What tires are on your vehicle?

Friends, I need your advice..I have a 1994 Toyota pick up. I drive it very little ... It has about 70,000 miles and so here is the question. I had the original set of tires until 3 years ago and replaced them in April of 2010. The manufacture date on the 4 "new" tires is the 12 week of 2010 and the 07 week of 2010.(and probably have 6000 miles on them now)I park the RTV next to it and noticed the rear left tire flat that afternoon where it had been inflated that morning. Get the air tank, air it up and find a vertical crack in the sidewall with air gushing out.... Get in the RTV and go back to work on the farm as the cows need feeding etc.. Now I come in today on the RTV to park and see the same thing with the front -same side.... A closer look show a good bit of "age" cracking on the other two right hand side....I guess I am just up the creek with out a paddle? or what do you think. These tires were $325-Kelly Explorer Plus for 4. Not expensive per say,but an unexpected expense that is discouraging.. collie

I am running Cooper/mastercraft 10 ply on my pickup for the past 2 years with good results. My truck in a one ton 4wd and when I haul it is usually overloaded plus I push a lot of snow with it. It came from the factory with General tire 10 ply and I got 68,000 miles from them. If the sidewalls are that bad I sure would not trust them. When I buy tires the first thing I do is push down on the tire from above to check for sidewall strength. If I can collapse them I do not buy them.

Thank you Muleman. That is what I needed to know- It was the end of September when I hauled a half ton of scrap iron on it- to the place we used to go to when I was a kid in Ark. I try to do that when I go there to the homeplace- it makes some nice change to buy paint etc.... I was certainly being watched over, especially since these failed under the carport here. Thanks also for the buying hints.. collie

That sucks. Many tires nowadays have a 5+ year warranty on them. I'd check with the mfgr or retailer that sold them to you.

I run Michelin tires now. The OEM GMC tires were giving out. These Michelins are rated for somewhere around 80-90K miles.

Thank you Zoom. I am going to town the first of the week and will definitely check on it. I am so glad I kept my receipt..

Bordercollie, I meant to chime in on this earlier but I was eating so much Thanksgiving food I didn't have time -- I run Michelin tires on my Toyota truck. I had a 1987 Toyota that I consistently got 100,000 miles out of Michelin tires (did that twice on it). I have had other brands to do the drying and cracking deal. Sometimes if it is always parked where sunlight hits them the ultraviolet rays will cause it to rubber, but it seems that some rubber is just way more susceptible to that. I have never had Michelins do it.

Thanks wheezer.I love my little Toyota. My Mama and Daddy liked it so much that they bought one like it too. It is still sitting there in Ark ( with 3x the miles) waiting to hitch a ride here since it has a fuel related problem... I stopped at the Kubota dealership in Belzoni and a fellow offered me $5000 cash for mine a while back and he was shocked that I had only 63,000 on it.. I imagine you love your Toyota too.
It is strange you say that about the sunlight. I had parked my truck on the left side edge of the carport(south side in the sun all day) since it was built in like '06. I moved it one stall over recently and park the RTV in it's old place. Yesterday, I noticed a crack in my RTV seat's edge yesterday- although I predicted that would happen when I bought the RTV with that molded seat design.. It's not a weight thing on the seat or tires, but I read using less petroleum in the rubber compounds may have something to do with this cracking. I've been concerned about the deteriation of things due to the UV rays since I learned I have cataracts, always thought I was a tough on things like that.
I'll be pricing new tires next week and I will price the Mic's . I have sold some things like an anvil and other stuff so the lick won't hurt so ( selling stuff I don't need because I had originally planned to buy a fancy chamber sealer for the garden produce and such)... I hate dipping into my savings so avoid it when I can. Thank you . collie

As I recall, I got the Michelin LTX A/T 2 tires.

If you do get these or something similar from Michelin, be advised that they run pretty stiff and don't seem like they right right for the first 500-1000 miles. After that, they run very nicely.

Zoom: I believe those are the same michelins I had.

Collie: I have had Toyota trucks for 39 years but not the same one. I got a new one every 13 years starting in 1974, whether I needed it or not. So I have had a 1974, 1987, 2000, and now I have a 2012. I broke my pattern a little on the last one. I could have bought a 2013 but I got a much better deal on the 2012 and they look the same. Anyhow, I could do a pretty good commercial for Toyota.

My first truck was a(lemon) 1976 Ford Courier , automatic with am radio and vents you pull open for air circulation. It was orange with a black stripe and had those big ,bug eyed headlights. $3700 brand new. My 1994 Toyota auto,ext cab ,dark blue pearl, was a different machine by those standards. It had ac velour seats and am/fm with cassette. $14,787... I intend on keeping it and just buying an RTV every several years. That's my hope anyway.. collie
by the way,the brother in law has offered to give me his 14" tires when he upgrades his collector car's tires. . I need to see what shape they are in though. Not used much but could be age cracked...will have to see. but there's a nice fellow. collie

I paid $3,550 for that 1974 Toyota, versus $40,000 for the 2012. Seems like prices have increased a bit in 38 years. Well, the current truck is also BIGGER and and more luxurious. That 1974 had an a/c that was added at the port and it looked it too -- just stuck under the dash on the right side. Oh well, memories, memories.

My brothers-in-law don't seem to give me anything like that. Yours is a nice fellow! : )

Oh so sorry Wheezer, I think I missed your post here. Like you say memories abound..
I finally got to take all four tires in last week .. The local fellow that sold them to me got the Kelly place to give me 50% toward a new complete set of the same.. So new set mounted for $160. That is better than I had hope for .. having the 2 remaining "good" ones I was concerned about, warranted I mean. I told the guy I didn't trust them for driving.. He did the right thing by me so I will be taking some BBQ pulled pork, sauce ,HB buns and slaw to his shop before long and leaving it for them.. It is pretty much a thankless job.. collie

mighty fine, bordercollie. I'm glad it turned out well. Now you are good for another 100,000 miles!

wheezer said:

mighty fine, bordercollie. I'm glad it turned out well. Now you are good for another 100,000 miles!

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100,000 miles.. That's over 25 years for me collie

I drive a 2006 F-350 SD with 78,500 KM's mostly from three trips ALberta to Nova Scotia hauling my tools and equipment. Most of my time is spent using one implement or another, I mainly use my truck to haul fuel, feed, hay, straw and a variety of animals. When we have to go to town my wife has a VW Passat Wagon at about 74,400 KM;s ( piece of s*#t ). I've been a vehicle owner for nearly 50 years and the maintenance and repairs/recalls on this vehicle has been more than all those vehicles combined. This is definitely a Monday vehicle. I am not knocking VW all the locals drive them here and swear to me that there arent any problems`. I feel so lucky!