Opinions Please: "New" Nokian tires manufactured in 2006?

[Go_Habs_Go]

Hi guys,

I wrote a really long and detailed post about this but then I lost it cause I must've timed out from the site when I tried to submit it (but that's a rant I'll leave for later! :chuckle)

So I'll just post the very abbreviated version.

I went to get my Nokian Hakkappeliitta 5's installed today at the store where I put an order for them about a month ago. However when I checked the tire manufacturing date on them, they were from approximately September 2006! (one tire was DOT 3806, the other 3406, etc). I complained and they tried to find me a more recent date. They found a set with a 2008 date but that was the newer 'Run-Flat' model that costs about 100$ more per tire. Obviously I said no to that.

Ok since I am making this short, I'll get right to the point. In the end I took the 2006 Nokian's. A lot of stuff happened at the store before I decided to take them (we argued back and forth, they offered me Gislaved NordFrost 5's that were manufactured in 2008, etc, etc) but in the end I took them. The main reason I took them is that in Quebec, there is a law that was just passed for this winter requiring every one to have winter tires by Dec 15th. So the problem is that EVERYONE is buying tires this year and there is a major shortage happening now. I've called other stores and many of them are running out of tires/rims not only in my size but in a lot of different sizes.

So my concern was, if I don't take the 2006 Hakka 5's and rims at this store, I am running the risk of not finding other tires/rims in my size somewhere else. I didn't want the Gislaved's since I was set on taking the Nokian's and they didn't have any Yokohama's IG-20's or Toyo's left in stock (the only other 2 tires I was interested in).

In the end, do you think I should have taken the Nokian's??? I am pissed off about the date but felt like I was taking a risk if I didn't take them!! The worst part is, I reserved these tires about a month ago in order to avoid getting in a situation where I would have to deal with a potential tire shortage, yet that's exactly the position I found myself in today! :flaming

The only other stores in Montreal that carry the Nokian's were much more expensive and there was no guarantee that the date would be more recent than 2006!!

[SonicBoy]

I think given the shortages, you were wise to take what you had.

Just use the tires as there should not be anything wrong with them. Just make sure the store remembers you if you decide to come back when these are done. Perhaps they can cut you some kind of a deal if the tires deterorate sooner.

[Go_Habs_Go]

thanks SonicBoy, I'm thinking I did the right thing in the end to take them considering the tire shortage that's currently going on here in La belle province but it's still bothering me that they are 2006. If you go by the recommended 6 year shelf life that means I've already lost 1/3 of the tire's life!!! :complain

Anyway...I'm more than likely going to change these tires after 4 years which will still put me within the 6 year window but still...

[5_Alive]

Brother, its all good. I just came back from Wal-Mart about two hours ago, and bought Nexen Euro-Wins for $402.28 out the door, 205/60/16. Why? Because I am not going to wait as about one week ago, they were stocked to the rim, and now, barely anything out on the floor. I took what I could find, and it was exactly the size I needed, although not the exact brand I wanted, although I did not have $650 for Hakk's., my dad's good friend owns a dealer and was having a hard time finding them as well, let alone any type of tire right now. He was going to get me the Nexens for about $340, but nothing in stock at the current moment, and I'm runnin' 40k with the Potenza's, and I'm asking for death as we just had freezing rain/snow mix in Windsor tonight for the first solid time, so really, I'm not worried about the $60 or so. As for the 2006 date, Wal-Mart was selling Dunlop Graspic DS-2 or whatever they are, that were made in 2005!! Yes, 2005! No joke. I almost want to go back tomorrow and take a picture.
There was many like that. My tires were made 2708, and ONE was made 2308.
Again, there is so much shortage, its good you took what you did.
Moe

[cereal83]

Does date actually matter? lol and Nexan winter tires? umm I guess you don't like your car as if you did, you would spend a bit more money on decent tires.

[Kevin@nextmod]

I personally think you should've took the gislaved. Reason is, although the nokians are better but they are in there 3rd year. Winter tires will harden over periods of time and they will become useless. So next year when you want to bring them out to use it, it'll be in its 4th year which the tread will be even firmer. And the third year etc....

There are a few good reviews on gislaved. I'm sure in 2010 winter, the gislaved will be on its 2nd year and i'm pretty sure it'll probably out perform your nokkians because the nokkians are on its 4th year.

I was kinda in the same situation you were in. I ordered a set of toyo G02 for my gf. The shop ordered it but 2 were made in 2006 and 2 were made in 2008. They told me it will be fine, but i figured, yes it'll be fine this year but 2-3 years down the road, 2 of the tires will be firmer then the other 2. So i told them to switch it for me or i'm going to get my deposit back. So they were forced to find me 2 more 2008 tires, and they did and i got them installed. :)

[5_Alive]

Does date actually matter? lol and Nexan winter tires? umm I guess you don't like your car as if you did, you would spend a bit more money on decent tires.

Hard of reading, apparently. Nothing in stock, cannot find. I do care about my car. Either way if they had anything else in stock, why the hell would I spend over $500 on snow tires? I'm from Windsor, not GTA. We don't get hit as hard, let alone as hard as Quebec. So no sense in spending crap-loads of cash on tires I may only really use to full potential once a week, if.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Does date actually matter? lol and Nexan winter tires? umm I guess you don't like your car as if you did, you would spend a bit more money on decent tires.

Does date of tire matter? Well, they are largely made of rubber composites and rubber has this annoying habit of slowly breaking down with exposure to ozone, moisture, oxygen and other chemicals/conditions. Condoms are also made of rubber. I happen to have a 10 year old condom (i got married...nuff said) somewhere in my wallet. I'd be happy to give it to you for free and please let me know how safe you feel riding with that as the only thing between you and something else.


Hard of reading, apparently. Nothing in stock, cannot find. I do care about my car. Either way if they had anything else in stock, why the hell would I spend over $500 on snow tires? I'm from Windsor, not GTA. We don't get hit as hard, let alone as hard as Quebec. So no sense in spending crap-loads of cash on tires I may only really use to full potential once a week, if.

It's obvious you don't care about your car. How the hell are you going to drag race in 2 feet of snow on Nexan's? Now, if only you spent a few hundred dollars more, those Skidoo's wouldn't have any chance! :chuckle

[Swerny]

I would have taken the Gislaved's over the older Hakka's.

I can't find a bloody set of the Gislaved's here.

I had them on my MSP and loved them.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

I would have taken the Gislaved's over the older Hakka's.

I can't find a bloody set of the Gislaved's here.

Hey MS MSP,

As of Saturday morning when I was last there, Allen still had the Ghislaved Nordfrost 5's available in 205-60-R16's. My buddy put them on his Mazda 6 wagon and I put the 409 iPike's on the wife's hatch.

Don't know if they are still in stock, but they were $790.00+ tax with steel rims, fully installed, balanced etc.

[Go_Habs_Go]

thanks for the feedback guys.

I'm still happy I got the Nokian's in the end...I heard good things about the Gislaved as well but I did a lot of research before making my purchase and made the choice to go with Nokian's. So I couldn't justify switching to the Gislaved's just because the Nokians were 1.5 years older (the Nokian's were manufactured around Sept 06 and the Gislaved's were manufactured around March 08 so it's a difference of about 1.5 years).

It does bother me that the tires are from Sept 06 but I think it would have bothered me more had I been forced to switch to a tire I didn't really want...

Ah well, not happy about the whole situation but not much I can do about it now. Live and learn I guess! Next time I will explicitly state that the tire HAS to be manufactured within the last 12 months or I'm not taking it.

[Swerny]

Hey MS MSP,

As of Saturday morning when I was last there, Allen still had the Ghislaved Nordfrost 5's available in 205-60-R16's. My buddy put them on his Mazda 6 wagon and I put the 409 iPike's on the wife's hatch.

Don't know if they are still in stock, but they were $790.00+ tax with steel rims, fully installed, balanced etc.

Thanks for the info.

I'm looking for 205-55-16. I have a deposit down with a vendor but they were out of stock last week and I haven't heard that they got more in.

I'm pressed for time as I'm leaving for vacation for a week on Friday. I want to have this done before I leave.

I got caught out in the snow in London Saturday night on summer tires and it wasn't much fun.

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

Thanks for the info.

I'm looking for 205-55-16. I have a deposit down with a vendor but they were out of stock last week and I haven't heard that they got more in.

I'm pressed for time as I'm leaving for vacation for a week on Friday. I want to have this done before I leave.

I got caught out in the snow in London Saturday night on summer tires and it wasn't much fun.

Ok, not sure if he still has this size. Very hard to find any winter tire in this size right now. The 205-60-R16 will fit the GT3 hatch and the extra sidewall is better in deep snow. I'm running this size on my MS3. For my wife's car, I had to go with the 195-55-R16 iPike's as the 205-55-R16 was sold out completely. The skinnier tires are better in the snow anyway so no issue there really.

[Flagrum_3]

thanks for the feedback guys.

I'm still happy I got the Nokian's in the end...I heard good things about the Gislaved as well but I did a lot of research before making my purchase and made the choice to go with Nokian's. So I couldn't justify switching to the Gislaved's just because the Nokians were 1.5 years older (the Nokian's were manufactured around Sept 06 and the Gislaved's were manufactured around March 08 so it's a difference of about 1.5 years).

It does bother me that the tires are from Sept 06 but I think it would have bothered me more had I been forced to switch to a tire I didn't really want...

Ah well, not happy about the whole situation but not much I can do about it now. Live and learn I guess! Next time I will explicitly state that the tire HAS to be manufactured within the last 12 months or I'm not taking it.


GHG don't worry about it man this whole tire age thing has been blown out of proportion!!....seriously! People will believe everything they read.Those Noki's will probably last you four years or more.I had the haks for 3 years on my CRX sold them to a friend and she used them for two more and they never got 'hard' LOL....they were still good!

You made a good choice.....safe driving bro!


_3

[Zoom Zoom Boy]

GHG don't worry about it man this whole tire age thing has been blown out of proportion!!....seriously! People will believe everything they read.Those Noki's will probably last you four years or more.I had the haks for 3 years on my CRX sold them to a friend and she used them for two more and they never got 'hard' LOL....they were still good!

You made a good choice.....safe driving bro!


_3

+1, although it would still have been nice to get 2008 year tires. As long as this placed stored your Hakks properly, they will be fine.

[RX9]

thats why i ordered the Hakka R, its the newest one for this yr. lol....

[5_Alive]

Good to hear you are happy about your purchase mang..

Okay, I made a mistake, they weren't Euro-Wins I bought. They were the Winguard.. and I went out and returned them, lol. You made me feel like an ass. There is nothing wrong with Nexen as I had a set of N3000 summers for my P5 back in the day, and they were fantastic. Handled the same in wet and dry.
But I bugged my dad's buddy enough, and he said he will hopefully have a set of Blizaaks or hakki's tomorrow.. and something about Wanli? lol I don't know.. Either way, it'll be the Wanli's for $200, or the Hakk's for around $480.. so meh, whatev. I had the Hakk's on my P5 and they were the best tire ever..

and I do care about my car! lol..

[Swerny]

please don't buy Wanli or Triangle or any other Made in China specials.

[Go_Habs_Go]

GHG don't worry about it man this whole tire age thing has been blown out of proportion!!....seriously! People will believe everything they read.Those Noki's will probably last you four years or more.I had the haks for 3 years on my CRX sold them to a friend and she used them for two more and they never got 'hard' LOL....they were still good!

You made a good choice.....safe driving bro!


_3

Thanks Flagrum and ZZB, I appreciate the encouragement. :)

I was definitely discouraged yesterday and for most of the day today but the more I think about the less it's bothering me. I guess it comes down to the fact that I spent weeks and weeks researching different winter tires and specs and calling people and stores and getting opinions and everything that when I finally made my choice I wanted everything to be as I expected it. And part of those expectations were getting a tire manufactured in 2008! But in the end it doesn't really matter as long as the tire isn't already 4 or 5 years old.

I even called up the APA (their web-site also recommends 6 years as the max life for tires) and they told me not to sweat it, even with a 2006 date I would get 4 good years or more out of the tire no problemo.

I also take the time and effort to store my tires really well during the off-season so that should contribute to increasing the longevity of the tire. And I put nitrogen in my Hakka's so for sure that's gonna give the tire an additional 5 or 6 years of life. :chuckle

[5_Alive]

please don't buy Wanli or Triangle or any other Made in China specials.

That bad? My best friend is running them on his SS/SC, 2nd season now, not a problem. I know from last year when he had them, not a problem.
I mean I could get all-seasons for the kind of weather we have in Windsor. Its not as bad as you guys, trust me :chuckle
I don't even know anymore. I'm dropping off my steelies tomorrow and whatever tires go on, I'm taking.

[Mike]

I'm using 6 yrs old tires on my other car (Goodyear Ultra grip ice) and they are still fine. No cracking or sign of deterioration. I think the rubber material can usually outlast the threads.
Did anyone here ever had a tire failed from being old rubber?

[Swerny]

That bad? My best friend is running them on his SS/SC, 2nd season now, not a problem. I know from last year when he had them, not a problem.
I mean I could get all-seasons for the kind of weather we have in Windsor. Its not as bad as you guys, trust me :chuckle
I don't even know anymore. I'm dropping off my steelies tomorrow and whatever tires go on, I'm taking.

they're cheap for a reason.

The old saying "you get what you pay for" applies here.

[Go_Habs_Go]

I'm using 6 yrs old tires on my other car (Goodyear Ultra grip ice) and they are still fine. No cracking or sign of deterioration. I think the rubber material can usually outlast the threads.
Did anyone here ever had a tire failed from being old rubber?

Hopefully no one has ever experienced tire failure from old or deteriorated rubber while driving at a high speed cause the ensuing loss of control from the tire blow out would be extremely difficult if not impossible to recover from! That is a seriously bad situation to be in.

I've had a tire develop a massive "tumor-like" bulge on the inside wall and I only noticed it when I brought the car in for an oil change. I had noticed some wandering and weird behaviour while driving the car for a week or 2. Since I had an oil change coming up I decided to wait till then to bring it to the garage. Once at the garage, we put the car on the lift and checked it out and sure enough there was a GRAPEFRUIT sized tumor on the rear tire's inside wall. Difficult to notice unless the car was lifted but man oh man was that scary once I did see it. How old were the tires? No idea...they were definitely old tires but back then I had no idea about manufacturing dates so I don't know exactly how old they were.

Anyway I had to change the tire right then and there no doubt about it. The sidewall had weakened and was ready to pop like some massive blister!!! Had I checked the date on those tires I'm sure they would have been more than 6 years old.

Anyway...the 6 year period for tires is a recommendation. It's a 'Best Before' date, just like on a carton of milk. If milk is stored properly, you can definitely drink it a day or 2 or 3 or more past its expiration date and you won't get ill. But do you want to take that chance...? I'm sure the guys from Jackass would take you up on that dare LOL LOL!

Anyway, I think it's common sense...inflate tires properly when driving on them, store tires properly during the off-season and always inspect the tires for cracks and for adequate tread depth when putting them back on the next season. After that, there isn't much else you can do!

I've made me peace with my 'geezer-like' Sept 2006 Nokians! :chuckle

[RX9]

mine is made @ 2208. $780(tax in) incl life time balancing/rotation @ 225/60/16 while i got another set hakka WR (made 4707) at $860 @ 235/65/17. are these good price?

[Go_Habs_Go]

mine is made @ 2208. $780(tax in) incl life time balancing/rotation @ 225/60/16 while i got another set hakka WR (made 4707) at $860 @ 235/65/17. are these good price?

I am very envious of the dates you got on yours!! lucky you...

As for the price, sounds pretty good to me. I paid 860$ tax and installation included for a set of Nokian Hakka 5's 205/55/16.