4 Year Old Toyo Proxes 4

[metman]

Folks,

Yesterday I picked up a Toyo Proxes 4 from a local dealer who got it from some warehouse. Mfg code is "98L2610" which tells me the tire was made the last week in June of 2010! I'm not too thrilled about paying $125 + tax for a near 4 year old tire.

Should I be concerned? Naturally Toyo website says no.

My OEM Kenda is near bald on one side with decent tread 180 degrees around on the other side, and with 11,400 miles on a 2012 RT-S SE5.

And where is the best link to changing the rear on an RT?

Mike in KY

[spyderdmb1621]

Don't even install it return it you Re asking for trouble

[Magdave]

http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/how-old-and-dangerous-are-your-tires.html

[Purple Guy]

Anything over 2 years old shouldn't be excepted.
Generally the life span is approx. 6 years for a tire...
I personally would return the tire.

[NancysToy]

Folks,

Yesterday I picked up a Toyo Proxes 4 from a local dealer who got it from some warehouse. Mfg code is "98L2610" which tells me the tire was made the last week in June of 2010! I'm not too thrilled about paying $125 + tax for a near 4 year old tire.

Should I be concerned? Naturally Toyo website says no.

My OEM Kenda is near bald on one side with decent tread 180 degrees around on the other side, and with 11,400 miles on a 2012 RT-S SE5.

And where is the best link to changing the rear on an RT?

Mike in KY
I would not recommend using a four year old tire unless you plan to wear it out in the next year or two. On the other hand, when buying an obsolete tire you need to expect that it will not be recently manufactured. From a safety standpoint I wouldn't worry about it if it does not show any checking, holds air, and you think it was stored properly.

I have some other concerns, however. I'm assuming that you are talking about a rear tire since you mention only one. If not, remember that front tires should be replaced in pairs, at the same time. Assuming you mean the rear tire, the wear pattern worries me. A rear tire should not be worn on one side. Normal wear for a Spyder tire would be in the center. Wear to one side would indicate bad wheel bearings, a bad wheel, or suspension/frame damage. Any of those would need to be fixed first.

[BajaRon]

All things being equal, I'd run the tire. Looks like I'm in the minority on this one.

Tires, if stored properly, don't really age very quickly. It is heat, mounting, inflation, the stress of carrying weight, driving, turning, abrasion, potholes, dirt, washing, and the Sun which age a tire relatively quickly.

If the tire has been mounted and or sitting in the sun for a long time, then the deal is off. But if it has been sitting on a tire rack, INSIDE, UNMOUNTED and out of the sun and elements for 4 years, to me, not a big deal.

To each his own....

[hchays]

All things being equal, I'd run the tire. Looks like I'm in the minority on this one.

Tires, if stored properly, don't really age very quickly. It is heat, mounting, inflation, the stress of carrying weight, driving, turning, abrasion, potholes, dirt, washing, and the Sun which age a tire relatively quickly.

If the tire has been mounted and or sitting in the sun for a long time, then the deal is off. But if it has been sitting on a tire rack, INSIDE, UNMOUNTED and out of the sun and elements for 4 years, to me, not a big deal.

To each his own....

I agree with Ron!

[SNOOPY]

I agree in not using them more than a year..or two at the max.

Being they were stored properly, inside, climate controlled.

[r1100rider]

Folks,

Yesterday I picked up a Toyo Proxes 4 from a local dealer who got it from some warehouse. Mfg code is "98L2610" which tells me the tire was made the last week in June of 2010! I'm not too thrilled about paying $125 + tax for a near 4 year old tire.

Should I be concerned? Naturally Toyo website says no.

My OEM Kenda is near bald on one side with decent tread 180 degrees around on the other side, and with 11,400 miles on a 2012 RT-S SE5.

And where is the best link to changing the rear on an RT?

Mike in KYage issue aside I ran one of these and it wore out as fast or faster than the stock pos did

[BajaRon]

age issue aside I ran one of these and it wore out as fast or faster than the stock pos did

Certainly, peoples experience can vary. I ran one of these and I got 3K more out of it than the OEM tire. I also felt my traction in wet and dry conditions was better except when it was below 40 degrees.

[Peter Aawen]

For what it's worth, here in Oz (IMO one of the most over legislated countries in the world... but it's still the Lucky Country ;)) tyre dealers aren't permitted to sell tyres that are more than 5 years old. And quite a few that are 2-4 years old do get sold as 'new' and work pretty well too.

[metman]

Maybe all those threads I was reading about the Toyo Proxes 4 being a good choice were several years old too and I didn't notice.

So what do you folks suggest as a good replacement rear tire. With what's at stake here, I'm not real worried about saving a couple bucks.

What's the current Toyo equivalent to the Proxes 4?

[NancysToy]

Maybe all those threads I was reading about the Toyo Proxes 4 being a good choice were several years old too and I didn't notice.

So what do you folks suggest as a good replacement rear tire. With what's at stake here, I'm not real worried about saving a couple bucks.

What's the current Toyo equivalent to the Proxes 4?

The Toyo has worked well for a number of owners. It is merely out of production. No reason to not use it if it is in good shape, just because they no longer make them. Not much available in the OEM size these days.

[BajaRon]

The Toyo has worked well for a number of owners. It is merely out of production. No reason to not use it if it is in good shape, just because they no longer make them. Not much available in the OEM size these days.

I agree. Toyo didn't discontinue that tire because it was not a good tire. They discontinued it because sale volume for that size tire has been going down.

If you decide you don't want that tire let me know. I'll take it off your hands. That was a great tire when it was in production and it's still a great tire.