Are tires to old???

[keikat2]

I have a Michelin Commander II MTB90-16 front tire (not rear tire) installed on my 2014 Tri-Glide front wheel. The tire still appears to have plenty of tread depth remaining and overall looks to be in excellent condition. Preparing for an end of month Texas to East Coast trip, I was cleaning/polishing the Trike's front wheel and looked at the front tire's 4 digit manufacture date code which turned out to be 2216 (22nd week of 2016). QUESTION: Is the manufactured week/year date of this tire to old to be driving/riding safely while pulling a motorcycle trailer?

I usually do not pay that much attention to an item's manufacture/expiration date due to the item being considered O.K. one day and bad the next. However, I have been known to drive the highway curves a little faster than I probably should have which results in added stress on the front tire. In turn, with the tire being almost five (5) years old, should my consideration be more about the overall current condition of the tire and not the five (5) year "2216" manufacture date? I will be looking forward to your comments and suggestions.

Allen S.

 

[New Orleans Kevin]

Tire question

If I have to ask myself if it’s safe, it’s probably not.

 

[Jack Klarich]

The 5 year plan works for me, especially with a front tire. The one thing you cannot see is what the inside carcass of the tire looks like. Keeping in mind the air inside the tire is working at degrading it also. I have taken lots of tires off rims that appear to look good only to find the insides in bad condition. JMO

 

[cScjhb]

I have always thought that tires need to be replaced when they are 7 years old or older. That is especially true in hot weather like here and Texas. But, you're extended trip and tire stressing would cause me to replace now. A couple hundred bucks is cheap insurance and piece of mind. Good luck..... Jim

 

[rhino 2]

Its not my money......So i would say' When in doubt replace......

That said....If you do replace it with a new one put a few hundred miles on it before you go on a thousand + mile trip.....Just to make sure its done right...:Shrug:...

 

[Gideon]

Buy a new tire. Check the date before it is installed. You do not want one that has been in your Dealer's Tire Rack for a few years.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip.

 

[Gideon]

 

[BlackTieByNight]

Rear tire reverse

Since you're most likely going to replace the front tire, you might check out some articles about 'rear tire reverse' as to how a front tire should be mounted on a motorcycle. I'm not trying to start a big debate but it's something to consider. Somebody wrote from DKCustom - I'm running the rear Dunlop American Elite MT90 B16 Reversed.

It fits a bit tighter than the stock front tire, but still has clearance all around.

The handling, traction, & wear are a huge improvement over stock.

 

[Halfnormal]

I just replaced my rear tires. They where the original Dunlops from 2015 with a little over 7000 miles on them. If you looked at them you would swear they were new. I was not going to trust them with my life!