I own a 2000 Chev Silverado 1500 Z71 4x4 with 11302 original miles. Firestone 265 70 R 16 tires. Garaged since new. I have been told by Discount Tire, Big O, Les Swab, local independents that normal usage on this tire should NOT exceed 6 years. Tires show no sidewall cracking. What do I do??
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by Paul McMahon
(Boston MA.)
I have two backhoe tires and I would like to determine how old they are ?
The tire codes are as follows, 03 007 2 3373, and 06 u44 2 4678. They are Solideal tires.
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by Victor
(Tucson)
I saw on the news recently the concern that a tire older than 5 years can be dangerous due to the deterioration of the rubber. It advised people to check the DOT code on their tires to confirm the age. Well I have Goodrich tires and they don't have series of 12 digits after the DOT.
All it says is -
DOT UT6V CWL
Could the date have been left off?
I am about to take a trip and this unnerves me a bit. What do you think?
Also, while I'm asking questions. Any suggestions for a tires on a Lincoln LS? I have to replace those and haven't figured out which are best.
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by John Olsson
(Silver Spring, MD)
I have a car which has tires with Low mileage, but are over 6 years old. Are these tires dangerously old, or are they still safe to use?
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by Michael
(San Jose, New Mexico, USA)
How old may a "new" tire be and still considered safe?
TG
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by Orville L. Phillips
I'm wondering about DOT manufacturing date codes.
Orville,
your brief statement doesn't give us much guidance about what you want to know, but we'll try to give you some information about the DOT codes.
This code is required on all tires which may be sold in the USA.
Following the "DOT" the first two letters designate where the tire was manufactured.
The next group of letters and numbers are and finally a four number group which tells you the week and year in which the tire was manufactured.
"2206" would indicate a tire made in week 22 of the year 2006. Before the year 2000, the code was only 3 digits long, for example 019 would be on a tire made in the first week of 1999.
If you'd like more detail I'd suggest one of the following might help:
Tire Markings explains more about what's on the sidewall.
DOT Codes gives you a break down of where and who manufactured a tire.
Tireguy
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by aa
(aa)
Hi, above you stated that "...Before the year 2000, this part of the code was only 3 digits long, for example 019 would be on a tire made in the first week of 1999..."
How would you know if it were 1999 and not 1989, 1979, 1969, etc.??
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by John
(Columbia,MS)
Reading the code on the tires (now that I know how) it appears that these tires are 4 to 10 years old. I would like to know what I can do about it. Because now I am being told that 5-7 years are considered the life of a tire.
Codes from the Tires are:
DOT EDKT JJJX No date
DOT EDKT 4206
DOT EDKT 4306
DOT EDKT 4406
From what I understand the one with no date was manufactured prior to 2000.
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by lucy
(El Paso TX)
The tire name is Antyre hs233. They are 275/45r20 110xl MTS. This is the number before the dot E40233961 1409 dot oj25kw1. C257hm
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by Marios
(Cyprus)
I bought an MX5 before some months and when I went to change the tyres the man told me that my tyres are more that 10 years old!
I couldn't believe this so I still have the same tyres and I make a research. My back tire has writing that are made in Germany but near DOT Only writes DM 5C 18Y and my front tyres don't even writes DOT.
My current type is 205/55ZR15
Why? What im doing wrong?? Or something strange here?
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by Archie
(Lacey WA)
What would be the date of manufacture of a tire which has the following DOT code?
DOT BEVE NX7 1445
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If you see this DOT code, look on the other side of the tire
I am looking for a DOT approved tire that is this size 25x12-12 and 25x10-12
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I understand how to read the DOT codes, at least I thought I did. I'm trying to figure out the manufacture date of my tires.
I got a new set of four Michelin tires a few years back that have a DOT code of Y0XX. I've searched and searched and I have no idea what that means. It's supposed to be a Year/Week of manufacture, but what does Y0XX mean?
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by JIM
(parma, ohio)
I'm going to buy new tires in the next week and I would like to know is how to know when the tire was made (Date of manufacture). They won't let you back in the shop to see what the date is on it.
We are thinking about getting a camper to pull -- not a very big one --but what rating what should I look for? My tire size is 215/65R16.
TG
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by M R
(USA)
How fast does a new tire sitting on a shelf waiting to be sold deteriorate? Should'nt I check and make sure a new tire was made within the past year before buying it?
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by Mayhem
(ottawa)
I have found an old axle in an abandoned farm, the tires were sitting near.
It looks to be a very old racing tire the name is Douglas R50 and it has two checkered flags as a logo.
How old are they where are they from?
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by Nageswara Rao
(Ynabu indl.city, yanbu, Saudi)
What is the expiry date for car tyres?
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by enginel
(Saudi Arabia)
I have purchased and installed Michelin Pilot Primacy 235/60R16 tires to my Hyundai Tucson.
At the time of purchase, it took half an hour before the tires were brought to shop. After installation, I realized that those tires are "collector's items" --meaning...collected piece by piece from different dealers.
How will I know that the installed tires are brand new?
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michelin tire ltx M/S, marking: B37P VCVX
what date code is this?
Comment:
If you'll have a look at the DOT Code section of our page on Tire Markings you'll see that you have provided a partial DOT Code.
A complete DOT Code has 12 characters (11 prior to the year 2000) and the first two characters tell you the week of manufacture and the last represents the last digits of the year.
A one time the DOT code was stamped only on ONE side of the tire but in more recent years many manufacturers have started placing it on BOTH sides, but the complete code -- which involves changing the hold for the date is only on one side.
It is likely that you will find the complete code on the other side of your tire.
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by Paul
(Houston, Tx)
When I purchase new tires at a retailer, how old is too old in looking at the manufactured date of the tire. Does it even matter how long the tire has been sitting in the shop new? I already know how you see when the tires were made.
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by Paul
(Fresno)
How old is too old in manufacture date of a new tire?
I found a deal in buying two new tires never mounted or used. But one tire was manufactured in 2004 and the other around 2007. Is that a problem. Exact tire brand/model/size etc... just different manufactured dates.
COMMENT:
Most tire manufacturers limit their warrantys to tires which are within 5 or 6 years of the manufacture date. Beyond that date, they will not likely respond to any claims for defects.
That doesn't necessarily mean that the tires are bad … simply that they are no longer guaranteed in a way that the company will respond to complaints over defects.
Tires can deteriorate over time … sometimes very quickly if they are exposed to certain conditions: the worst being heat and sunlight (UV rays). If you know for certain that the older tire has been stored under ideal conditions, you might be OK in taking a chance on it … but the reason they are available for a good price is because whoever is selling them knows that many people would not be willing to take that chance.
If you are a person who will inspect their tires frequently and are not expecting to use these tires in any situations where you are demanding a lot from them, you might be OK in taking the chance … but be aware of what you are doing.
TG
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by Javier Nogueras
(Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Hi!
I have BF Goodrich tires, All-Terrain T/A.
4 have the following DOT code: DOT BF 0R UH 11.
As far as I know, 0R is for the size: LT235/85R16.
And the "UH 11" ? Someone told me that it's related to the fabrication date (week of the year, and year). But I buy them on June, 2009.
Another tire has this code: DOT BF 11 82 11 28.
It is a LT245/75R16, so the previous code do not apply.
Can you please help me dating these tires?
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by Greg Gotts
(Rosedale, MD, USA)
My tires look real good tread wise, other than a little dry rot.
How can I tell how old the tires are and is there a rule of thumb regarding how many years tires are good for (there are only 34,000 miles on the car)?
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by Brian
(Detroit)
Where do I find the date code and what do the numbers mean? Can Discount Tire tell me the date codes BEFORE I buy online from them?
Editorial Comment:
The date of manufacture is found in the last four characters of the DOT code printed on the tire sidewall. Many tires carry a partial DOT code on one side and the complete code on the other side, so if your DOT code seems to be too short (less than 12 characters), flip the tire over and look on the other side.
The first two of the 4 characters at the end of the code tell you the week of the year, while the last 2 are the last two digits of the year. In this way 01 = the first week of the year, 25= the 25th week. The last two, if they were 12 means the tire was made in 2012, 11 would be 2011, and so on.
It might be impractical for any online seller to tell you exactly the date code before you place an order because someone would have to go and physically look at the tires and then set those aside with your name on them to be sure that those were the tires which were shipped, providing you confirmed the order. It could be that the warehouse and the order desk might be quite some distance apart. I think the best you could hope for is to have them guarantee that the tires were newer than some limit you agree on so that you can refuse to accept them if they are older.
Keep in mind that most manufacturers will guarantee the tires for up to 6 years from their date of manufacturer, but being older than that date doesn't mean the tire is "bad" if it has been properly stored. The vast majority of tires get sold and are completely worn out long before the expiry of the warranty.
TG
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I just got Michelin Primacy MXV4 tires installed and the manufacture date marking reads "011X". How do I interpret this? 01 should be the week but what is 1X? Thanks, Peter
Editorial Comment
To start, because you didn't provide a photo, I'm wondering if the DOT code you are referring to is complete, like the one in the photo above. That is, are you looking at the last 4 of 12 characters.
If the DOT code you're looking at is shorter than 12, you may be seeing only a partial code and will likely find the entire 12 character code on the other side of the tire.
If you are, indeed looking at a full 12 character code, I have no explanation for this … you'd have to contact Michelin directly to get their explanation.
TG
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I bought some Maxxis victra ma-z1 tyres. The DOT code for these is DOT 20RY. This is strange as I didn't find anything on this type of DOT code. Can you tell me what it means?
The first 2 characters of the DOT Code tell you the country and company where the tire was manufactured. The next two characters designate the tire size.
20 CHINA MAXXIS INTERNATIONAL (THAILAND) CO., LTD.
RY P225/40R18
If you are concerned that you don't have a complete 12 character code, you need to look on the other side of the tire because most manufacturers only stamp the complete code on one side of the tires.
The lin to the tire size chart is here and the chart for the Country Codes is HERE.
TG
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by Steve
(Melbourne Australia)
I have just bought a classic MGA car manufactured in 1961, although the tyres look in really good condition I believe they may need replacing as the numbers and letters on them suggest thy may have been manufactured in 1965 !
The tyre is a Michelin XZX 165SR15, other numbers are:
DOT FN TB A4M X 265
86S E2 0177532
Editorial Comment:
I don't think it is possible, from the information you've provided to precisely tell when your tires were made except to say that they were made prior to the year 2000.
In the year 2000, the date-of-manufacture portion of the DOT code, which is the final section, was expanded to 4 digits instead of 3.
In the DOT Code which you have provided the 265 tells us that the tire was made in the 26th week in a year ending in the digit 5. This could be 1975, 1985 or 1995. I would exclude the year 1965 because the Regulations which established the use of the DOT code didn't come into force until the year 1971.
There is a possibility that Michelin could tell you more by telling you when they started or ceased to manufacture this model of tire. None of the other markings seem to bear any relation to the date of fabrication, but possibly some other tire buff might have another view on this.
If you're planning on using the car for any higher speed driving, I would definitely consider changing the tires, but if your use will be slow speed and infrequent you might have some satisfaction in driving on antique tires.
TG
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by Constance
(Kernersville, NC)
one of my tires has 4611 meaning the 46th wk of 2011 the other three has 1012 meaning the 10th wk of 2012. I'm I correct? I just got them installed today 9/5/2012. (Walmart) I told the tech I wanted the latest tires they got in with the same date. This is what I got. They have a 40,000 mile warranty, they are the Douglas 205/60R15 DP GT-H. I have a 97 Honda Accord V6 with 83546 original miles on it. Was this a good date on the tires?
Editorial Comment:
Different tire companies may have different lengths of time for their manufacturer's warranty, but generally the trend is for 5 or 6 years from the date the tire was made.
Usually this covers the tire for defects which are caused by faults in the materials or the manufacturing process and have nothing to do with the life of the tire which is mostly affected by how much and what kind of use it receives after it has been sold and installed.
In my experience, a defect in materials or workmanship will usually become evident in a very short time after a tire is put into use, so even if your tire is getting close to the limit when you first install it you will likely notice any defects under this kind of warranty.
Another thing to keep in mind is that just because a tire is more than 5 or 6 years old doesn't mean it is "expired" and that it is no good. All that means is that the maker will no longer accept a claim for defects in fabrication. In fact, if a tire is stored under ideal conditions, or even if it is in use but has been properly maintained, there is no reason why it cannot continue to give faithful service for several years past the expiration of the warranty period.
TG
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Editorial Comment:
There has been a lot of TV news making a lot of noise about the dangers of "old" tires.
Some of what they've reported is correct, but I feel they haven't given viewers all the story about things which can cause tire failure to help
make informed decisions.
If your tires have been stored away from heat and UV sources they may still be in very good condition. Also if your tires have been used with the proper pressure and not damaged they still may be able to be used for short trips, at modest speeds without any heavy loads.
If you plan to use these tires in any demanding situations, long trips, high speeds, heavy loads, difficult roads, you might want to consider getting newer ones, and keep these as spares to get you out of some pinch.
The six year life of tires is what manufactures set as the limit on how long they will guarantee their tires. Most products are usually made with a margin of safety built in so that when any standard is published, the product will be designed to exceed that limit by a factor of 1.5 or more.
This is not to say that I recommend that you ignore tire age ... what I'm saying is that other factors, such as speed, inflation pressure, heat and other issues also have to be taken into account.
TG