2010 Car Book advises: don’t buy tires older than one year
By Miles Moore, Senior Washington Reporter
WASHINGTON (Feb. 26, 2010) — The 2010 Car Book — published by the consumer advocacy group Center for Auto Safety — advises consumers to ask “for tires that are less than one year old.”
“As tires age, they naturally dry out and can become potentially dangerous,” states the 30th anniversary edition of the Car Book, in a boxed warning at the end of the book’s section on tires.
“Some experts recommend getting rid of a six-year-old tire, no matter what condition it is in,” the book states. “Recently, a national news organization went undercover and found 12-year-old tires for sale, so be sure to check your tire date before purchasing.”
Responding to the new Car Book entry, Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) and Tire Industry Association (TIA) officials reiterated their stand that how a tire is maintained, driven and stored is at least as important as its chronological age in determining its safety.
“It’s a shame this kind of misinformation is passed on to consumers as credible,” said Paul Fiore, TIA director of government and business relations. “Our challenge is to counteract this propaganda with factual information that age is only one factor in assessing a tire’s usefulness.”
Tire aging has been a contentious issue for years. Safety Research & Strategies Inc., a Rehoboth, Mass.-based safety watchdog group with close ties to trial lawyers, has petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) several times for rulemaking to forbid the sale of tires more than six years old.
The RMA and most of its tire-making members, on the other hand, insist there are too many variables in tire aging to make the tire’s date of manufacture the sole criterion.
NHTSA issued a consumer advisory in June 2008 mentioning tire age along with underinflation and excessive wear as factors tire owners should monitor. Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler L.L.C. began advising car buyers in 2005 to replace tires after six years. That same year, Bridgestone Corp. adopted the position of the Japan Automotive Tire Manufacturers Association to recommend replacing tires after 10 years.
In its tire section, the Car Book recommends checking tire pressure monthly and using the “Lincoln penny” test to measure tread depth. It advises motorists to use the tire’s Uniform Tire Quality Grading treadwear grade like a “unit price” in a supermarket and also never to pay the list price for a tire.
“A good rule of thumb is to pay at least 30-40 percent off the list price,” the book states. The section concludes with a list of more than 50 tires with treadwear grades of 700 or higher.
The Car Book is available at a retail price of $19.95 per copy. It is edited by Jack Gillis, public affairs director for the Consumer Federation of America, a pro-consumer advocacy, research, education, and service organization.
The Center for Auto Safety was founded in 1970 by Consumers Union and consume advocate Ralph Nader to provide consumers a voice for auto safety and quality in Washington.
Source: www.tirebusiness.com
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