Dear Editor,
After watching many protests over the banning of used tires and the various comments, I concluded that many of these dealers either don’t have a clue about the dangers of the tires they offer for sale or are just concerned about profit no matter the cost.
There is abundant evidence that the older a tire gets the more likely it will fail. Older tires are substantially more likely to fail than newer ones. This is because tires are made mostly of rubber, and rubber degrades with age. Sunlight, heat, rain, and general wear and tear can accelerate the breakdown of a tire. Once a tire begins to break down, it becomes more likely to fail in the form of a tread separation–often at highway speeds, when the failure is most likely to cause catastrophic injuries or death.
Tires age dangerously because of a chemical process commonly referred to as oxidation, which simply means that as the tire components are exposed to oxygen, the oxygen particles cause the flexible components of a tire to harden and become brittle. Over time, the tire will simply fall apart under normal stress, just like an old rubber band. Because this process occurs naturally, it does not matter if a tire is being used, stored as a spare, or simply waiting on a store shelf for an unsuspecting consumer.
For most tires, this expiration date should be six years from the date of manufacture (well accepted by countries such as the US, Canada and the UK. For the benefit of those who don’t know, the date of manufacture is branded on one side of the tire. It is a requirement of the USA Department of transportation (DOT). Check on one side of the tire for the mark (DOT).There will be several digits and letters following. For example DOT (P143 35HV) 1612. The 4 digits at the end tells you the week the tire was made followed by the year.
Editor, a check at some of our local used tire dealers told a horrible story. Tires between 8 to 12 years are offered for sale. Most consumers buy tires based on the looks. Had we had proper regulation long before now, these danger traps would have never reached these shore. There are also the many cases of tires sold as new tires when they are well past their shelf life (6yrs). I hope the Bureau of Standards steps up its inspection to ensure consumers get proper and safe tires for a safer road.
Yours faithfully,
C. Woolford
