bodejohn:
The yorubas have an adage that says...if you had ever witnessed the destruction caused by thunder...you will not abuse it's god.

One of the tyres of my Honda Crv blew out on the 3rd main land bridge this year...the tyre that did the damage was only some months past the four years....

I lost the car and I was just lucky we didn't trip over into the lagoon. I will rather stick with the four year usefull life for tyres and be safe than argue it and remain at risk.

If FRSC is unable to prove that my tyres are expired after four years...how am I able to prove that they haven't?

sorry about your lost. however, you should have done an extensive research on why you had the tyre burst. pictures of the damaged tyre during investigation would be of help to determine cause of the tyre failure. most instances of your experience is as a result of OVER-INFLATION of tyre I.e wrong tyre pressure. Tyre are marked with the maximum pressure in PSI or Kpa. In Nigeria, vulcanizers believes that the bigger the tyre the more the pressure, so they inflate a tyre to 40psi that has a maximum pressure of 35psi. when such car is driven on high speed(especially on hot surface road) , the pressure in the tyre increases and what you get is burst.
there are other factors such as overloading of vehicle and bad roads that can also cause tyre burst.
As some rightly said above, manufacturers of tyres said only thread depth is used to confirm tyre expiry, hence they only mark DoM on tyres.
I know Nigerians are not Daft's; some day somebody would contest this tyre expiry with FRSC in court. God bless Nigeria

nedu2000:
Tyres are made to resist elasticity and are made to be rugged!! How would a tyre which after its manufacturing date is stamped on(could've been backdated) and possibly kept in a warehouse for weeks or even months be given an expiry date?

If a tyre is to have an expiry date 4yr from its manufacture then why isn't the expiry date written to its body?

FRSC who isn't a manufacturer and likewise doesn't have the ability to know the true composition of respective tyres shouldn't be the one to impose expiry dates on them.

What if I bought a car(tyres) and I rarely used it for 4yrs,would I be compared to tyres that undergo inter-state trips everyday for 2yrs?

What the FRSC should however be doing is to physically inspect tyres for wear/tear. To ask the citizens of 3rd-world countries to change its tyres every 4yrs is tasking and would push people to prioritise 'date of manufacture' to the actual quality of tyres.

People living in 1st world countries also do not change tires except there is sign of where and thread, especially lost thread.

nedu2000:
Tyres are made to resist elasticity and are made to be rugged!! How would a tyre which after its manufacturing date is stamped on(could've been backdated) and possibly kept in a warehouse for weeks or even months be given an expiry date?

If a tyre is to have an expiry date 4yr from its manufacture then why isn't the expiry date written to its body?

FRSC who isn't a manufacturer and likewise doesn't have the ability to know the true composition of respective tyres shouldn't be the one to impose expiry dates on them.

What if I bought a car(tyres) and I rarely used it for 4yrs,would I be compared to tyres that undergo inter-state trips everyday for 2yrs?

What the FRSC should however be doing is to physically inspect tyres for wear/tear. To ask the citizens of 3rd-world countries to change its tyres every 4yrs is tasking and would push people to prioritise 'date of manufacture' to the actual quality of tyres.

FRSC hierarchy just derive pleasure in making life difficult for Nigerians. Let them write letters to different tyre manufacturers in Europe for advise on the failure causes in tyre usage so that they can be guided rather than making policies over what they know nothing about. I did an M Sc thesis on the causes of accident on our roads & as far as tyre failure is concerned overloading of vehicles beyond tyre capacity & worn tyres are the main causes. Let them start enforcement on this & commercial vehicles on inter state routes especially those 18 seater buses using old tyres. These are vessels of mass destruction.

kaeforum:


Wrong again! In the united states this is disputed! Tyres dont have a fixed expiry date, they are rather inspected for wear of thread depth.

What u guys dont understand is that the so called new tyres imported from china are substandard and are prone to blow up without provocation.

U avnt said anything to sway my opinion oga

Eriko2k2 has,and I av totally agreed with him


Whoever doesn't know dat China tyres are substandard isn't a good car owner

I know that!!

princey83:

People living in 1st world countries also do not change tires except there is sign of where and thread, especially lost thread.

exactly

please see this below

and

LivingBetter has summarised it,pls if we can contact our representatives in the house of assembly plus let them help us

LivingBetter:


sorry about your lost. however, you should have done an extensive research on why you had the tyre burst. pictures of the damaged tyre during investigation would be of help to determine cause of the tyre failure. most instances of your experience is as a result of OVER-INFLATION of tyre I.e wrong tyre pressure. Tyre are marked with the maximum pressure in PSI or Kpa. In Nigeria, vulcanizers believes that the bigger the tyre the more the pressure, so they inflate a tyre to 40psi that has a maximum pressure of 35psi. when such car is driven on high speed(especially on hot surface road) , the pressure in the tyre increases and what you get is burst.
there are other factors such as overloading of vehicle and bad roads that can also cause tyre burst.
As some rightly said above, manufacturers of tyres said only thread depth is used to confirm tyre expiry, hence they only mark DoM on tyres.
I know Nigerians are not Daft's; some day somebody would contest this tyre expiry with FRSC in court. God bless Nigeria

Thanks...

The top ply on the Tyre got removed more reason why i suspected that it was an expiry issue.
I have followed Tyre pressure recommendations on the tyres for quite a while although it's still a bit difficult to know if the pressure gauge are calibrated.

nedu2000:
Tyres are made to resist elasticity and are made to be rugged!! How would a tyre which after its manufacturing date is stamped on(could've been backdated) and possibly kept in a warehouse for weeks or even months be given an expiry date?

If a tyre is to have an expiry date 4yr from its manufacture then why isn't the expiry date written to its body?

FRSC who isn't a manufacturer and likewise doesn't have the ability to know the true composition of respective tyres shouldn't be the one to impose expiry dates on them.

What if I bought a car(tyres) and I rarely used it for 4yrs,would I be compared to tyres that undergo inter-state trips everyday for 2yrs?

What the FRSC should however be doing is to physically inspect tyres for wear/tear. To ask the citizens of 3rd-world countries to change its tyres every 4yrs is tasking and would push people to prioritise 'date of manufacture' to the actual quality of tyres.

go and buy new tire ow friend or form gang that treat road safety fuckup if them no look your face wella

What is the basis of the 4 years stated by FRSC? Michelin even says their tires can last for 10 years http://m.michelinman.com/US/en/help/do-I-need-new-tires.tip_list_tab_0.html

kaeforum:


Wrong again! In the united states this is disputed! Tyres dont have a fixed expiry date, they are rather inspected for wear of thread depth.

What u guys dont understand is that the so called new tyres imported from china are substandard and are prone to blow up without provocation.

The truth is that expiry date of tires is not enforceable because very many different factors that cause degradation of rubber which the tire is made of. Heat for example is a major factor so weather is a main factor. It means 4years expiry in country A could be 5 years in B and 6 in C. Within the US a lone, on standard expiry date cannot be enforced. This is just one factor, when you account for other factors, its nearly impossible to get a specific date not that the tire will not expire at a point in time. Like i said in this thread, its not the expiry of tires that is in contention but the expiry period.

Thread is the only enforceable factor to consider. It is highly advised that from 4 years and above, tires of that age become dangerous as the guarantee is well off.

Just like someone mentioned above, its better to buy a new china substandard tire than buy a 10year old standard Michelin tire or its equivalent. If you know chemistry, you will know better.

adanny01:


The truth is that expiry date of tires is not enforceable because very many different factors that cause degradation of rubber which the tire is made of. Heat for example is a major factor so weather is a main factor. It means 4years expiry in country A could be 5 years in B and 6 in C. Within the US a lone, on standard expiry date cannot be enforced. This is just one factor, when you account for other factors, its nearly impossible to get a specific date not that the tire will not expire at a point in time. Like i said in this thread, its not the expiry of tires that is in contention but the expiry period.

Thread is the only enforceable factor to consider. It is highly advised that from 4 years and above, tires of that age become dangerous as the guarantee is well off.

Just like someone mentioned above, its better to buy a new china substandard tire than buy a 10year old standard Michelin tire or its equivalent. If you know chemistry, you will know better.

a 10 year old plus Michelin tire exploded while i was driving several months ago

It sounded like a bomb was placed under the vehicle

But then I was able to drive another 15 miles on that tire till I got home

Then I started checking until I discovered what went wrong.

I took pictures for reference purposes

That's why Michelin recommends that if the tire exceeds 6 years, check it annually.

It had very good thread but it was no longer as rigid as it was supposed to be so it gave up the ghost

bodejohn:


Thanks...

The top ply on the Tyre got removed more reason why i suspected that it was an expiry issue.
I have followed Tyre pressure recommendations on the tyres for quite a while although it's still a bit difficult to know if the pressure gauge are calibrated.

ever heard of yield stress? if during fitting, a vulcaniser pumps your tire above 60 psi and later reduces the pressure to 35 psi, he may have deformed the tyre by exceeding the yield stress of one or two components in the tyre. you may not be able to see this deformation and subsequent separation of the ply. I have seen this happen. it may not be that the tyre has expired but that the tyre has been subjected to pressures beyond what it can take.
Michelin has thrown that 4 year crap in the bin and I hope we all know who's the authority when it comes to tyre issues. I'd take Michelin's word over FRSC

9icetoo:

ever heard of yield stress? if during fitting, a vulcaniser pumps your tire above 60 psi and later reduces the pressure to 35 psi, he may have deformed the tyre by exceeding the yield stress of one or two components in the tyre. you may not be able to see this deformation and subsequent separation of the ply. I have seen this happen. it may not be that the tyre has expired but that the tyre has been subjected to pressures beyond what it can take.
Michelin has thrown that 4 year crap in the bin and I hope we all know who's the authority when it comes to tyre issues. I'd take Michelin's word over FRSC

Now I'll assume that Michelin will not just recommend the number of useful years for a tyre without specifying certain usage conditions.

Now if something as little as temporary over pressure could cause the damage that I had...don't you think that even less than 4 years should be recommended for tyres in Nigeria...where you are not even sure of what your vulcaniser is doing when gauging....patching and inflating our tyres?

My thoughts are not backed by data or empirical facts...but I think it's logical.

bodejohn:


Now I'll assume that Michelin will not just recommend the number of useful years for a tyre without specifying certain usage conditions.

Now if something as little as temporary over pressure could cause the damage that I had...don't you think that even less than 4 years should be recommended for tyres in Nigeria...where you are not even sure of what your vulcaniser is doing when gauging....patching and inflating our tyres?

My thoughts are not backed by data or empirical facts...but I think it's logical.

recommended but not forced down everyone's throat.
some peeps use competent vulcanizers. should they change their tyres every four years?
a tyre is just one of the components of a car? I don't know why FRSC is having an erection over it.
this reminds me of the reflective sticker issue. all cars have reflective rear lights yet FRSC mandated everyone to buy reflective stickers sometime ago not minding the fact that most cars already had this.
its just a brainless ploy to milk nigerians.
like u said, ur tots are not backed by any empirical or scientific data and so is theirs.
i think we should stick with facts and not logic.

these two pictures show two different tyres. on one the date of manufacture (2011) can be seen clearly. on the other the date has been sanded off but its actually a 2010 dated tyre.
the 2011 (newer tyre) already has cracks while the 2010 has no cracks whatsoever.
none of the tyres are Chinese.
the 2011 is a continental made in Germany.

9icetoo:
these two pictures show two different tyres. on one the date of manufacture (2011) can be seen clearly. on the other the date has been sanded off but its actually a 2010 dated tyre.
the 2011 (newer tyre) already has cracks while the 2010 has no cracks whatsoever.
none of the tyres are Chinese.
the 2011 is a continental made in Germany.

Expiration depends on usage as your photos just shows

MPVGoddess:


a 10 year old plus Michelin tire exploded while i was driving several months ago

It sounded like a bomb was placed under the vehicle

But then I was able to drive another 15 miles on that tire till I got home

Then I started checking until I discovered what went wrong.

I took pictures for reference purposes

That's why Michelin recommends that if the tire exceeds 6 years, check it annually.

It had very good thread but it was no longer as rigid as it was supposed to be so it gave up the ghost

Can you actually use a tyre for more than 4 years i n NIGERIA?

adanny01:


The truth is that expiry date of tires is not enforceable because very many different factors that cause degradation of rubber which the tire is made of. Heat for example is a major factor so weather is a main factor. It means 4years expiry in country A could be 5 years in B and 6 in C. Within the US a lone, on standard expiry date cannot be enforced. This is just one factor, when you account for other factors, its nearly impossible to get a specific date not that the tire will not expire at a point in time. Like i said in this thread, its not the expiry of tires that is in contention but the expiry period.

Thread is the only enforceable factor to consider. It is highly advised that from 4 years and above, tires of that age become dangerous as the guarantee is well off.

Just like someone mentioned above, its better to buy a new china substandard tire than buy a 10year old standard Michelin tire or its equivalent. If you know chemistry, you will know better.

you forgot the most important part of tyre inspection, if you have ever own a car abroad you will realize the Authority pay bigger attention on the thread depth of your Tyre rather than the manufacturing dates.

xcuggsm:
LARGE BODY OF SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE SUPPORTS A SIX YEAR TIRE EXPIRATION DATE

Numerous studies written by or for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration support a finding that tires expire in six years.

These studies conclusively conclude the following:

=>Tires begin to weaken and fall apart as they age.

=>The tire aging process happens regardless of whether a tire is on a vehicle or in a temperature-controlled room.

=>Most tires begin to significantly degrade around five years from the date of manufacture.

=>Six years from the date of manufacture, most tires are no longer safe for use on a vehicle
-------
OXIDATION:
For most tires, the expiration date should be six (6) years from the date of manufacture. Tires age dangerously because of a chemical process commonly referred to as oxidation, which simply means that as the tire components are exposed to oxygen, the oxygen particles cause the flexible components of a tire to harden and become brittle. Over time, the tire will simply fall apart under normal stress, just like an old rubber band. Because this process occurs naturally, it does not matter if a tire is being used, stored as a spare, or simply waiting on a store shelf for an unsuspecting consumer.

As THREAD LIFE becomes less of a factor in the service life of a tire (because of improvement in tyre manufacturing technology which reduces thread wear), oxidation becomes a more serious concern— particularly in hotter climates, like Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana which are routinely the hottest states in the United States. (.... AND AFRICA)

http://www.tiresafetygroup.com/tires-expire-in-six-years/

Did you do chemistry in your secondary school days?
if you did then you need to go and re read about Oxidation, instead of copying and pasting what you cannot comprehend.
There are loads of anti-oxidizing agents in the market.,the simplest one is ASCROBIC Acid.

erico2k2:

Can you actually use a tyre for more than 4 years i n NIGERIA?

yes. a lot of people drive their cars only within city limits and have never ventured beyond the state borders. such people probably drive to work in the morning and back home in the evening clocking less than 800 kilometers a month.
an average tire lasts about 60,000 kms when properly maintained (alignment, balancing and inflation pressures).
60,000 kms by 9600 per year gives you a little above six years.
I am talking from personal experience here.
car is a family owned kia soul.

erico2k2:

you forgot the most important part of tyre inspection, if you have ever own a car abroad you will realize the Authority pay bigger attention on the thread depth of your Tyre rather than the manufacturing dates.

Thats what i meant by saying that the "thread is the only enforceable factor to consider". Expiry dates and manufacturing brand cannot be enforced. Infact, the FRSC is struggling to enlighten car users of ban on used or tokumbo tires but has been difficult.

9icetoo:

yes. a lot of people drive their cars only within city limits and have never ventured beyond the state borders. such people probably drive to work in the morning and back home in the evening clocking less than 800 kilometers a month.
an average tire lasts about 60,000 kms when properly maintained (alignment, balancing and inflation pressures).
60,000 kms by 9600 per year gives you a little above six years.
I am talking from personal experience here.
car is a family owned kia soul.

So they do not have puncture in the whole 4 years, knowing the bad state of cleanliness on our 9ja roads,
In 4 years if you do not get puncture by nails or screws, something will tear your tyre, or some one will put 2much air.Im finding it strange you can use tyres for up to 4 years in 9ja

adanny01:


Thats what i meant by saying that the "thread is the only enforceable factor to consider". Expiry dates and manufacturing brand cannot be enforced. Infact, the FRSC is struggling to enlighten car users of ban on used or tokumbo tires but has been difficult.

You see, when you say stuff like Ban tokumba tyres puts you in same l ine as FRSC guys, why ban? even in the wes we buy used tyres, there are shops whom sell used tyres gotten from accident or scrapped cars.these tyres have the legal thread limits.Anyone who drives abroad can attest to this dont just take my word for it google used tyres in teh USA or UK. http://www.usedtyres.org.uk/

erico2k2:

You see, when you say stuff like Ban tokumba tyres puts you in same l ine as FRSC guys, why ban? even in the wes we buy used tyres, there are shops whom sell used tyres gotten from accident or scrapped cars.these tyres have the legal thread limits.Anyone who drives abroad can attest to this dont just take my word for it google used tyres in teh USA or UK. http://www.usedtyres.org.uk/

When i mentioned ban on tokumbo tires you tag me like someone who supports illegality. Its not me who banned tokumbo tires, its not the FRSC that banned tokumbo tires, its the Federal Goverment of Nigeria. I totally support them.

As far as am concerned, used tire and tokumbo tire is not the same thing. Are the used tires found in the US or UK used locally or imported in used condition? FRSC has the statistics that implies that majority of highway accidents in Nigeria are caused by mainly 2 factors; overspeeding and tire blowout. Most of the blow outs are related to tokumbo tires and incorrect tire pressure. What do you think a responsible government should do.

No one stops anyone from buying a used tire but the 95% of tokumbo tires are 5years and above. They use the better part of the tire and give use the dangerous lifespan of the tire with extra burden of disposal. Some tires are imported damaged already and never get to be used for 1km. For every brand new tire manufactured or imported into Nigeria, we are stuck with waste, why import what you will just use for six months then have the disposal responsibility? Same applies to electrical appliances that have compressors using the toxic R12 refrigerant.

The used tires in places like US and UK is not the same grade with the ones imported into Nigeria. They enforce thread limits while we dont. So a tire that is below limit is shipped to Nigeria. Why? Can you import such tokumbo tires to the US or UK? Why?

Its very simple, a tire that is below thread limit is a non-biodegradable toxic waste. Tires are not directly recycled so poses a disposal problem. While US and UK have laws preventing improper disposal such as tire burning which affects the environment, we dont. So we burn the tires and use the steel plys as binding wire for construction and other stuff. The only proper way to dispose a tire is by digging the ground and burying it (i did a landfill research on toxic waste disposal in school).

These countries want an easy way out so they ship it to underdeveloped countries like Nigeria, we use the useless tires for 6months to a year and then have the responsibility to dispose it (for them) which affects our environment and the lifes of our children yet unborn.

Why would an American use the useful part of the life of the tire say 90% and hands it over to us as crumbs of 10% with all the negatives of disposing it. Why would i, an educated Nigerian support the evil of bringing tokumbo tires into our country.

gbam, like i have always said,,,, the 4yr thing by frsc is just plain rubb,ish..........they r simply encouraging people to buy substandard chinese tyres...
the major cause of tyre failure/explosion in naija is over inflation by vulcanizers...to them any suv/jeep..they inflate to 50psi!!!.
one of my cars..the manufacturing adte on the tyre is 2004, ...have been using it since...zero issues...i dont patronize vulcanizers..and i have my own didgital guage and inflator. and i inflate to factory spec as writtten on the door jamb...

i just replaced the tyre to avoid frsc wahala.. and also 12yrs is quite a long time, the other tyres on the car are 2010,........6yrs is more practical, 4yrs is just plain ignorance..by frsc.

in the civilized world..tyres are checed by thread depth

erico2k2:

So they do not have puncture in the whole 4 years, knowing the bad state of cleanliness on our 9ja roads,
In 4 years if you do not get puncture by nails or screws, something will tear your tyre, or some one will put 2much air.Im finding it strange you can use tyres for up to 4 years in 9ja

no puncture in four years. the tyres were replaced last year July. the tyres came with the car in 2009.
alignment issues caused the replacement. the rear tyres still had a lot of meat on them. however as recommended in the owners manual and by the Michelin tyre service center, the four tyres were replaced.
this tyre center has a pressure gauge fitted to their pressure hose. this pressure gauge is calibrated and coloured from white to green to red to guide technician so as not to overinflate the tire even during fitting. these operators are regularly trained by Michelin. engage them in a discussion and you will marvel at how much they know about tyres unlike those FRSC knob heads.
so tyres were always handled by pros and would have lasted longer than 6 years if not for alignment issues.
6 freaking years and same car travels to villa and back (600 odd kms) every xmas.
goes to Enugu from ebonyi sometimes and a few burials and weddings outside the state in between.
FRSC are a bunch of scallywags.

9icetoo:

no puncture in four years. the tyres were replaced last year July. the tyres came with the car in 2009.
alignment issues caused the replacement. the rear tyres still had a lot of meat on them. however as recommended in the owners manual and by the Michelin tyre service center, the four tyres were replaced.
this tyre center has a pressure gauge fitted to their pressure hose. this pressure gauge is calibrated and coloured from white to green to red to guide technician so as not to overinflate the tire even during fitting. these operators are regularly trained by Michelin. engage them in a discussion and you will marvel at how much they know about tyres unlike those FRSC knob heads.
so tyres were always handled by pros and would have lasted longer than 6 years if not for alignment issues.
6 freaking years and same car travels to villa and back (600 odd kms) every xmas.
goes to Enugu from ebonyi sometimes and a few burials and weddings outside the state in between.
FRSC are a bunch of scallywags.

Ok I take it no nails on the route,The tyres in my wife car do not last more than 2 years max, something must puncture and I hate patch so she just had to replace them with good threaded tyres

erico2k2:

Ok I take it no nails on the route,The tyres in my wife car do not last more than 2 years max, something must puncture and I hate patch so she just had to replace them with good threaded tyres

guess she was lucky.

Rexleo:
Once I was stopped by FRSC and my tyres where checked I just simply brought out my phone and start recording, ab initio I had already photocopy my owner's manual where it state six or 65,000 miles for that particular brand of tyres Firestone precision. Then I went ahead to context the condition of the road while all my papers were in perfect order with the c-caution and extinguisher.can you guys believe I was told my car will be towed to there yard even with a bulge by the side of my tyres ,guys I just told him put a mark on my car and buy a new car for me while all this is on going don't forget am recording them.there boss just came and said pls go.there and then I start to they vex like mad.told them straight that the road can not be bad and u expecting my car to be good that I have been doing James bond on this road.till today am still using my tryes like that o .I even went as far to tell them that they should stand at the bad portion and indicate to us road users. Attached is what the owners manual says.

James Bond na actor.....your life no be movie abeg. Apply caution and wisdom.....your sweet life gat no duplicate, your tyre has.....use it!