1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Are these necessary steps to take when buying tires?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by krmcg, Aug 13, 2019.

Tags:
  1. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

    Joined:
    May 15, 2008
    2,592
    2,388
    0
    Location:
    Whittier, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    OK, not a Prius - but it shouldn't matter.
    I am buying new tires for my 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid. Changing tires because of age, not mileage. The car has only 17,500 miles on the odometer. But I have noticed some cracking on the shoulders of the tires.
    I ordered a set of Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 tires. And given what I have read about Bridgestone having several different factories and not always having matching tread patterns. Also I needed to make sure that the tires are "fresh" because they will age-out before they wear out.
    So, after being notified that the tires had been delivered to Costco I hot-footed it down to the store ahead of my installation appointment to examine them.
    After an awkward conversation to justify my request I was allowed to examine the tires. Turns out they are all the same and were made in the 22 week of 2019. Now I can rest easy.
     
    #1 krmcg, Aug 13, 2019
    Mambo Dave and alanclarkeau like this.
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,629
    38,194
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Tires manufactured and stored "keep" pretty good. I've had fresh and not-so-fresh, and both worked out.

    Did you notice the country of manufacture? That said, if they're all the same they're all the same.

    This really ticks me about the EP422 btw. Someone here buying 4 tires, managed to get 2 MEX and 2 US, with noticeably different tread pattern, different number of rows.

    One thing I always do with Costco, since I dislike green valve caps, is take off the caps just before handing over the car (or loose wheels).
     
    #2 Mendel Leisk, Aug 13, 2019
    alanclarkeau and krmcg like this.
  3. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

    Joined:
    May 15, 2008
    2,592
    2,388
    0
    Location:
    Whittier, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I will do the same. my Avalon has metal stems and caps...
     
    #3 krmcg, Aug 13, 2019
    alanclarkeau likes this.
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,629
    38,194
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I've heard about metal caps rusting on. Maybe not so much in California? Maybe more so with long running neglect, ie: never checking pressures.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Aug 13, 2019
    frodoz737, kithmo and alanclarkeau like this.
  5. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

    Joined:
    May 15, 2008
    2,592
    2,388
    0
    Location:
    Whittier, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I spent about 5 years in the retail tire business. So I am a little obsessive about checking the air. So, not an issue for me.
     
    #5 krmcg, Aug 13, 2019
    alanclarkeau and Mendel Leisk like this.
  6. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

    Joined:
    May 15, 2008
    2,592
    2,388
    0
    Location:
    Whittier, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I intend to have the tires mounted so that the full DOT information is on the outside so that I will be able to see that information (and no date-switching takes place).
     
    #6 krmcg, Aug 13, 2019
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  7. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,041
    7,580
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I remember getting home after a set of 4 Michelins were installed on my VW Microbus in the '80s. Checking the pressures, I discovered that 3 were French and one was from elsewhere - I think Irish (or Scottish?). Still drove well once they were run-in.
     
    #7 alanclarkeau, Aug 13, 2019
    krmcg and Mendel Leisk like this.
  8. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

    Joined:
    May 15, 2008
    2,592
    2,388
    0
    Location:
    Whittier, CA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Manufactured in Wilson, North Carolina
     
    #8 krmcg, Aug 15, 2019
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  9. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Usually aluminium caps on brass valve stems due to galvanic corrosion and exacerbated by tightening with a spanner to prevent theft.
     
    #9 kithmo, Aug 16, 2019
    alanclarkeau, krmcg and Mendel Leisk like this.
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,629
    38,194
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Yeah plastic is simpler. Our OEM caps are plastic but silvered, look metal. Again, I took them off before getting new tires last fall, they live on. (y)
     
    #10 Mendel Leisk, Aug 16, 2019
    alanclarkeau, krmcg and kithmo like this.
  11. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    We have black caps as standard, replaced with new black caps at tyre depots unless they fill the tyres with nitrogen, then they use the green ones.
     
    #11 kithmo, Aug 16, 2019
    alanclarkeau and krmcg like this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)