I have checked with five different distributors and their warehouses - both in the southeast and the northeast in search of Michelin Latitude Tour tires for my Nissan Pathfinder (245 65 17).
After my research it appears to be the best tire to replace my current worn out Cross Terrains. The issue is that over the past four months every time the tires are ordered there are only 2006 tires available. According to Michelin customer service tires that are 3 years old are taken off the shelf and not sold.
I would appreciate some insight if anyone has ideas - I am absolutely livid that I am suppose to drop $800 - 900 on a set of tires that in less than 8 months shouldnt even be sold to a customer. As advised, I understand that they will be under warranty - but I shouldnt have to purchase out of date tires from a company that prides themselves in being the best.
Does anyone know the production dates for theMichelin Latitude Tour (black wall lettering)? I am furious that other tire manufacturers and even other Michelin tires are current 2008 and even 2009 already.
Why is Michelin selling 2006 tires but expecting a customer to still pay the highest price in the market? I personally feel like Michelin might be trying to clear old stock before they are forced to throw them out - as old inventory.
Any suggestions??? Please help I would greatly appreciate your insight!
Shouldn’t be a problem as long as they were in a warehouse.
The Sun can do a lot of damage to tires. As long as they weren’t exposed to the Sun probably not a problem.
Why is Michelin selling 2006 tires but expecting a customer to still pay the highest price in the market? I personally feel like Michelin might be trying to clear old stock before they are forced to throw them out - as old inventory.
Michelin are EXCELLENT tires…but I think they are pricing themselves out of competition. I can buy tires that are as good or almost as good for about 40% LESS.
Sun and ozone are the killers. Stored in the typical warehouse will not age them as much as if they were in service. When they say they should not be sold more than three years after manufacturer, that is what they mean. It does not mean they are junk after three years, it only means they believe they will have a normal life remaining after three years of storage.
The only reason I might be concerned is if I expected to put few miles on the tires, needing them to last, say, 10 years. If that were the case, I’d find another brand (there are other options).
Tire mfgs have a challenge with all the tires they sell in all the different sizes. Apparently this is a “low run” tire in the size you need. If all the Michelin inventory is dated 2006 they may not have made more of that size and type of tire since. If buying the 2006 tires is unacceptable, you can go to another brand and place a higher priority on the manufactured date.
If you live near Canada perhaps they have newer ones in their distribution system. Or, go to the highest volume tire source you can find. They should have the freshest tires available, I guess that would be TireRack.com. If that doesn’t pan out and you absolutely must have Michelin Latitude Tour tires for your Nissan Pathfinder (245 65 17) then they are going to be 2006.
I live in Mexico for 9 months of the year and have two old trucks down here used to haul water and other supplies. One is equipped with 6-ply nylon no-name tires and the other, a Dodge 1-ton which is frequently overloaded hauling 800 gallons of water over unimproved dirt roads rides on six load range E nylon cord non-radial tires. These tires are 15-16 years old…They are parked outside in the Sonoran Sunshine. These tires are in better condition than the trucks they are mounted on…
I think all this concern about tire shelf-life is somewhat misguided…
Tire makers, for some reason, feel they must change their tread pattern molds and tire names every two or three years. It’s almost impossible to buy the same tire twice. You will be told the tire you want has been discontinued, replaced with a new improved design. Over the years, I bet there have been over a MILLION different tread design molds used to make the latest new, improved, tires. You would think, after a while, they would discover the optimum tread design and stick with it…Maybe it’s job protection for the Tire Mold Cutters Union…
The tires will be fine and as good as any new tires if they were stored in a warehouse. I’ve even seen guys running WWII military issue tires on antique Harleys.
Those old WWII tires survived because they were paper wrapped and out of the sunlight.
Another reason for Michelin not selling tires older than 3 years is that if one single tire blows out and it’s claimed by an attorney, justifiably or not, that an aged tire contributed to that blowout then Michelin would find itself embroiled in a class action lawsuit.
In the meantime I would not remain furious and allow the blood pressure to rise over something like a tire choice and odds are every single tire maker on the planet does the same thing.
There are many other comparable tires out there that are just as good a tire or better than Michelin.
Yes I pretty much agree with the others but if the only tire available is a 2006, I would suspect that they are being discontinued. You may want to just select a different tire instead. As far as paying full price-they are new tires and cost just as much to make them then as now plus the warehousing costs. Some things just aren’t that important to get worked up over.