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Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:22 pm

I was trying to purchase a set of Hankook tires, and it appears Hankook don't evel list them on their site, were they discontinued?
I spoke to Busdepot, and the answer was, they don't know, I wanted to know how old were the tires they have for sale and they said one year old. Can any one shed some light on this. Thanks.

Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:31 pm

Tires Easy shows the RA18:

https://www.tires-easy.com/brands/hankook-tires/ra18?code=2001939

I have purchased quite a few tires from T-E and in my experience, when they say they have them - they do. They also have always shipped quickly and the tires were of recent manufacture.

The last set I got from them though was RA08. I do not know how RA18s differ.

Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:40 pm

Since I'm updating the tire sticky, I can tell you that the RA08 is indeed discontinued, long ago. The RA18 is actually called the Vantra LT. It is not listed at Hankook USA, but is listed on the UK site: http://www.hankooktire.com/mea-en/passenger-cars/hankook-vantra-lt-ra18.html . So, any retailers in North America selling the tire are probably importing them from overseas.

Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:53 pm

RA-08 is discontinued but of course some are still out there, even on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWZ472S/ref=wl_it_dp_...mp;coliid=
Who knows how old these are getting to be by now... :roll:

RA-18 is the replacement with similar specs & slightly different tread pattern:
https://www.amazon.com/Hankook-Vantra-RA18-195R14-...P8DJ7Q8BBX

FWIW, these are 195R14... 185's seem to be about $20 less:
https://www.amazon.com/Hankook-Vantra-RA18-185R14-...SK953D3PZQ

- Dave

Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:54 pm

dhaavers wrote: RA-08 is discontinued but of course some are still out there, even on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MWZ472S/ref=wl_it_dp_...mp;coliid=
Who knows how old these are getting to be by now... :roll:

That reminds me. I checked the other day and my RA08s are getting up there, date code of 4107, if memory serves. So almost ten years old, no idea how long they have been mounted. Still a good bit of tread but like oil, I think time matters as well as mileage. Should I be thinking of replacement before I am *koff* surprised?

Sun Mar 19, 2017 6:20 pm

dhaavers wrote: ...So almost ten years old... Should I be thinking of replacement before I am *koff* surprised?

Opinions differ - I have heard as short as 7 years and as long as 10 recommended.

I never go more than 10 even though the tires may still look good -- this is not an area to try to squeeze a few more years out of a part.

Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:05 pm

USDOT recommends replacing tires after 6 years.
At 10 years yours have given you very good service...time to replace.

- Dave

Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:42 pm

dhaavers wrote: USDOT recommends replacing tires after 6 years.
At 10 years yours have given you very good service...time to replace.

As my spirit guide on so many things on here, I defer to your wisdom…

I'm just glad I thought to look.

Sun Mar 19, 2017 8:24 pm

Paulbeard wrote: I'm just glad I thought to look.
Me too, buddy... :wink:

One less potential problem...git 'r done & sleep well! 8)

- Dave

Mon Mar 20, 2017 9:01 am

There has been a supply issue with RA18's in the U.S. but we have plenty available at this time. Of course I cannot predict what the future holds for them, but there were chronic backorder problems with the older RA08's over the years as well. I could have sold 50% more of them if only I could have gotten them. Clearly Hankook underestimates the size of the market.

We spot checked a number of RA18's on hand this morning and they were made in September, not a year ago. I asked around at the shop and nobody there remembers telling anyone our RA18's were a year old. Maybe they said they were "made last year," which is true, but they were made in the latter part of the year so really only 6 or 7 months ago. That age is actually pretty good for a specialty tire. Unlike mass-market tires that are in constant production, specialty tires may be made infrequently in large batches. By the time they make it onto a container, through the supply chain, and into retail, 6-8 months is common. If you buy from a dealer who doesn't move a lot of Vanagon tires it might be double, as they may sit an additional 6-8 months collecting dust, but we turn our inventory of RA18's very quickly.

Sat May 23, 2020 9:45 am

I just bought 215/75 R15 (edit, was 16... typo) BFGoodrich K02s from Tirerack's Seattle warehouse and they were 41 weeks old. I would have expected that a high-volume tire like that would have been newer but that's in the range of what I've come to expect. I believe the freshest tires I've bought were about 20 weeks old.

Sun May 24, 2020 7:21 am

jimf909 wrote: I just bought 215/75 R16 BFGoodrich K02s from Tirerack's Seattle warehouse and they were 41 weeks old. I would have expected that a high-volume tire like that would have been newer but that's in the range of what I've come to expect. I believe the freshest tires I've bought were about 20 weeks old.
The newest tires that I generally see are on brand new vehicles where the car manufacturer and tire supplier are in close working conditions with a contract.... :P
As for us plain folks, it’s all over the map. Even on vehicles that aren’t that old, tire choices suddenly drop with a ‘close enough’ superseded tire taking another’s place in a tire manufacturers offering. I hate seeing 1 yr to 2 year old tires being sold new since the clock started ticking once they were made, but it does happen.
Usually, however, as Ron S. noted in that older post, I’m getting 6 month old tires , maybe newer.
The rudest awakening for some customers is a low mileage vehicle, great tires with plenty of tread, they lose one tire due to damage and find out the tire was discontinued months ago.
That’s always a tough conversation if no one else across the nation has them left in stock.