I don't disagree with Dennis, but the number one enemy is sunlight (UV).
Ultra Violet light breaks rubber down quickly. Simple RV tire covers
will greatly increase the life of your tires. 

Tires aren't meant to last forever either... 10 years is the maximum
lifespan. 

There's a date code burned into an oval in the side wall. On tires made
after 2000 it's the last four digits. 

The first two numbers are the month of manufacture (01 to 52) and the
last two are the year. So a tire with DOT U2LL LMLR 5107 on the sidewall
was made in the 51st week of 2007. 

This is especially handy to know when buying "New" tires. Just because
it has a sticker on it doesn't mean it's not 5 years old. Think about
that rack of new tires at your local service center. It's been sitting
there for years.

BTW Tires made before 2000 use 3 digits and are too old to use now
anyway.

Shawn
1987 Syncro GL
1977 Tin Top Westy
1965 Beetle
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Dennis Haynes
Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 6:10 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: TIRES

Tires develop sidewall cracks for a number of reasons. The biggest
enemies
of tires are heat, time, and ozone. Where the tires are stored,
(polluted
cities) have a lot to do with tire life. For the most part normal tire
service is considered 7 years from manufacture/5 years from first in
service. I have had Goodyear give warranty adjustment for ozone
cracking.

Dennis

>
> Alan Felder
> Austin TX
> 82 Diesel Westy