2012 tires

[01xj]

I have a set of 2012 Dunlop Q3s I must have bought with a rebate or something . They've been stored inside since I bought them. I didn't ride most of 15,16 or 17 due to renovating a foreclosure and then having a kid. It's finally time to replace the rubber that's on my bike. The official date code reads September of 2012 as the manufacturer date.

Think these are okay to run? There is no dry rot or cracking on them. They seem like a perfectly serviceable set of tires otherwise.

[RyanNicholson]

You'll probably get a variety of answers but if they look/feel in good shape I'd run them, personally.

[boosten lebaron]

I wouldn't track them but they should be fine for normal riding. As long as they aren't dried and cracked I would rock them.

[01xj]

I probably won't be at the track this season. This will be for street use only but I don't see myself going through them this season so it will also be going into the 2020 season. They aren't dry rotted or cracked. Pretty much just look they came off the shelf, they're just older than normal.

[satz]

Last year I got a sv650. The powers were brand spanking new. I did 5 track days on this. On the sept one it slipped once and on a street ride once. Anyway I found about date code and checked . It was from 2011. So now I have Q3+ and Q4. The change is huge on grip.

[MattR302]

I’m also in the camp of “I’d defintely street them, but would be hesitant to track them”

[TIMMYDUCK]

Junk I bet , better recycle them , or I could do it for you .

Although on the other hand, they could be perfectly fine,and should be mounted immediately and scrubbed in nicely by the weekend.

[Rambunctous]

Are they still soft or did they get old and harden up?

[csmutty]

I'd run em. That's not saying much though...

[PeaPod]

I'd run em. That's not saying much though...

That's the truth right there, lol.

I remember those Dunlops that were cracked all to heck and you ran them without a care in the world...on the track, haha!

[nick5446]

I'm running tires from the 90's on two of my bikes right now

[01xj]

Want to revisit this. Nothing has really changed, so not sure if there is any point in posting this. A guy at work said he would take the tires. They've been in my basement and from everything I can see, they look perfectly fine. Basement is a finished, conditioned space. Tires have been sitting with unused moto gear since I bought them new. One date code is 11/2012 and another is 2013. Would you feel comfortable giving these to someone to run on the street? My town does recycle tires so disposing of them isn't a problem, but it feels kinda crazy to chuck 300$ down the drain.

[csmutty]

Want to revisit this. Nothing has really changed, so not sure if there is any point in posting this. A guy at work said he would take the tires. They've been in my basement and from everything I can see, they look perfectly fine. Basement is a finished, conditioned space. Tires have been sitting with unused moto gear since I bought them new. One date code is 11/2012 and another is 2013. Would you feel comfortable giving these to someone to run on the street? My town does recycle tires so disposing of them isn't a problem, but it feels kinda crazy to chuck 300$ down the drain.

Its his risk... I'd give them to him if he wanted them.

[MattR302]

If you’re uncomfortable giving them to someone you know, I’d list them on Marketplace for $200 and sell em to the first knucklehead that offered over $100.

[aldend123]

Dunlop FAQ: At what age is a tire no longer usable?

Tires are composed of various types of material and rubber compounds, having performance properties essential to the proper functioning of the tire itself. These component properties change over time. For each tire, this change depends upon many factors such as weather, storage conditions, and conditions of use (load, speed, inflation pressure, maintenance etc.) to which the tire is subjected throughout its life. This service-related evolution varies widely so that accurately predicting the serviceable life of any specific tire in advance is not possible. Tires which have been in use for 5 years or more should continue to be inspected by a specialist at least annually. It is recommended that any tires 10 years or older from the date of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as a precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they have not reached the legal wear out limit.

Source

I think the whole date code thing got quite out of hand because manufactures have a difficult time with saying something like 'ya, it's probably fine'. Several have carefully worded statements trying to address this though. They usually say something similar to Dunlop : if it was stored properly, and shows no signs of aging, run it. They usually have a hard age limit, like Dunlop's 10 years. I assume that's got at least a slight margin of error in it too. I'd happily run them right to the limits, or sell them to someone that I've explained the date code, storage, and shown them the statement above. If they're good with that, I'm not going to try and convince them differently.

[01xj]

I just want to make sure the guy is safe on them. I appreciate that link and I'll explain it to him. Worst case scenario is he trashes them himself and has to buy a set he would have anyways.

[OneCheekRider]

I recently picked up a low-mileage bike with great-looking tires that had a date code from 2010. It was definitely not stored in a climate controlled area nor on stands in NH, where it came from. While I was waiting for new tires to get in, I used the bike around town to run errands and tried to see if I could get them to slide. They actually gripped better than expected but the biggest thing I noticed when I put the new tires on was how much smoother the ride was. I did not have the confidence in them to go to the canyons or anything more rigorous than normal street riding. I changed them myself and left the old ones outside my garage with the intention to take them to the town recycle day but someone stole them within 2 days. So I'd imagine someone is running them right now.

[Garandman]

I just want to make sure the guy is safe on them. I appreciate that link and I'll explain it to him. Worst case scenario is he trashes them himself and has to buy a set he would have anyways.

Under the kind of storage condition you had they should be fine. I’d bet the tires on my R90/6 are older.

Worked for a rubber molder for three years, it’s really quite amazing stuff. Rubber hardness is measured using a “Durometer” Guatemalan <-autospell when I typed in “gauge.” We tested plaques after aging in sun and cold for years, and hardness, tensile strength etc changed little.

[03Worc9R]

Do not track them. I was just in same position and they cracked and split. Street I wouldn’t hesitate to use them.

[csmutty]

Do not track them. I was just in same position and they cracked and split. Street I wouldn’t hesitate to use them.

Cracks are fine