/Prod...ype=SUV&id=220
GoodYears Tires for RV
http://www.goodyear.com/rv/

hey, I was just looking at toyo's and cooper's sites. yeah, sure, I can find THOSE listings: "we have trailer tires".

-um....how much???

-"oh, sorry...see your dealer".

-I don't WANT to see my dealer. I'm at the office, pretending to work, and I want to compare prices of different makes and models of tires BEFORE I shlep myself to the dealer.

That's what I mean. not many prices listed by retailers. At least not that I can find. Oh, and Cooper's trailer tires are listed in the .....SUV category. doh! gee, why didn't I think to look there? didn't realize my trailer has been promoted to SUV status...or would that be de-moted?

If you're paying the big bucks for the tires..
Why not get the best rating possible?

Well, I did find a couple of listings for goodyear marathons, and there is a significant price difference between the C and the D range. maybe not so with the others...can't tell!!

[uwe]

Chuck,
here is a link to tirerack.com for Marathons. search for tire size, and they'll come up. C rated tires ( fine for the Safari) cost less, abot $ 64.00, I believe.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by uwe

Chuck,
here is a link to tirerack.com for Marathons. search for tire size, and they'll come up. C rated tires ( fine for the Safari) cost less, abot $ 64.00, I believe.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes

you know, I think I need to see a doctor or something...maybe I need more sleep... or perhaps, I should actually use the A/S for some R&R.. yesterday, that page wasn't there! seriously...I got to the nice desctiption, about what a wonderful tire that is, and so forth...but no pricing info. usually, I'm pretty good at ferreting these things out.

and you know, I could've sworn there was some excitement brewing in another thread on which I participated earlier today, and when I go back to look....its gone so maybe it isn't me (?)

(thanks!)

[overlander63]

I found these tire and wheel assy's on the web, interesting that the 6X5.5 wheel and ST225/75R15D tire w/ about 2500# cap per tire costs the same as the Marathons, I wonder what brand name they are?
T&W Assy, 15", ST225/75R15 D, 655 Oem, 2.54K Cap 4602-225D 146.98
T&W Assy, 15", ST225/75R15 D, 655 Slvr Mod, 2.54K Cap 22515DR655SM 136.84
T&W Assy, 15", ST225/75R15 D, 655 Wht Mod, 2.54K Cap 4828-M-225D 145.51
T&W Assy, 15", ST225/75R15 D, 655 Wht Spk, 2.54K Cap 22515DR655SW 133.22
T&W Assy, 15", ST225/75R15 D, 655 Wht Spk, 2.54K Cap 4828-225D 145.51
I found these at :
http://trailerparts-site.com/catalog_wheels_tires.htm
Terry

[wb13798]

well i tryed to figure out the age of my tires i did find out they were made in japan by bridgestone??? but the age i just couldnt figure that out.
DOT EK LU HKK227

[nickcrowhurst]

Al & Sue, week 22 of 1997, shown by the last three numbers. Nick.

[4slice]

Hi all,

When I bought my '77 31', the PO said that he had replaced the tires on the "sunny side" (starboard) a couple of years previously as they had shown cracking on the sidewalls, but didn't change the port side. If the year of manufacture is listed as a single digit, how do I know if the year is in the '90s or (godforbid) the '80s on the port side tires?

Thanks,
Gary H.
4slice
Prince George, BC