thats why I never buy dunlop, my bridgestones on the camper are well over that, and the re 92's on the magna are over that as well and I often cruise at 120 kph

a lot of assumptions are made in amongst that lot, a "normal" tyre on a motor vehicle kept in a dry shed overnight and used in everyday applications will far exceed the 5 year Bridgestone warranty, expect to see tyres still running fine after ten years, we have

if a vehicle is parked in the sun, kept under inflated and only used occasionally the 5 year limit will definitely come into play, these conditions will cause premature eruption of the side walls and in SOME cases heat, as in driving, will lengthen a tyres life apart from wear and tear, a tyre does not like to be left sitting in the sun even marginally under inflated for extended periods,

the cleanliness of a tyre actually plays a part as well, strangely enough, dirt will quickly infiltrate a tiny crack and make it very large very fast, thereby allowing moisture in to rust the steel bands and cause failure

the quality of the tyre is a major factor, cheap is not better, the rubber compound or what suffices for rubber is far below the quality par of a decent tyre, that cheap cho-sun or whatever tyre will take 5 years to mean a very long time and will exhibit signs of separation very quickly

we regularly see tyres exceeding the 5 years and apart from a causal factor, perform very well years after that

yep fully agree with that, if the tyre is

(1) out in the weather, whether it is on the road, sometimes parked or sitting in a driveway it is a candidate for early retirement

(2) if the tyre is on the road but sheltered, as in covered up or in shade it is marginally better off than scenario no 1 and may last a little longer because in theory you are using it (no flat spots) and you are keeping the pressures up where they are supposed to be

(3) if tyres are sitting for long periods, no pressure check and very little movement I doubt they would last 5 years

(4) tyres in daily use and checked regularly will exceed the 5 year warranty period or the manufacturer would not warrant them for 5 years in the first place

just checked my Bridgestone Bison LT's tyres on little blue and all five were replaced in early 2000 making them 8 plus years old and not a sign of wear or deterioration, just rotated them on Thursday, I expect to get at least another three years at least out of them, I will sell her before then, must have a look at how many km's they have done but they are doing exceptionally well

I am about to set off with little blue on a journey to Tassie and back clocking up an expected 3,000 plus kilometres and I expect no trouble from any source, particularly tyres, in fact they will be the last thing on my mind, fan belts, radiator hoses, heater hoses, traffic getting through melbourne are way in advance of tyres, I cant remember my last flatty

in all the years of traveling I have not had a problem with tyres, look after them, don't listen to the know alls, keep your pressures correct FOR YOUR VEHICLE through trial and error and they will last you a very long time indeed

your last statement intrigues me, before anyone sets off anywhere, do they not check the condition/eye the rough pressure of tyres, I do every time, I fire up the old girl then do a walk around, check tyres, blinkers, brake lights, try to get away before the dragon sees I'm gone, wash windscreen and just an all round observance, only a fool fires up and goes

to be honest I have seen tyres fail after 12 months of installation and then I have seen them last forever, well in excess of ten years, who knows all the reasons, I have worked in the tyre retail industry for quite a while now and have seen it all come and go, two tyres will go out, one will last for a lifetime the other could be back within a week?????????, we just write it up and send the failures back!!! dont question anymore

yep, just keep an eye on them, if in doubt change them, cant hurt to do it every five years, tyre retailers will love that!

Also it pays to check the date code on tyres especially if you are offered new ones cheap as they can be old before you actually get them.
Date of Manufacture is shown on the sidewall of all tyres as part of the DOT (U.S. Department of Transport) code found close to the wheel rim. Example of a code is DOT A87C DEF 699, the final set of three, or four, numbers being the date code. Tyres made between 1990 an 1999 use a three digit code followed by a triangle and indicate the month and year in which the tyre was made (699 being June 1999). From 2000 onward a four digit code is used to show the week and year (0102 being the first week of 2002). A small number of tyres may not have the DOT code but in these cases the date of manufacture may still shown elsewhere on the tyre, for instance if you see as a separate group of letters 4202 that is definitely 42nd week of 2002.

You don't hear much about retreads and remoulds these days do you.... I ALWAYS used retreads; and have 2 on my box trailer that must be 15  years old, though I don't use it that much....
There was a place in Queanbeyan that sold retreads and unbelievably cheap prices, not untill I got the Jackeroo did I start using new tyres....

ahh!! now theres something that has come along in leaps and bounds, if you want value for money for your trailer you cant go past retreads

I remember when I was a youngster I never bought a tyre for donkeys years on my first car, I bought a set of retreads and they kept flying apart so the company kept replacing them, never had to buy tyres, but as the distances got greater and my reliance on my motor vehicle increased I had to go to newies

a set of bridgestone wildcats was my first foray into the radial age, I hated them they "steered" themselves instead of following the surface of the road and I didnt have to chase them everywhere like the old crossplys

but now retreads are almost as good as new ones, but I wouldnt set out around australia on them

in real terms "NO" but they would be more than capable of sustained speeds in excess of 120k's, the modern retread (branded ones,) are a far cry from earlier models, the mark up on these things is absolutely phenominal, but we dont sell many because of the old days and the "stigma" attached to them, "oh you got retreads, cant you afford proper tyres"

I would be more than happy to have a set on my trailer but not on my car or little blue, the way we live, we could and do shoot off anywhere, anytime at the drop of a hat and I dont want tyres in the back of my mind