Just took delivery of 4 Michelin 195/65-15 tires for my wife's 300d. The date stamp on them was 0907, the 9th week of 2007. Just how good are these tires that have been sitting aroud in the Tire Rack warehouse?? I also bought 4 Kumo tires for my 350SDL with a build date of 4409, or the 44th week of 2009. Kumo's are much fresher tires. Are the old Michelins to expire in 2 years, as they say one should not have 5 yr old tires on your car?

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71 220D 169K wrecked
83 240D 118K sweet 4 speed
91 350SDL (one of the 60% good engines) 156K
84 300d (loaner to my sister) 189K
79 300SD (partswagen)
86 420SEL partswagen
70 220d (partswagen)
68 280s GASSER!!! under construction now
85 300sd 310K miles winter beater car retired
93 300d 2.5 turbo 168K wife's car
83 280SL euro 5 speed 155K
69 250S newest project 54K

I would call and ask tire rack what they think the acceptable shelf life of a tire is. Then present them with your problem.

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Current cars:
2000 ML55 AMG, 174k miles
2003 C240 T-Modell, 202k miles
1995 S320, 207k Miles

I did a little research a while back and most manufacturer's sites I checked said tires should be retired (even unused spare) after ten years. With all the many sizes and models tires don't move off the shelf like they did when there were 5 sizes and 2 models. Of course, back then there was no Date on Manufacture on the tire anyway.

I recently bought 5 tires from Tirerack which were made in Germany in late 2008. I don't plan on mounting them for a while but I'm not worried that they won't be replaced before 2018.

I would have zero issues with a tire produced in March of 2007 on my own car providing there is still usable tread depth. The only way to truly tell if a tire is 'aged' to a point it should be retired (no pun intended) is with a durometer.

Last year we were offered a smokin' deal on some 2004 & 2005 production tires which allowed us to offer them at a very attractive price. A race shop I have been dealing with over the last 10 years or so purchased quite few of them after some initial testing. They started by ordering 1 set of the 2004s and 1 set of new 2009 production version. The they performed a durometer check and found the 2004 production tires were only 3-4 points different than the 2009 tires. That 3% -4% difference is not enough to affect performance. They ran on those tires all last year and have even ran a couple of early season events this year on them with no age related issues.

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Please, call me to place orders or for more info
use my name for on-line orders

My local dealer pulled some Michelins for me last week, saw '07 date codes and sent them back, said he won't sell them.

A lot depends on the environment in which they're stored, how you're going to use them, and the discount for the age.

I run winter and summer tires, some of my summer tires last several years so I start fresh. My performance tires? They don't last 2 seasons, but you can tell the difference in hardness.

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Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

So, Luke, do you guys have clearance specials on older tires periodically? I've been getting mine for the Johnhef Backyard Tire Center lately. God knows how old those are. I just look to see if there are holes in them and some tread left.

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" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Yeah, any specials coming up real soon.
I'm looking for 5 195/75/14 to put on my dad's car, however the Kumhos I was looking at only show <4 available.

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Nathan
'74 280C - gone to a new home for the finishing it deserves.
'64 356SC
'74 914 2.0

while we rarely have a tire in our warehouse long enough to reach an 'age out' production date we have been able to pick up some tires product 5 years ago at a significant discount. When those deals happen I do post them up so, if I see anything it will be a stand alone thread here in the forums

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Please, call me to place orders or for more info
use my name for on-line orders

hey now!

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1980 500SE/AMG Euro
1981 500SEL Euro
1982 380SEL
1983 300TD
1983 500SEC/AMG Euro
1984 500SEC
1984 300TD Euro
1986 190E 2.3-16
1986 190E 2.3
1987 300D
1997 C36 AMG
2003 C320T 4matic

past: 1969 280SE 4.5 | 1978 240D | 1978 300D | 1981 300SD | 1981 300SD | 1982 300CD | 1983 300CD | 1983 300SD | 1983 380SEC | 1984 300D | 1984 300D | 1984 300TD | 1984 500SEL | 1984 300SD | 1985 300D | 1986 300E | 1986 560SEL | 1986 560SEL/Carat | 1987 560SEC | 1991 300D 2.5 | 2006 R350