purchased a new 3 year old tire?

[pb3]

purchased from revzilla to a) have an extra set on hand and b) use dunlop's promotional rebate. surprised to have gotten a front tire with a date code of 4714. this must have been one of the first gpr-300 shipments.

the rear was 2916

my prior ninjette tires have come from bikebandidt. purchases in sept '15 delivered 0315, and april '16 0915.

i've found many threads on this topic, mostly saying no worries. and if i was needing to throw the tire on today i'd do it, but it's likely going to wait till spring.

yes they are waiving the return charges. i asked if they would just exchange it for a newer one; they can't guarantee.

my take away from all this.. either buy from BB, and/or inquire at time of order.

[csmith12]

Yep... do the same thing when buying helmets too.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by pb3

purchased from revzilla to a) have an extra set on hand and b) use dunlop's promotional rebate. surprised to have gotten a front tire with a date code of 4714. this must have been one of the first gpr-300 shipments.

the rear was 2916

my prior ninjette tires have come from bikebandidt. purchases in sept '15 delivered 0315, and april '16 0915.

i've found many threads on this topic, mostly saying no worries. and if i was needing to throw the tire on today i'd do it, but it's likely going to wait till spring.

yes they are waiving the return charges. i asked if they would just exchange it for a newer one; they can't guarantee.

my take away from all this.. either buy from BB, and/or inquire at time of order.

I personally wouldn't use a tire that old, new or not, but I'm picky about tires.

Chances are they can't/won't tell you anything about the production date before you order.

[GregS]

Maybe their warehouse is screwing up their stocking and doing Last-In First-Out, instead of First-In First-Out

[Abu_Mishary]

Originally Posted by jkv45

Chances are they can't/won't tell you anything about the production date before you order.

[Zaph42]

1st things first, race tires are more critical to age than street tires.

After that, the important part is how they are stored. A climate controlled warehouse would be fine. A tire stored that way could be still good after 10 years. The "old batch" Dunlop Unbeaten 02's I used to buy from Race Tire Service were stored in a cool warehouse. On top of that they were wrapped in these big "tire condoms" to preserve them. They bought one huge batch and sold them for 6 years and they were still good.



The problem is some of the warmer desert style climate sellers keep their tires in a metal storage shed in the desert. They can heat cycle daily between 150 and 50. THOSE are the ones to stay away from. I've heard stories but can't name any businesses.

BTW, most sellers can tell you when a particular item was reordered. Add a few months to that and that is likely your mfg date. If they say "uhhh, we haven't ordered those tires in a long time" then stay away.

["A"]

Any tires you choose, you are going to need to get used to it before you start to push the limits.
If tires are significantly cheaper, I would get them and ride them just as any new tires mounted on my bike.
If not significantly cheaper.. I wouldn't get them.

[DannoXYZ]

My street bike was great mechanic's special and came with original tyres. About 8-yrs old! Took it to trackday and rode it back-to-back to compare with my race-bike. Wow!! What a difference!! About 7sec/lap slower

Nice thing about old street tyres is they have lower limits that's much more sedate than sticky tyres. They start to slide at slower speeds, safer if you crash. And their breakaway behavior is much more gradual with very early warnings and a very wide sliding range.

With sticky tyres, they grip great to a high limit. Then just a tiny bit more, and they let go suddenly.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by JacRyann

My street bike was great mechanic's special and came with original tyres. About 8-yrs old! Took it to trackday and rode it back-to-back to compare with my race-bike. Wow!! What a difference!! About 7sec/lap slower

Nice thing about old street tyres is they have lower limits that's much more sedate than sticky tyres. They start to slide at slower speeds, safer if you crash. And their breakaway behavior is much more gradual with very early warnings and a very wide sliding range.

With sticky tyres, they grip great to a high limit. Then just a tiny bit more, and they let go suddenly.

Hmmm..."safer if you crash"...

I can't say there is anything I like about older tires. If you need to haul it down quickly they are going to lock-up a lot quicker than a good tire.

Not all old tires break-away slowly, and not all sticky tires break-away quickly. It depends on the tire and the cycle they are on.

Good tires are always the winner.

["A"]

Good tire, bad tire, new tire, old tire, any tire.. you will still have to feel for the limits cautiously in the beginning until that first layer of rubber gets scrubbed off and you are familiar with their performance.

The deciding factor should be how cheap you are willing to risk with your bike and how much performance you expect to get out of these tires that you are using. Only OP can answer for himself.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by "A"

Good tire, bad tire, new tire, old tire, any tire.. you will still have to feel for the limits cautiously in the beginning until that first layer of rubber gets scrubbed off and you are familiar with their performance.

The deciding factor should be how cheap you are willing to risk with your bike and how much performance you expect to get out of these tires that you are using. Only OP can answer for himself.

Not really.

Newer/better = safer.

Always.

[ninjala]

I bought a new tire from 2wheel.com last month. It is manufactured 5 years ago.

["A"]

Originally Posted by jkv45

Not really.

Newer/better = safer.

Always.

That's your opinion.

Regardless of your opinion, you still have to get used to the limits of ANY tire that you mount on your wheels for the first ride.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by "A"

That's your opinion.

Regardless of your opinion, you still have to get used to the limits of ANY tire that you mount on your wheels for the first ride.

Ya - that's my opinion.

Having the time to "...get used to the limits of ANY tire" is a luxury you usually don't get in an emergency situation where you need the maximum traction immediately.

There is no upside to old/worn/dry tires with reduced traction. Period.

Telling someone to "feel for the limits" of their old tires is irresponsible.

The traction limit of a new quality tire is extremely high, and most of us will never need to find that limit in normal riding. The same can't be said for old worn tires.

["A"]

That's still your opinion.

Personally, as long as the tires hold air and spins round; if I need to ride somewhere without other mode of transportation, I'd ride it regardless of age of tire.

Because plenty of times when I need to get to places without optimal equipment, I'll still make due with what I have and get'er done.

Like I said before: The deciding factor should be how cheap you are willing to risk with your bike and how much performance you expect to get out of these tires that you are using. Only OP can answer for himself.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by "A"

That's still your opinion.

Personally, as long as the tires hold air and spins round; if I need to ride somewhere without other mode of transportation, I'd ride it regardless of age of tire.

Because plenty of times when I need to get to places without optimal equipment, I'll still make due with what I have and get'er done.

Like I said before: The deciding factor should be how cheap you are willing to risk with your bike and how much performance you expect to get out of these tires that you are using. Only OP can answer for himself.

How old are you? How long have you been riding?

Riding on any old tire might be fine for you, but it's not a way to survive for any length of time on a cycle. Being lax or careless can have quite a large penalty.

The "deciding factor" is what? Really? It should be what gives you the biggest advantage in a surprise or emergency situation and largest margin of safety. Avoiding a crash by doing proper maintenance and having top-notch equipment (tires) is a priority in my mind.

But that's just my opinion.

[Triple Jim]

A 3 or 5 year old tire that has been stored in a dark room, away from cities with high ozone levels, is probably in better condition than a tire that's been on a motorcycle that was parked outdoors in the sun, in Los Angeles for a year.

["A"]

Originally Posted by jkv45

How old are you? How long have you been riding?

As if that matters? I'm over 40, I've been riding for over two decades.
I've ridden in four continents in this world, in places where they are no roads, no pavement and certainly bikes with tires that are older than 10 years old, patched and plugged multiple times.

Originally Posted by jkv45

Riding on any old tire might be fine for you, but it's not a way to survive for any length of time on a cycle. Being lax or careless can have quite a large penalty.

The "deciding factor" is what? Really? It should be what gives you the biggest advantage in a surprise or emergency situation and largest margin of safety. Avoiding a crash by doing proper maintenance and having top-notch equipment (tires) is a priority in my mind.

But that's just my opinion.

OP can decide for himself how much risk he's willing to take, since none of us know exactly what kind of riding OP wants to do with these 3 y-o tires that he may be purchasing; your opinion should not be considered as a be-all-end-all option.

I know as a rider, regardless what tire is mounted on my vehicle, I can operate that vehicle within my ability and even with penalty of poor tires.
Whether you can do the same or not, that is up to you to decide.
But your opinion is limited with your experience, don't think for a second that your opinion is the only way, for everyone else, around the world.

[DannoXYZ]

Originally Posted by jkv45

The traction limit of a new quality tire is extremely high, and most of us will never need to find that limit in normal riding. The same can't be said for old worn tires.

This varies tremendously by tyre-model. Brand new OEM IRC tyres will certainly not be as sticky as 3-year old Pirelli SC or Dunlop A13s. No way, not possible, there's just way, way too large a difference in rubber-compounds.

Ever try Bridgestone Trail Wing 152 tyres? These were designed for big heavy BMW cop-bikes in Europe and lasts 9000-12000 miles. Ever see cop drag knee or rub elbows? If you lean more than 20-degrees with more than 50% throttle, these brand-new tyres will slip. Nope, 3-year old Pirelli SC or Dunlop A13s will still be stickier.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by JacRyann

This varies tremendously by tyre-model. Brand new OEM IRC tyres will certainly not be as sticky as 3-year old Pirelli SC or Dunlop A13s. No way, not possible, there's just way, way too large a difference in rubber-compounds.

Ever try Bridgestone Trail Wing 152 tyres? These were designed for big heavy BMW cop-bikes in Europe and lasts 9000-12000 miles. Ever see cop drag knee or rub elbows? If you lean more than 20-degrees with more than 50% throttle, these brand-new tyres will slip. Nope, 3-year old Pirelli SC or Dunlop A13s will still be stickier.

That's why I included "quality" in my description.

A new Q3, Pilot Power, etc, isn't going to do that.

[Ram Jet]

Originally Posted by Triple Jim

A 3 or 5 year old tire that has been stored in a dark room, away from cities with high ozone levels, is probably in better condition than a tire that's been on a motorcycle that was parked outdoors in the sun, in Los Angeles for a year.

I agree. Stored away from direct sunlight the tires should be just fine.

Bill

[DannoXYZ]

Originally Posted by jkv45

That's why I included "quality" in my description.

A new Q3, Pilot Power, etc, isn't going to do that.

That's not "quality" differences. All of these tyres are of comparable quality, ISO-9001 certified. You're talking about designed grip-levels and types rubber compounds used. So you're saying to buy sticky tyres if your type of riding requires it.

[jkv45]

Originally Posted by JacRyann

That's not "quality" differences. All of these tyres are of comparable quality, ISO-9001 certified. You're talking about designed grip-levels and types rubber compounds used. So you're saying to buy sticky tyres if your type of riding requires it.

Really? Any tire that will slide "If you lean more than 20-degrees with more than 50% throttle," isn't a quality tire in my mind, ISO certified or not.

I replaced a set of new OEM tires with 500 mi on them because they would squirm and slide at the slightest push and replaced them with tires that didn't. Handling problems solved. Safety margin improved. Never regretted it.

[DannoXYZ]

"Quality" is subjective depending upon usage requirements. More like "characteristics" or "design properties" is what you're talking about then. For some usages, "cost-per-mile" is an important "quality" such as for LEO operations that puts on a lot of miles. "Puncture resistance" is another high-priority "quality" for this application where Q3s and Pirellis fall short.

For others, such as brand-new riders, perhaps saving a couple hundred bucks on their first bike is an important consideration. These riders will never be able to tell difference between IRC vs. Q3 tyres on their 1st bike anyway.

Just because you demand certain list of prioritized "characteristics" from your tyres, doesn't mean that everyone else should have the same requirements from their tyres.

For me, any carburetted bike is "low quality" since EFI provides so much better performance, lower-maintenance and easier/faster tuning. I don't want to waste time prepping for winter-storage. And I prefer to just hop on and and being able to ride after letting it sit for 18-months. Just because I prefer "high quality" bikes, I don't disparage other's choice to ride "low quality" bikes.

[pb3]

thanks Zaph42. i watch tracking to see where the tires begin their delivery from. it all goes into consideration.

(this lone front tire that arrived today was covered in shipping stretch wrap. prior deliveries have always been a pair with only straps attaching, never a covering.)

it must be a front dunlop gpr-300 thing because sunday i ordered another pair, this time from bikebandit. today i receive the front from chicago (tucker rocky whse?) with a date of 0315.

what's upsetting is that i received a 0915 from them in june 2016. they actually sent me an older tire than from an order 16 months ago.

i've emailed dunlop asking them if there is more they can do you help police a distributor's inventory age. this is stupid.

tomorrow the rear should arrive from ft. worth.

[VaFish]

Rule of thumb I have heard for a street bike tire was 5 years from the date mounted or 10 years from the date of manufacture which ever is shorter.

I wouldn't worry about a 3 year old tire, it will won't last a year on the bike anyway the way I ride. Haven't had a tire last a whole year yet.

I do however think there is a warehouse somewhere that needs to do a better job rotating their stock.