Red Marko

I know, this forum is basically all about new cars
but you never know...

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=4826897

Knowledge is everything, right?

Mark.

wows500

My S550 08 Date of Manufacture April 2008. Tire code 1108 ( Eleventh week of 2008)

trumpet1

My new rear Sumitomos had (3408) on them

On the front , I have Michelins. The front right tire has an 07 date on it but the left front doesn't have a date on it. It's DOT code is all letters with a single number somewhere in the middle of that code so I have no idea when it was made. I bought them at the same time and they are of the same brand/type , etc.

I guess tires in stores are a lot like milk in grocery stores. They push the older milk to the front. I guess some folks are getting sour milk when it comes to tires.

Also, I wonder what could be done to lengthen the life of tires? Store them in better temp. storage?
Also, can the composite/rubber be replenished? Many of the tires today are composite synthetic rubber instead of real rubber.

I know of a couple that were killed just after buying a used motorcycle that had been sitting in a garage for a long time. Apparently the tires had dry rotted and were well past the expiration point. The tires were in great shape by appearance only and the bike only had 15K miles on it.

This is a great thread. Thanks for posting.

trumpet1

At this point, I am very happy with my Sumitomos. Very quiet, great looking tread and sidewall, and they are over $100 cheaper than Michelins.

1985mb

Yes, absolutely. Thanks for posting this

Red Marko

Trumpet,
I'm bit surprised (by far I'm no tire expert) that you decided to mix front and back tires. On this caliber of a car...
Ask around, maybe you should buy 2 new Sumimotos and 2 new Michelins and not to mix them ?. I like your posts too much. Why should you risk it. (talking about some unexpected emergency situations)
There is a law for it. Murphy Law
Let's avoid it by all means.
Mark.

trumpet1

I appreciate your thoughts and concerns , and maybe you're right, but I am struggling to see why there is a problem with running different brands in pairs (fronts are alike and rears are alike). I did give it some thought but I just figured that if my tire tech suggested it, it must be OK. I can see where having different brands/tread patterns might be a problem if they are not the same in the front and in the rear respectively as that might cause a pull to the left or right or it may trick the ABS system or ABC system in dire conditions ( e.g. a Michelin on the front left and a Pirelli on the front right). I'll do some googling on this and I'll ask my tech tomorrow if I find time. It's only 3 miles from my house.
As of now, I am very pleased with the ride and handling. I can't tell anything at all is a problem.

WSH

Very helpful post, markopolo

Agree, too many skimp on tires....incredibly important stuff for traction and braking, esp in any emergent maneuver

My sense is very few, even well-regarded, dealers and techs really understand the decay curve of tires; effect of flat spots in tires of ~5000lb cars that sit unused for extended periods; slope of decreased traction of performance tires vs temperature (esp in the 35-50F gray area) and wet (esp in <50F); and change in traction vs tire wear; etc etc

IMO, better to err on side of spending a few more bucks to have fresh, factory-spec, temperature-appropriate tires....

Factory spends much time calibrating the chassis set-up and stability controls, etc vs factory-spec tires and wheels.....non-factory spec stuff introduces unknown variables, which often are only revealed in a "high stress test" maneuver w/a poss catastrophic outcome