Question of running year old tires or Running less than max psi

Question from Chris

Hi Roger,

I came across your website by way of referral from a member on a Keystone RV forum.  I have a concern regarding upgraded tires and wheels for a Keystone trailer I own.  

As most manufacturers continue to cut costs in value models, wheels and tires seem to be ground zero in their savings.  So, to help mitigate tire failure on my coach, I've upgraded my china bomb OEM 14" tires sized ST205/75R14 LR-C to ST225/75R15  LR ? and purchased new wheels to accommodate the new rubber.  My wheels are Sendel wheels that support 2540 lbs of load each. 

I purchased Carlisle Radial HD tires in LRD from Discount Tire.  Unfortunately, they received LRE tires in instead of the LRD tires.  The Discount Tire salesman quickly resolved the error and within 2 days, had LRD in stock.  I returned to the store to have them balanced and mounted on the wheels. The stock they received in had DOT date code of 1516. He told me that was the newest in all his warehouses. I didn't want year old tires so I rejected the sale.  

Then, I ordered the same tires from Walmart.com.  Same story, the DOT date code was 1616 and 2016.  Rejected that sale.  Finally, I ordered them from Amazon.com.  They arrived today.  Again, tires are around 1 year old and I'm sending them back.

My first attempt at ordering tires from Discount Tire resulted in LRE tires. They were much newer around Nov 2016. I think my quest for load rated D tires from Carlisle in size 225/75/15 is futile.

So now, I'm considering purchasing the LRE tires as I think the local stock is much more fresh than I can ever find with LRD. The only limit I have is my wheel capacity at 2540 lbs. If the LRE tire max inflation pressure is 80 lbs supporting 2830 lbs, will it compromise the tire if I inflate only to 65 lbs (in order to stay within the specs of the wheel)? The OEM tires were LRC on 14 inch wheels supporting only 1760 lbs at 50 lbs. Weight is not a concern as I will never come close to max weight limits with my trailer on either LRD or LRE tire. 

Another thing that worries me is the stiffness in the LRE rubber. Comparing the Carlisle LRD to the OEM Trailer Kings is night and day. The tire is just so much more beefy. Don't really want to rip apart the trailer because it's rolling on unforgiving rubber. 

Any opinions and recommendations is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Chris M.

Concerned RV owner

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My answer:

OK you have a couple different issues.

You need to know that tires are made in batches. For relatively small markets it's possible that a company may only make an item once a year or even less frequently. While tire age is of concern when the tires are on the ground and exposed to sunlight and heat, it's less of an issue when in the factory warehouse.

One way to let your mind rest a bit is to ask when the warranty clock starts ticking. Some companies clearly state on day of application or first retail sale. Others say the warranty is based on DOT serial. If it's based on date of sale and clearly stated as such in the literature, I would be less concerned and just be sure that the sales receipt has the date and DOT serial of each tire identified and keep both warranty and receipt in a safe place.

Now, since you have taken the step of going from the ST205/75R14 LRC to ST225/75R15 LRD, you have increased the load capacity from 1760 @ 50psi to  2540 @ 65 psi. You have increased the reserve load capacity by over 50%, which should deliver very reliable service. While I do not have any data to go on, I think that when inflated to the same psi the LR-D and LR-E would have similar stiffness. It's the air that supports the load and it's the air that provides the majority of the tire stiffness.

For your application I would think there would be no problems with running LR-E tires at the wheel limit of 65psi.

So, bottom line, I think you can go with the year-old LR-D tires or run the LR-E at 65.

Safety Margin - Not as meaningful as Reserve Load

I and others really don't like the term "Safety Margin" as it sometimes implies something is safe when in reality all that can realistically be done is to lower the potential for problems.

When it comes to tires the term "Reserve Load" is a more meaningful and descriptive term.

We are discussing the difference between your actual load vs the load carrying capacity of a tire at a specific inflation. If you had a measured load of 4,500# on the heavier end of an axle and your tires was capable of supporting 4,950# at the cold inflation pressure you set the tire to, you would have a "reserve load" of 450# or 10%. To put this figure in perspective most cars have a reserve load capacity of 12% to over 20%.

We have covered proper weighing methods and the importance of having a margin of inflation pressure above the minimum needed to carry the actual measured load you are placing on your tires. So I would ask. Do you know what your reserve load is for the heavier end of each axle?

Despite the above, I occasionally get asked about a tire's "Safety Margin". When asked this question it sounds as if the person is intending to load the tire up to 100% of its rated load plus the additional percent that might be provided by the "safety margin". This is definitely not a good or safe practice.

Yes, some tires may be able to carry more than the max load marked on the tire sidewall (at least for a short time) but I think it is better to think of the average margin rather than the minimum margin.

Federal regulations specify that "all" tires must be able to pass certain tests. So that means 100% of the tires sold are suppose to be able to pass the required tests. Some also want to believe that passing a test that is run on a smooth drum under controlled conditions can always be used to accurately predict trouble free use in real life.

Everyone should understand the concept of product variation. This results from variation in raw materials as well as in variation in the manufacturing process and even variation in testing. 1st tier tire companies have statisticians whose job it is is to target towards minimizing variations mentioned as well as the probability of stacked tolerances to aim for 99.99966% good product hens the term Six-Sigma.  Now not all companies use the concept of six-sigma as this requires a real commitment to ever improving quality from top management all they way down to the night janitor. Such a commitment takes real work, can be expensive and require very involved quality control. Some companies are probably satisfied with 99.9% or maybe 97% or 80% or even lower as they are willing to take a chance that they will not be caught in violation of regulations or that the warranty will expire early enough that there will be no cost to the company for their poor quality. IMO there are companies that no only do not apply statistical quality control such as practiced by 1st tier tire companies and the major car companies of the world, but some companies may not even understand the concept of real quality control.

A company can improve the quality i.e. get closer to 100% good, by over designing the product but if you have large variation you will be building a large number of products that are capable of handling 110% or maybe even 130% of the performance that is needed and this raises cost. Sometimes to the point of pricing yourself out of the market.

Lets assume there was an easy way to measure the quality of tires (remember there is no such test) and we could come up with some numbers. If our target was 7,000 and we were to test a hundred tires from company Q and found that some failed as early as 5000 while others achieved 9000 we could calculate the mean or average and estimate say7500 so some might claim a "safety margin" of 500 (Mean performance minus the goal) when in reality some people would end up with tires that were only capable of 5000. Now if there is a second company Z and with the same test we see that the range was 7000 to a high of 7800 for an average of  7400, would you say the quality or safety margin of these tires was not as good as those from company Q?  After all company Q achieved 7500 while company Z only achieved 7400.
How would you feel if you ended up buying a tire from company Q that only could achieve 5600?


I hope you can see that measuring tire quality can be a very complex issue.  IMO one reasonable way for consumers to estimate the real quality of a product is to look at the basic warranty. Warranty costs are many times greater than the basic cost associated with replacing a product and in the case of tires could amount to as much as three to five times the cost to the corporation of producing a tire in the first place so companies really want to avoid warranty costs.

There are a couple ways to avoid warranty costs. One is to make a good quality product and another is to cut back on the coverage provided by a warranty. If company Z offers say a 3 year warranty while company Q only offers 12 months or maybe as low as 30 day I think it's a safe bet that tires made by company Z have a much better "Safety Margin"  and probably a lower potential for failure.

Rather than worrying about the "margin" of tire brand Q vs brand Z on a theoretical test, I suggest it is better to ensure that your personal "Reserve" is reasonable. To learn what your reserve is you of course need to know your real tire load and that your pressure gauge is accurate and most importantly that at no time you operate your vehicle at a lower than specified pressure and if possible always run a bit more air pressure than the minimum needed to carry the load.


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Who is responsible for tire warranty service?

For many RV owners the contact information for their tires is easy to find, at least if their tire brand is made or sold by one of the 1st or 2nd tier tire companies. More about tire company tires in a moment. But what should you do if you have a tire question and you can't simply stop at your local tire dealer?

Recently I received a question from an RV owner who had suffered a couple of tire failures and the dealer he bought the tires from had retired and closed up shop. In his case a quick Google search and we discovered that a major chain store that has tire and auto service centers across the country carried the brand in question.

I think it is important to remember that in most cases the tire warranty is the responsibility of the tire manufacturer and not the specific tire dealer.

Here is some information I found from Keystone RV

"Keystone RV Company does not administer the warranty for tires. Please contact the tire manufacturer direct at:
1. Duro - 866-788-2060 - www.durotire.com/
2. Tireco (Freestar, Geostar, Mudstar, Mobile Max, Geotrac) - 800-937-9433 - www.tireco.com/
3. Goodyear - 800-321-2136 - www.goodyear.com/
4. TBC (TowMax, Roadrider, Trailer King, Solid Trac, Saliun) - 800-238-6469
5. Voma (Liberty) - 901-672-0816
6. Michelin (Uniroyal) - 800-847-8475 - www.michelinman.com/
7. Alliance (Galaxy) - 800-343-3276 - www.atgtire.com/
8. Tredit Tire & Wheel (H188ST, Grand Ride, Trail America, Super A, Triangle) - 800-537-2925 -
http://www.tredittire.com
9. Americana Tire & Wheel - 574-522-9450 - http://www.americanatire.com/"

Keystone also does a very good job of covering care of tires in their "owners manual".

Now there may be some exceptions such as a special Road Hazard warranty sold just by the  dealership, but when considering the purchase of such a warranty it is important to review the policy and to understand who is backing the warranty.

Modern Tire Dealer ("MTD"), a tire industry trade journal, in their Jan 2015 issue did an excellent job of covering market share. Now in general they split the market into two groups: Consumer tires (Passenger & LT) in one group, and Truck or commercial tires in the other group. So depending on the type of tire you are interested in you might be more interested in one group than the other. The bad news for many RV owners is that ST type tires are such a small portion of the tire market that they are not identified in the groups, but you might see your tire brand name in one or both groups.

The MTD list for "consumer tires" is as follows:

Tier 1 (major tire companies’ premium brands): Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear.

Tier 2 (upper- and middle-market brands): Continental, Pirelli, Hankook, Yokohama, Toyo, Falken, Kumho, Dunlop, Cooper, Firestone, BFGoodrich, General.

Tier 3 (value brands; all private brands): Nexen, Hercules, Multi-Mile, GT Radial, Mastercraft, Sumitomo, Big O, Cordovan, Delta, Fierce, Fuzion, Kelly, Nitto, Sigma, Landsail, Delinte, Kenda, Vredestein, Nokian, Sailun, Eldorado, Uniroyal.

Tier 4 (low-cost brands): Atturo, Linglong, Goodride, Dynatrac, Warrior, Duraturn, Aeolus, Zenna, Starfire, Primewell, Federal.

For Medium and heavy truck replacement sales MTD has this graphic



In a future post I will try and assemble contact information for brands listed without contact info above.


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Help It's hot and I need tires

That's the message I read on an RV forum.
Here is the pertinent background info.

   "I am having a real issue with Michelin tires.  I live in Las Vegas and there are 3 tire companies that carry Michelin tires.  The problem is they all tell me they are back ordered and have been for awhile.  They have no idea when they will get any.  I have a 40' 2008 RV that came with Goodyear tires and have serviced us well.  I just don't know what do do since I can't get Michelin tires which seems to be the tire to get. Should I settle for Goodyears that are in stock?  My other issue is we are going on a trip next week that we can't get out of and because of the extreme heat here in Vegas we are afraid that our old tires might just fly apart. What should I do?"

IMO

While I can't address tire availability from Michelin, you need to remember that there are generally considered to be 3 tiers of tire companies. Michelin, Bridgestone & Goodyear as #1 with the tires made & sold by these companies as being essentially the same  ie Firestone & Dayton ~ Bridgestone, Kelly & Dunlop~ Goodyear and Goodrich & Uniroyal ~ Michelin.

Now there are some minor differences within a corporation but many times the rubber compounds and reinforcement materials are identical or very similar. Tread designs may be a bit more advances in the Corporate brand and the top of the line tires may not have an equivalent in the 2nd brand  but for most people you will not see a difference in performance.

#1 tier have their own tire stores with many hundred nationwide.

Now Tier #2 would be tires made by corporations that have their own tire plants. These would be companies like Toyo, Pirelli, and others seen on this list. They may not have any company stores and jsut depend on large tire distributors to market their tires.

3rd tire would be companies that are not on the list above. These may actually be just sales companies the have other companies make lower cost product for them as "private brand" , Sometimes the same tire is made for a number of importers with only a name-plate change in the mold to differentiate the "brand" These companies seldom have their own stores but sell their products through wholesalers.

Check the tire warranty and I think you can get a good feeling for the real quality of the tires you might be considering. Are there lots of exceptions or if the warranty short could be a tip off that the seller isn't real willing to stand behind the products they are selling



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Now to your concern about your current tires and the hot temperature.  It's kind of hard offering an opinion or suggestion on if you need new tires right away or not, but tires simply do not fail simply because it is hot outside. Excess heat is not good for long term durability but if the tires have always been properly inflated, never been punctures or run even a few psi low you should be OK for a while.

You didn't offer your actual age of your tires but they are probably 7 to 8 years old. You also failed to provide info on how you store your tires. Inside or out in the Sun? Do you have a lot or a little extra load capacity based on actual individual tire position weights? Do you run a TPMS and have never run lower than what is needed to carry your actual measured load. All of these items can contribute to making a suggestion to change your tires right away or suggesting that you can wait a few weeks or months.

If concerned about road or ambient temperature just drop the speed down. Don't run 70 when 60 will still get you there. Last Aug I drove Ohio to Oregon at 60 - 62 with no problem.

Can you increase your tire pressure without exceeding the tire or wheel max?

Where are you headed?  Have you checked to see if there is a large tire dealer at a future location that has tires for your RV in stock?

UPDATE:
In the meantime I would suggest you go to a Goodyear truck tire dealer and have the tires inspected. Let them know your concern about the tire age and current hot temp in Vegas. Let them know your actual scale weights (Go to a local truck scale location first. There are a number around Vegas I'm sure)  and your normal cold inflation. WHile there ask if they would confirm the accuracy of your pressure gauge. If a stick type +/- 5 is about what I would expect. If digital (better) +/- 2 would be good. If outside these numbers you need a new gauge. Check my blog on tire gauges and how to have a reliable "Master Gauge" of your own for less than $15.
The tech should be familiar with the Goodyear tires you have so can offer first hand information on the condition of your tires.
Remember you can always get just the two fronts replaced as a failure there would be the greatest concern. With a TPM on the rear duals a failure would be less dramatic and you should get plenty of warning so you can safely pull over quickly before serious damage is done.

===========================
It would be nice to be able to offer more specific answer to his question but all to often people fail to provide important information that would allow more than a wild guess.


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5 year warranty on tires !!

We might be finally making progress.

An RV mfg and tire company have stepped up to address the issue of quality and reliability on RV trailer tires.
PrimeTime and Tredit now offer 5 year warranty.

Maybe you might consider printing out the Press Release and asking your tire company to match the coverage.


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What you need to do to get a tire failure replaced under Warranty

Along with this Blog I try and monitor a number of various RV forums. Some of you may have seen my posts. There have been a number of times when a topic comes up and I make a reply that I think would be a good topic for my blog but it is on a short side. I have decided that just because an answer to a question is not 600 words long, that should not stop me from sharing the answer so over the next few weeks I plan on posting a number of items where I provided an answer or comment on questions posed by other RV owners. As they say the Names have been changed to protect the innocent.

"John & Mary" wrote about the difficulty they had in getting a failed tire replaced. They were surprised that the tire company wanted to know the DOT serial, purchase date and to actually have the tire made available for inspection before a new tire would be provided. They said "When the tire company asked for the tire to be returned we were surprised. We dunno about everyone else, but we didn't keep the tires & didn't know until several months later what was required to file a report"

My response:

You are correct Mary, you can't get a tire replaced without providing a few items to the tire company. That's why I have advocated that everyone record the full DOT of each tire in the "Book of important RV Info" that we all keep, so if we ever have a tire problem and the DOT serial is destroyed we will have the information needed to file a complaint report to both NHTSA and to the tire company. We also need to keep the documents that show the date of purchase of the tire (if they were not new on the RV).

As far as keeping the tires, I understand that many RVs don't have space to store a tire but after reading this story where John & Mary were complaining that the tire company wanted the failed tire before it would issue a refund or compensation, I feel that people need to have a basic understand of their responsibilities in the event of a tire failure and wanting to make a claim so they can take the steps needed to increase their chance of getting a replacement tire when appropriate.

I have to wonder why people think that when the failed product and its serial number and some proof or purchase is required by every other company when requesting compensation or replacement, be it a toaster or refrigerator, that for some reason tire companies would be the only company to not ask for the failed product and Proof of Purchase..

Now if you don't have space to store the tire, then I would suggest that you need to contact the manufacturer at the number given in the warranty book you received when you bought the RV or tires and before you leave the tire service shop doing your changeover, you confirm what the tire company requires. You can then decide if the potential for a refund or adjustment is worth the effort and cost involved.

I do have space for a spare tire in my RV. That was a requirement when I was shopping for a new RV. I also run a brand of tires that has thousands of stores & dealers around the USA, another requirement when selecting a tire brand. So I am confident that I can always get to a store and would be able to process the paperwork needed to file a warranty claim as well as leave the tire at the store so a company engineer can inspect it or have the tire shipped back to the appropriate location if needed.

TPMS batteries, Changing tires, Tire Size info, ST type tire speed rating and RV control with tire Blowout

Few quick topics in this post.
Saw a few posts on RV forums on TPMS sensor replacement.

It seems some people have had their TPM systems long enough that they need new sensors

because their batteries are low. So some folks are confronted with spending $200 to $300 on a set of 6 sensors.  I suggested that they look into the TireTraker system as it has low cost watch batteries so the cost is only a few bucks for a new battery rather than $35 to $50 each sensor. Full disclosure. TireTraker is a sponsor of this blog but I did buy my TPMS from them at a rally a couple years ago based on their features.
I suggest you do a "Life Cysle" cost comparison based on 5 years. Include the initial system cost, the cost of replacing the batteries if your system allows that or the cost of replacing all the sensors if you can't replace just the batteries. You might also want to consider the length of the initial warranty.

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Another person said he had 8 years on his Class-A tires and was asking "What brand should I buy"? 

This of  course immediately started a flurry of "I have had great success with Brand-X" or I had a failure with

Brand-X so will never buy another one of their tires, etc.
I asked the poster why he was considering changing brands if he had had 8 year  good service from the tires he had? When it comes time to consider new tires I suggest you make a list of the Pros and Cons of your current tires.

 Be sure not to include things like the puncture with the roofing nail as that can happen to any brand tire.

 I often tell people you are buying a tire company and their dealer network not just a set of tires. If you get a great price from Billy-Jo-Bobs Cheap Tire Emporium and Bate Shop but there are only a handful of dealers in the country where you can get a replacement and you have to pay shipping back to Billy-Jo if you want to make a warranty claim I doubt that the total price of owning that set of tires is as good of a deal as you first thought.

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When asking a question on an RV forum, it helps if you include the complete tire size designation. Some folks say nothing about the size but want specific answers on load capacity. Others provide only part of the size such as 235/75R16 and leave off if they are talking about a "P" type or "LT" type or "ST" type. The answer to these questions will probably depend on which type of tire we are talking about. It also helps if you include the Load Range as in LR-D or LR-F or whatever is molded on the tire sidewall.
Sorry but indicating that you have a Mountain Top Rambler RV doesn't help as there are just too many makes and models of RV out there for anyone to know all the tire options that migh be used.

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ST type tires have a normal Max Speed of 65 mph. You should consider this like the redline on your engine. While it is possible to exceed the red-line it isn't good for long term durability. When covering this topic some point to the Goodyear Tech Bulliten that indicates you may increase this max speed rating up to 75 mph if you also increase the tire inflation 10psi above the inflation associated with the max load on the tire sidewall. While Goodyear may be willing to stand behind the warranty of their Marathon ST type tires at this higher speed you should not do the same for other brands of tires unless you get something in writing from that tire MFG. Tire company Tech Bullitens only apply to the brand and line of tires mentioned in the bulliten.

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Finally I had a question on what to do if you have a  blowout on your RV.  Michelin has a good video on this topic covering Motorhomes. Similar driver reaction if you are driving a tow vehicle would probably apply, so there isn't much I can add. The question however asked about blowout on an RV trailer. Now I have not tested this myself but I have seen more than one example where the impact on vehicle control was so small the driver never knew he had a trailer tire failure till someone flagged the driver down.
As explained in the Michelin video the forces would be drag on the trailer which would keep it generally straight behind the tow vehicle with only a little side offset.
If your trailer did start to sway I would use the manual brake control to slow the trailer down. This should quickly stop the side to side sway and allow you to bring the tow vehicle and trailer to a safe stop.

Tire Failure because "Made in xxxxx"

In my training class for tire engineers and technicians, a concept I feel is important is discovering the "Root Cause" or real reason for the failure. There is difference between reporting or simply stating the condition of a tire such as "a Blowout" and the reason for the condition. If you don't understand the underlying reason for the tire's condition or what initiated the series of events that led to the failure, then the corrective action you take, may not prevent another failure.

If we are confronted with a tire that looks like this
many would simply say "we had a blowout". If they then read the information on the tire sidewall that says "Made in xxxxx"  or if they read the DOT serial and used the information on THIS website to learn where the manufacturing plant was located they might simply claim the tire failed because it was made in country xyz. They then simply jump to the conclusion that the way to prevent having a similar failure in the future would be to only buy tires not made in the same country the failed tire was from. They might feel better but in all probability they will not have taken the appropriate action to lessen the chance of having another failure as the country of origin in itself, is no more likely to have "caused" the failure than would the fact that the tire plant was painted blue rather than green.

Lets step back and look for physical evidence for the real reason or "Root Cause" for the failure. A simple trick is to ask WHY? at least 5 times. Here is how it works in the case of this failure.
1. Why did the tire fail? Answers might be the sidewall shredded or the tread and belts came off or there is a large bulge in the sidewall or because there is a nail or other puncturing object in it etc. Each of these answers would generate a different 2nd question
2. Why did the sidewall shred? Answers might be: Possibly hit a pot hole or tire was driven on after it lost air.
3. Why can you know if you drove on it after it lost air? Answer It would have melted body cord or fatigued steel body cord
4. Why did you drive on the tire after it lost air?  Answer might be: I didn't know it was leaking
5. Why did the tire leak? or Why didn't you know the tire had lost air?  Answer might be: The valve failed or I had no Tire Pressure Monitor System.
Now you have enough information to take the appropriate action as simply changing brands of tires will not stop the valve from leaking or give you warning of an air loss due to puncture in the future.

Now to help you out with understanding what evidence can help you ask the correct questions I will offer a few examples of various conditions.

Tire puncture large and obvious

Tire puncture small and hard to find

Melted polyester body cord only occurs when tire structure temperature exceeds 375° F

Steel body ply fatigues along the line of greatest bending sometimes resulting in a "zipper"

Steel fails (think paper clip) when bent back and forth more than it was designed to for many cycles. You can see this "necking" with a low level magnifying glass.

I hope this helps you understand that it is very difficult to stand back 10 feet and look at a tire and know why it really failed. I also hope that you have a better appreciation for the fact that if you don't investigate and learn the real reason for the failure simply changing the tire brand may not prevent another occurrence.

Bottom Line
If you have a failure you need to preserve as much of the evidence as possible so either you or the tire dealer you work with can do a more thorough "autopsy" to learn the real reason for the failure. If the tire is under warranty, the dealer or manufacturer will want to be able to examine the failed tire. It is unrealistic to expect compensation for a failed tire without you being able to provide the evidence of the failure. The major manufacturers have teams of engineers who's job it is is to inspect failed tires so appropriate action can be taken. This is why I suggest that you buy your tires from a large tire company with thousands of stores rather than buy the cheapest tire you can find at "Billy-Jo-Bob's Bate Shop & Cheap Tire Emporium" .

Tire Warranties

Recently saw a post where someone stated emphatically, and incorrectly, that tire company ABC only covered their tires from date of a manufacture. So in an effort to set the record straight I decided to pull together some information. I am providing links and only a brief summary of the length of time a tire may be covered. As you see the time does vary and in many cases the clock doesn't start ticking until the date of sale BUT you will need to keep your proof or purchase.

You may recall that in my post on The Best Tire, I suggested that one measure is the warranty.

I strongly suggest you read the warranty information for your brand and type of tire. In some cases the coverage for a Light Truck Radial, LTR is different than a Truck Bus Radial, TBR. DO NOT use what I say here as the final say or as the complete statement of warranty.



In alphabetical order...

Bridgestone  TBR
"WHAT IS WARRANTED and FOR HOW LONG
Upon examination by Bridgestone, before wearing down to 2/32 inch (1.6 mm) remaining original tread depth (i.e. worn down to the top of the built-in indicators in the original tread grooves) and within six years (seven years for certain tires, see the section entitled “Enhanced Casing Limited Warranty”) from the date of tire manufacture, any eligible tire that becomes unusable for any reason (see exclusions in the section entitled What This Limited Warranty Does Not Cover”) within the manufacturer’s control will either be repaired or replaced with an equivalent new Bridgestone brand truck tire on the basis set forth in this Limited Warranty. occurs first. At that time, all warranties, expressed or implied, expire."

Bridgestone LTR
"5 years from the date of purchase—proof of purchase date required, or (b) 6 years from the date of tire manufacture without proof of purchase date"


Cooper LTR
"Worn to 2/32” (1.6mm) or more than 72 months old (based on date of purchase) whichever comes first. Proof of  purchase is required. Without proof of purchase the manufacturer date will be used to determine eligibility."


Firestone  TBR
"What This Warranty Covers And For How Long
If before wearing down to 2/32nds of an inch of original tread depth (i.e., worn down to the top of the built-in indicators in the tread grooves) or 6-years from the date of manufacture (referenced by the last three or four digits of the DOT number), whichever occurs first, an examination by Firestone shows that any tire covered by this warranty has become unusable for any reason within the manufacturer’s control, such tire will either be repaired at no charge or replaced with an equivalent new Firestone tire on the basis set forth below...."

Firestone LTR
"3 years from the date of purchase – proof of purchase date required, or (b) 4 years from the date of tire manufacture without proof of purchase date. "


Goodwear TBR RV service
"The new tire coverage of this warranty ends when the treadwear indicators become visible or five (5) years from the date of purchase, whichever occurs first. The only exception is weather cracking, which carries a seven (7) year warranty from the date of purchase or when the treadwear indicators become visible, whichever occurs first. Without proof of purchase, date of manufacture will be used to determine eligibility."

Goodyear LTR
"6 years from the date of original tire manufacture, or new tire purchase date (whichever comes first). (Without proof of  purchase, the date of manufacture will be used to determine eligibility.) "


Michelin  TBR
"MICHELIN® truck tires bearing the MICHELIN® name and complete serial and identification numbers, used in consumer service, such as on a motorhome, according to the instructions contained in this Operator’s Manual, are covered by this limited warranty against defects in workmanship and materials for the life of the original tread or five years from the date of purchase, whichever comes first"

Michelin LTR
"If there is a defect in workmanship and materials during the life of the original usable tread, or six years from date of purchase (whichever comes first), a replacement"

Toyo Truck Tires
• Within the first 2/32nds inch of tread wear
• Used in the service it was designed
• Within 66 months from the date of manufacture



Bottom Line
I provided some links. Use them and read the contract. It is your responsibility to get clarification from your tire dealer.