Tire Dilema

[tobybul]

I have Michelin XA4's on my 84 300D with a DOT number of 154. Supposedly, this means it was made on the 15th week of 1994. The treads are still very good. I just got this car and was obviously hardly driven by the PO judging from the tire treads.

I guess this means the tires are 12 years old. Des anyone have any thoughts about whether to replace the tires because of age or wait till they are worn out? I really did not want to spend the $$ at this time if its not necessary.

[thorsen]

Personally, I would change them. In fact, one of the first things I do when I buy a used car is to replace the tires. That's a lesson I learned the hard way.

I bought a used Saab a while back and thought the tires looked good. Plenty of tread, but they were old. A panic stop in traffic proved that just because they looked ok did not mean that they were. I crumpled the hood and the fender - lesson learned.

You don't have to buy the most expensive (I prefer TripleTreds myself) tire, but you can't beat fresh rubber.

Just my $.02

[Brian Carlton]

I've got similar rubber on the SD. They are Michelin MX4's and are probably seven years old by now. They've got 75K on them and the tread is definitely below 40%. But, I'm not about to change them just yet. Will new tires perform better in an emergency........probably. But, I'm not overly concerned about them.

I did have to replace the tires on the back of the POS van recently. Both Goodyear Wrangler AT's..........over 10 years old..........suffered cord separation within 6 months of each other. The first got relegated to the spare..........when the second let go, I broke down and bought a pair of Kumho's that I like very much for the price.

12 years is a very old tire...........but..........Michelin makes a very good product........

[t walgamuth]

a new tire will have so much better grip and ride you will be amazed.

i would upgrade if i could afford it.

tom w

[tobybul]

thanks for the feedback, fellas... I have my eyes on a set of BF Goodrich touring Pro from Sams Club. They're the most decent set I could get for under $300. I had thought about Kumhos but I gotta find the right tire. I normally get my tires from Discount Tire but I'm a bit fed up with their sales methods. They only push the tires they have on hand. Could be different tomorrow.

Sams Club and Costco prices are hard to beat.

[dieseldiehard]

Originally Posted by tobybul

I have Michelin XA4's on my 84 300D with a DOT number of 154. Supposedly, this means it was made on the 15th week of 1994. The treads are still very good. I just got this car and was obviously hardly driven by the PO judging from the tire treads.

I guess this means the tires are 12 years old. Des anyone have any thoughts about whether to replace the tires because of age or wait till they are worn out? I really did not want to spend the $$ at this time if its not necessary.

forget the tread amount. look for cracking in the sidewalls
OK, plain and simple, here's my story and I have the scar to prove it
My girl friend had a VW big. We were running along 60MPH on the Oakland (CA) Bay Bridge when one tire blew out from old age. It was a Continental tire as I recall anyhow, my story! The bug was drifting around like it was on ice then a big Cadillac running about 70 hit us broadside and flipped the bug in the air.
I layed there on the pavement after crawling out through the front window, looking in the back seat I saw the battery dripping acid because the car came to rest upsice down with the roof on the pavement. I had hit the windshield with my face and was bleeding pretty bad but my friend was fine.
As dazed as I was I wanted to find out how the hell all this happened so I was looking over the car and saw the cracks in the tires. Someone kept telling me to take it easy but I was determined to look over the tires. The ambulance came about 20 minutes because they had to block-off traffic so it came the wrong way. People were yelling obscenities at us! I guess they were mad we made them miss a plane or some lunch appointments or something, man people can be cruel!

Its a bad idea to run on old tires, man! Is your life worth the risk ?

[toomany MBZ]

"84 300CD, Yokahama TRZ rated tops in aquaplaning, and high in other catagories. From Tire Rack, you'll have to call them, the web site, is difficult to log on to.