Tire still good?

[interceptor44]

Have a Bridgestone front tire manufacture code WAMM4616 (I think this is the code).
Just got the bike recently...'91 ST1100 with 17k miles. Excellent condition, tire looks almost new...
Guy says it has been stored for awhile put this tire on not to long ago. Guessing it is a 2016?
Good to go or should I change out?

 

[Buckeye Rich]

Not quite 5 years old (46th week of 2016). As long as it's not dry rotted or cracked, I'd ride it!

 

[Larry Fine]

Usually, there's DOT ahead of the number. 4616 means the 46th week of 2016.

That's 4.5 years old. Nobody here will recommend riding on tires that old.

 

[Larry Fine]

Not quite 5 years old (46th week of 2016). As long as it's not dry rotted or cracked, I'd ride it!

I stand corrected.

 

[caldercay]

I'd change it ... but I'm a partially paranoid type ...

for the cost of a new tire, it's worth it

 

[paulcb]

I'd ride it, no qualms at all.

 

[red one]

Have a Bridgestone front tire manufacture code WAMM4616 (I think this is the code).
Just got the bike recently...'91 ST1100 with 17k miles. Excellent condition, tire looks almost new...
Guy says it has been stored for awhile put this tire on not to long ago. Guessing it is a 2016?
Good to go or should I change out?

Well....I've got an original Bridgestone G547front tire that has a production code of pcc0717. So I guess it was 7th week of 2017. I have about 11,000 miles on my 4 year old tire and truth be told its in good condition. I'm confident I can finish this years riding season on my tire. If it is an Bridgestone oem tire I would ride that tire some more. A few small cracks that you can only see with a magnifying glass and a tire not at the wear bars with plenty of "meat" on it I'd say you are fine.

 

[Bush]

If garage kept, out of the sun and elements except when out for a ride, well maintained as far as inspections and pressure settings before every ride, I would keep a set for 6 - 8 years if the tread was still usable.

 

[drbuzzard]

i would treat them like they were new tires and break them in. after i felt they were broken in if there were traction or wear issues i would replace them

 

[SMSW]

I ordered new tires that arrived 3 1/2 yrs old iirc. I returned them, got a pair less than a year old, and felt much more confident in the tires. It all comes down to how you feel about tires, and how you ride. A more aggressive rider will use more of the available traction than I would, but I'd be more likely to make a mistake and a correction when I should not.

 

[ChriSTian_64]

My front tire is also from 2016 : (4816).

There is still enough thread on it for this summer... or so I thought.

Yesterday, I measured the middle thread. Only 2.5 mm !
And even less than that at the wear indicator : 2 mm.

I was shocked, 'cause they were still looking pretty good to me, or to my "new owner/rider" eye.

That neat little tool only costed me less than five dollars. It probably just saved my life.


The minimum thread dept for the front tire on the ST1100 is 1.5 mm.
Only 1 mm of margin left : the thickness of a dime.

That 1 mm of margin (before I reach the 1.5 minimum for safety) could probably last me all summer : I 'm not doing lots of miles. But, does it worth the risk ?

So, I ordered a new Exedra G547.

As one of my friend say... we only have one front tire... and our life depends on it.

 

[interceptor44]

+Ok, thanks. Tire looks new, was stored in a good environment, I do very little miles on the bike.
Will keep an eye on it (them).

 

[SMSW]

Yesterday, I measured the middle thread. Only 2.5 mm !
And even less than that at the wear indicator : 2 mm.

I was shocked, 'cause they were still looking pretty good to me, or to my "new owner/rider" eye.

That neat little tool only costed me less than five dollars. It probably just saved my life.

Tires wear faster as the tread wears down. In other words, you might get 1000 miles from your first 1/32" of tread wear, and only 500 miles from your last 32nd. I've read this is due to less mass of rubber and more 'squirm' at the contact patch. This does not make sense to me since that last 32nd is closer to the carcass mass, but that's what I read somewhere. Does anyone have more info on this?

 

[Upt' North]

Tires wear faster as the tread wears down. In other words, you might get 1000 miles from your first 1/32" of tread wear, and only 500 miles from your last 32nd. I've read this is due to less mass of rubber and more 'squirm' at the contact patch. This does not make sense to me since that last 32nd is closer to the carcass mass, but that's what I read somewhere. Does anyone have more info on this?

I was told by a Dunlop tyre guy (technical/training guru) exactly the opposite. For the reasons you've already eluded to when the tread is deeper it moves around more which generates heat and leads to higher wear. I stress these are not my views but of someone who knew what he was talking about.
Although I think what he told me seemed to make sense, I suspect the percentage difference in wear would be minimal.
Upt'North.

 

[ChriSTian_64]

Interesting point @SMSW and @Upt' North.

With my tyre thread dept gauge, it could be interresting to take a measurement, say every 500 miles, and see what happens.
I guess the tire might also "melt" a bit more fast during the heat of summer.

Anyway... any project that could keep me thinking at something else than Covid.

 

[Joeywhat]

I'd ride it without hesitation assuming it visually looks OK.

 

[drrod]

Tires wear faster as the tread wears down. In other words, you might get 1000 miles from your first 1/32" of tread wear, and only 500 miles from your last 32nd. I've read this is due to less mass of rubber and more 'squirm' at the contact patch. This does not make sense to me since that last 32nd is closer to the carcass mass, but that's what I read somewhere. Does anyone have more info on this?

I will relate my experience with a rear Michelin PR4. At 5,000 kms it had 50% of the tread left by measuring, with a depth gauge, at the wear bars of that tire, and then compared to a new one. I had a 3,000 km trip coming up so I thought I was good, with a pretty good margin of safety. 2000 kms into the trip, I was deep into the wear bars. No significant change in roads, riding style, weight, inflation, etc. In other words, the last 50% of the tread wore off significantly quicker than the first 50%. Like I said, anecdotal only.

 

[Upt' North]

I will relate my experience with a rear Michelin PR4. At 5,000 kms it had 50% of the tread left by measuring, with a depth gauge, at the wear bars of that tire, and then compared to a new one. I had a 3,000 km trip coming up so I thought I was good, with a pretty good margin of safety. 2000 kms into the trip, I was deep into the wear bars. No significant change in roads, riding style, weight, inflation, etc. In other words, the last 50% of the tread wore off significantly quicker than the first 50%. Like I said, anecdotal only.

Sounds like my visits to the boozer, the bottom half of my pint always disappears more quickly.
Upt'North.

 

[SMSW]

Sounds like my visits to the boozer, the bottom half of my pint always disappears more quickly.
Upt'North.

How can you tell?