Tire date: does it really matter that much?

The original tires that came with my 2011 177 were manufactured during the 2009 calendar year.  The tires were 'Tire King' load range 'C' and produced in China.  This being our first TT I didn't pay attention to trailer tires as I recall my dad having the same tires on his utility trailer for over 20 years; they were cracked and weather checked to no end, yet they never blew out or had a flat.  Fast forward to our 177 and reading about how tires are to be replaced every 5 years got me to thinking well it is now 2015 and time to replace these 'china bombs' as some refer to them as and even though there were over 20K miles on them, they still appeared new, tread wise.  Upon taking them in the tire guy was telling me how lucky I was as the above named tires were over 7 years old and finally getting replaced.  Anyway, I am going to now buck the system and at least go 6 years with the current Carlisle Radial Trail HD tires (load range 'D') that are currently on the 177.  They are kept out of the sun when not in use and are stored under cover during the long northern Michigan winters.  Time will tell, but after going 7 years with said cheaper Tire King "C" tires, the better Carlisle "D" tires ought to last that long as well IMHO.

I would not argue with someone going with 5 years, but I've generally gone with 6 years as long as there are no visible cracks in the sidewalls. I do start looking very carefully when they hit the 5 year age.

Tires, tires, tires!!

So many questions, so many options and even more opinions.

 Here’s my opinion, based solely on my experience.

I have had 2 RPods(173 and 179) since 2011.  During that time, I have had (in order) the original “China bombs”(Grand Ride) that came on the 173,  a set of Carlisles, a set of Maxxiis and 2 sets of Goodyear Endurance tires.  The last set of Goodyear Endurance were installed a month ago.

 We have used our RPods extensively-on multi week trips going from central NC to Florida at least 6 times, to Vancouver and west coast twice, to NY Adirondacks, to Michigan’s UP, Texas and southwest as well as many shorter trips around the southeast. Our trips have ranged from 3 months to long weekends.

 Each of the tires listed above were improvements from the previous brand. In every case, the older tires did not appear overly worn, cracked or abused. All of the tires except the original factory supplied set were always balanced prior to installation.

 I have had one blowout because of unavoidable road debris and DO NOT want to do that again!  That was not the fault of the tire and ANY tire can suffer this issue.

 It is my opinion that you cannot have too good of a tire.  I want the BEST tire available.

 My opinion after trying all of the above brands is that the Goodyear Endurance IS the best tire for my travel style and my RPod.  It has proven to me that it stays balanced, doesn’t leak , rides and tows smooth due to a stiffer sidewall and offers the best tread wear and service of any of the other brands that I have used.  I spent a total of $303.74 for the latest set 1 month ago at my local tire/auto shop.

 As to age, the Goodyear’s were replaced at 5 years even though they still appeared perfectly capable of continuing to be used safely.  My safety is not worth saving 1/6^th ($50+/-)of the cost of a set of tires by waiting and gambling on another year of service.

 I would agree that traveling style (trip distance, pod weight, speed, temperature, etc) are all factors to be considered. For myself, Goodyear Endurance tires will be on my trailer for 5 years and then replaced with the same unless something better comes to the market.

Just my opinion

 Travel safe and often

Vann

When I installed my new Goodyear Endurance tires (replacing 7-year-old Westlakes that were on the R-Pod when I bought it last fall) I bought a pair of tire covers and slip them over the tires any time it's parked for more than one night. 
I'm assuming this will significantly reduce the UV exposure on the tires and hopefully eliminate that as a potential cause of premature failure. 

fully agree, tire covers are definitely a must for the Rockies here.