But you don't know if a one month old one has been stored correctly either. One month in bad conditions might be worse than one year in good conditions. Just a thought.... I'm just playing devils advocate, it's all irrelevant now the jobs done!
At what mythical data do tyres become NOS rather than "new" then? We best all know so we can tell the suppliers.
No Mythical data , just read this straight from Bridgestone, so do feel free to tell your supplier Aged Tyres [h=2]How old is too old?[/h] This is a subject of much debate within the tyre industry and no tyre expert can tell exactly how long a tyre will last. However, on the results of experience many tyre companies, including Bridgestone, warrant their tyres against manufacturing and material defects for five years from the date of manufacture. Based on their understanding a number of vehicle manufacturers are now advising against the use of tyres that are more than six years old due to the effects of ageing. [h=2]Tyre Ageing Mechanism[/h] There are three main mechanisms of tyre ageing. The first involves rubber becoming more brittle. Sulphur is used to link rubber molecules together during vulcanisation with the application of heat and pressure, giving the rubber its useful elastic properties and strength. As the tyre absorbs energy in the form of light, heat or movement the tyre continues to vulcanise. This ongoing vulcanisation causes the rubber to become stiffer and more brittle. The second mechanism of tyre ageing is oxidation involving oxygen and ozone from the air compromising the strength and elasticity of the rubber and the integrity of the rubber to steel bond. Basically heat and oxygen cause cross linking between polymer chains (causing the rubber to harden) and scission of polymer chains (leading to reduced elasticity). Thirdly, breakdown of the rubber to steel-belt bond will occur due to water permeating through a tyre and bonding with the brass plate coating on steel belts. This causes the steel to rubber bond to weaken leading to reduced tyre strength and reduced heat resistance. If compressed air used for inflation is not completely dry, tyre strength will be affected over time. Even unused tyres will become more brittle, weaker and less elastic with exposure to water, air, heat and sunlight.
So as long as they're not stored in a beach hut in the Bahamas all should be well then. The rest occurs after fitting.
Who Knows LOL, but I'm not taking any chances epecially after a local coroner directly attributed a road death to old tyres although they were legal.
Well that's phrased a lot better. I still didn't say anything about the service though, only the product. That might be the case sometimes, but surely there are cases when a bulk order allows a special offer to be made available. Right, an explanation of your point of view instead of patronising someone else's, much more helpful. I can see exactly what you are saying and why you are saying it now. I would say that yes, sometimes, I will be getting the same product (economies of scale) but must admit, given what you have said, it does seem like a bit of a lottery.
I was blissfully happy in my ignorance. Now look what you've done. Doubt I would have got much of a bumble in my hat anyway. Tyres never last me more than a season. I had no idea that tyres were guaranteed for 5 years, but as an earlier poster pointed out, if they say "they've been used" when you try to make a claim for failure, the guarantee is worth diddly squat in any case. So it all seems to be a bit of a Sandy in the chinaware.
The end result is the same whichever way you look at it. Bone china or bargain bucket. Which would you prefer to pay for..? I'm deep into bargain bucket territory, I'd love to pay 'my tyre guy' to come round and fit a set of tyres but I just can't afford it, so I go to M&P or Busters, or whoever else to get the best of the cheap tyres to suit my needs. But in doing so I fully realise I'm foregoing a bit of quality/service in order to suit my pocket. Nobody - but nobody - buys online in order to find better service, they do it to save money. That's the bottom line.
I think the OP has a reasonable point possibly not best made. Tyre life is affected by many factors as everyone has noted, heat, use cycles, riding style, exposure to UV etc etc but there's one thing that is a given and that's if you do nothing with a tyre the plasticisers weep out over time and the safe limit is 5-6 years. Tyres without plasticisers do not work as they are intended and are not safe, full stop. If I bought a tyre and it was nearly five years old I think I'd be a bit peed off, the same as if I bought a helmet and that was 5 years on the shelf - the useful life of the product is reduced. IF the seller advertises the product as reduced life, NOS or bargain cheap price then you may expect this but if it's being touted as new item, I would not personally want it to be within a few weeks of the end of its safe usage/life window. It's rightly been pointed out that you get what you pay for and under distance selling regulations you have 7 day no quibble return rights, so that was the right thing to do. It's seems to be a growing problem these days that companies pass off lower and lower quality goods with less customer service to screw the consumer and we should all rail against that or one day it'll be us who's stuffed up!
If it was advertised as being old that's fair enough but just cos a item is cheap doesn't mean u should get a lesser product If you purchased a new Ducati , and you haggled on price. Is their justification for said bike being not upto the same standard as one sold at rrp. I think not.
Oh please. The guy paid a bargain price for bargain tyres, and that's exactly what he got. He's sent 'em back and it's job jobbed, no-one died or anything. There's a time and place for melodrama, and this ain't it.
You're right no-one died, thankfully he sent the tyres back, that's hardly melodrama Figaro.... Hmmm do you work for M&P by any chance? ;-)
No, but I do have common sense. There's no such thing as a free ride; if something's being sold for considerably below list price there's usually a reason. You get what you pay for.
