Tire Concerns: Tire age and safety
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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Tire Concerns: manufacturing date of off-road tires.
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.
Editorial Comment:
Only tires which are used on public highways are regulated with DOT codes which have a standard way of showing their manufacture date. The examples you've provided are not consistent with these but either a dealer who specializes in these kind of tires or the manufacturer may be able to help if you contact them.
Try the Solideal website at http://www.solideal.com
TG
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Problem figuring out DOT code for age
by Victor
(Tucson)
Sample DOT code
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.
Editorial Comment:
It would be better if we had a picture of your tire code, but from what you've reported I'm concerned about the missing part of the DOT code. If I were you I'd be visiting a BF Goodrich dealer as soon as possible to discover what is going on.
When I was being trained to adjust tire complaints, I was shown tires which had been falsified by some unscrupulous person and one of the clues to this was a missing DOT code.
I don't know if this is what happened in your case but all tires sold in the USA must have a DOT code which includes the year of manufacture ... if it's missing I'd be wanting to know why, however, before you start crying foul, look on the other side of the tire. Some manufacturers put an incomplete Code on one side and the complete code (including the date) on the other because of the expense of having two adjustable molds for both sides.
Something else which occurs to me is the possibility that the tire you've mentioned is not a car tire. The coding motorcycle tires is different from automobiles but the one you reported still looks strange to me.
As for the age of the tire, just being over 5 years old doesn't necessarily make a tire unsafe. It's just that manufacturers have placed a limit on their products for warranty purposes and they won't respond for any tires older than that. I think they reached that limit because most tires which are sold have been completely worn out before they reach 5 years of age.
See my comments on 7 year old Pirelli tires for some more thoughts on this topic.
Tireguy
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Do tires get old?
by John Olsson
(Silver Spring, MD)
Dangerously old tire
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?
Editorial Comment:
John's question is typical of many that are being asked recently, particularly after some national TV reports that allege that old tires are the cause of fatal accidents.
The answer is not simple, and without having actually seen John's tires or the specific tires in the reports it is not possible to make a specific comment which will cover all cases, but here are some thoughts that may help you understand the situation.
First is the concept of tire's aging.
To begin with, as a dealer for tires, we were always working with the understanding that the manufacturer would guarantee their tires against defects in materials or workmanship for 5 years from the date of manufacture which is stamped on the sidewall of the tire.
So, in the case of John's tires, I'd first want to know if they were six years old from the date of manufacture, or was it six years since he bought them. In the first case, I'd be less concerned. In the latter case, I'd want to know what the manufacture date was.
You see, most companies who guarantee things tend to be very conservative and always allow for a margin of error. That means, to me, that if something is guaranteed for 5 years, there's some safety margin of 25 to 50% built in to that guarantee. So that tire might be still completely serviceable with no risk for maybe as long as 7.5 years.
The next issue, in assessing this is what has happened to those tires over their lifetime.
Have they been subjected to heat and sunlight or have they been stored in cool-dry conditions? Heat and sunlight can hasten their deterioration.
Have they had any damages caused through punctures, through being driven with low pressures, through being rubbed or impacted with a curb, pot-hole, etc.? Any of these can speed up a tire's demise.
Have they been subjected to exposure to ozone, petroleum based, or other chemicals? These are other causes of weakening a tire.
All of these factors can influence the life and servicability of even a relatively new tire, but they are things which most people never even think about or take into consideration when they examine theirs.
If there's any doubt about these, possibly an experienced tire service person could examine a tire to determine if there are any visible signs of damage which would weaken a tire that would make it advisable to replace it.
The final consideration would be what kind of use and road conditions would the tire be subjected to if it were going to be used. There is a considerable difference in driving a car every day at freeway speeds in a harsh (hot) climate, and driving at 30 mph a couple of blocks to a corner store once or twice a week.
TG
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Tire Concerns: Tire age
by Michael
(San Jose, New Mexico, USA)
Junk Tires
How old may a "new" tire be and still considered safe?
Editorial Comment: With recent reports which have been shown on TV and published in other media this is a question which is asked more and more.
With many dramatic reports, issues sometimes get blown out of proportion and certain parts of the story don't get told.
The exact age of a modern tire isn't the only factor which determines whether or not it is safe to use, but that doesn't mean that you can expect a tire in storage to be useful forever, either.
Most major tire manufacturers like Michelin, Goodyear, BFGoodrich etc, usually guarantee their tires for defects in material and workmanship for 5 or 6 years from the date of manufacture which is stamped on every tire at the end of the DOT code.
The date of manufacture is the last four digits in the code which shows something like 2204, where the 22 says it was made in the 22nd week of the year and the 04 means the year 2004. If, by chance you come across a tire with only three digits at the end like 195, this was made before the year 2000, and is too old to be considered for normal use.
Now, the fact that a tire is more or less than 5 years old is only part of the story. This limit isonly the time for which the factory will guarantee its tire.
The tire could be less than 5 years old and if it has been poorly stored it could be unusable.
Also if you use a relatively young tire and do not care for it properly you could have it fail on you in spite of its young age.
And if you happen to have tires that have just turned 5 or 6 on your vehicle it doesn't mean that you have to run out right now to replace them.
What you do need to do is make sure that they have been proplerly used and cared for and to inspect them on a regular basis to make sure that there are no defects which are starting to develop.
TG
By the way, do you make a habit of checking your tires, at least monthly? If not,Tire Chek will remind you.
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DOT manufacturing date code
by Orville L. Phillips
Sidewall Markings
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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Tire Concerns: Confusion about DOT code prior to the year 2000
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.??
Editorial Comment:
Prior to the year 2000 there was only 3 symbols used for identifying the week and year of a tire's fabrication.
The regulations controlling this only stipulated that the last number would show the digit of the year so that each decade the number could be repeated, eg. 1980 and 1990 would both use a zero.
At that time it was very rare for a tire to be in use for any period as long as 10 years and even if it were the type of tread design and other characteristics of the tire would make it pretty evident as to which decade a tire belonged.
Wikipedia claims that during the 1990s that a small triangle followed the last number to indicate that it was manufacturered in that decade, however, this is not in the DOT regulations and I have never seen it in use.
TG
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Tire Concerns: Age of "New" Michelin tires
by John
(Columbia,MS)
Complete DOT code
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.
Editorial Comment:
Actually none of the DOT codes you have quoted show a date.
The DOT codes you have quoted are incomplete, which likely means you are looking on the wrong side of the tire.
Look on the other side of the tire and you will likely find a 12 character code such as the one in the picture above. If the code is only 11 characters long then you may have cause for concern because the 11 character DOT code was increased to 12 characters in the year 2000.
It's the last 4 of 12 characters which will tell you the week and year, in the form of WWYY, with the year being the last 2 digits of the year.
TG
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i can't tell what year my tires where manufactured in
by lucy
(El Paso TX)
Antyre tire
The tire name is Antyre hs233. They are 275/45r20 110xl MTS. This is the number before the dot E40233961 1409 dot oj25kw1. C257hm
Editorial Comment:
From the information you've provided we can determine a lot of things, however, the year of manufacture is not one of those things.
Most tire companies stamp the DOT information on both sides of the tire, but the complete 12 character code is only on one side. If there are not 12 characters following the word DOT, you need to look on the other side.
In the last group or 4 characters will be the code which will tell you the week number in two digits and the last two digits of the year, so that 4409 would mean the 44th week of the year 2009.
TG
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Tire Concerns: Tire Age
by Marios
(Cyprus)
Date of Manufacture
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?
Editorial Comment:
You may not be doing anything wrong, and the only thing that might be happening is that you are looking on the wrong side of the tire.
Until only recently, most tire only stamped the DOT code on one side of the tire, so on your front tires you may have to either remove the tire and look on the sidewall on the inside of the car.
This also might be the case in your rear tires, too. Many newer tires may have the DOT code on both sides of the tire but only have the complete code on one side. The complete code is either 11 or 12 characters in length. If you find only 8 characters, the date is missing, and you may find the complete code on the other sidewall.
Also note that the DOT code is only required for tires which are to be sold in the USA. Some tires which are not intended to be sold there, might not have a DOT code.
TG
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Tire Concerns: Discovering Manufacture date
by Archie
(Lacey WA)
Typical DOT Code
What would be the date of manufacture of a tire which has the following DOT code?
DOT BEVE NX7 1445
Editorial Comment:
Go to the section about DOT codes on our page about tire markings to discover how to decode the DOT code.
I'd suggest you book-mark this page so that you can check back on it as you need.
Based on the information in the code provided, I'd guess that this tire was a 205/75R14C Uniroyal Goodrich tire made in the USA during the 44th week of 1995.
It's getting rare, these days seeing a complete DOT code with less than 12 characters and whenever you see one that is only 11 characters you can bet it was made in the 1990's.
If you see a code with less than 11 characters, the code is incomplete. Check again and if you can't see more characters, flip the tire over and look on the sidewall on the other side. Tire makers usually put the complete code with the date part only on one side of a tire, due to the extra cost that would be required to change the tire date mold on both sides.
TG
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Tire Concerns: DOT aproved tires
If you see this DOT code, look on the other side of the tire
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I am looking for a DOT approved tire that is this size 25x12-12 and 25x10-12
Editorial Comment:
The DOT, Department of Transport, does not approve tires. They establish standards which the tires which are to be sold in the USA must meet in order to be legally sold.
Part of the requirement for tires which may be sold in the USA include the DOT code which is molded into the sidewall of each tire. This code describes which company made the tire, where they made it, the size of the tire and the week and year it was made. The week and year may be missing in the code on one side of the tire.
Other standards set up by the DOT include Treadwear Rating and the UTQG Rating which are further information that the manufacturer includes about the tire on the tire sidewall that we describe on other pages of this website.
TG
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Tire Concerns: Confusing DOT Code on Michelin Tires
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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Tire Concerns: Date and Tire Rating
by JIM
(parma, ohio)
DOT Code
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.
Editorial Comment:
What you need to look at to know the age of a tire since manufacture is the DOT code, which is stamped on the sidewall of all tires approved for sale in the USA.
Look for the letters "DOT" followed by a series of numbers and letters. The last 4 numbers will tell you the date of manufacture. The first 2 of those numbers is the Week of the Year (01 being the first, 52 would be the last) and the final two digits are the year (00 is 2000, 01 is 2001 ... 09 is 2009).
If they won't let you into the shop to see the tires immediately before they are installed on your car, ask for them to bring the tires to you in the show room so you can inspect them first.
If you suspect that they might switch the tires, take some yellow chalk with you and place your initials on the tires which you are shown and instruct them to leave the marks on the tire until you have accepted delivery.
I doubt if any legitimate dealer would object to this... if they do you might consider taking your business somewhere else.
For the load rating, you'd have to determine how much extra load the trailer would add to your vehicle and make sure that the tires will support that load.
I can't give you more specific advice without knowing a lot more details about the trailer, the vehicle, etc. but I'm sure a reliable tire dealer will be happy to help.
If you aren't sure you can trust a certain dealer, ask several ones the same question and compare their answers.
If you're buying a new trailer, possibly the dealer will have some information to help you too.
TG
By the way, do you make a habit of checking your tires, at least monthly? If not,Tire Chek will remind you.
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Rate of Tire Aging
by M R
(USA)
Badly deteriorated tire
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?
Editorial Comment:
We've seen a lot of people getting nervous about the shelf-life of tires, due to TV reports which have, in my opinion, greatly amplified the concern which people should have over tire age.
As a dealer, my manufacturer allowed us to sell tires which were fully warrantied for as much as 5 years after the date of fabrication which was stamped on the tire's side wall.
In practice, almost all of our tires were sold well before they were a year old, and I can remember selling some within the first month after they were made.
A tire which is in storage, in a cool, dry location away from any direct sunlight will remain perfectably servicable for a very long time. Most of the things that will speed up a tire's deterioration happen after they are sold and put into use.
See our article on Tire Failure if you'd like to understand more of this.
TG
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Tire Concerns: How old is this Douglas tire?
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?
Editorial Comment:
You could try asking at Walmart, since they are the owners of the Douglas tire brand.
TG
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Tire Concerns: what is the expire date for the car tyres
by Nageswara Rao
(Ynabu indl.city, yanbu, Saudi)
What is the expiry date for car tyres?
Editorial Comment:
Car tires do not have a specific expiry date like many perishable consumer products.
Most major manufacturers will guarantee their tires against manufacturing and material defects for 5 or 6 years from the date they were made, which is stamped in the DOT code on the side of the tire.
If a tire has been properly stored, and is properly installed and maintained, I have seen them last far beyond those 5 or 6 years, so that does not mean that the tire is no good at the end of that period. All it means is that the company which made the tire will not accept any complaints to repair or replace the tire after that time has passed.
Naturally if you are buying a tire, you may wish to get the newest tire you can, but if you have older tires that you are using and they are getting old, and do not show any obvious signs of deterioration then I would recommend that the most you need to do is to increase the frequency of inspecting your tires and maintaining correct pressure.
TG
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Tire Concerns: how to know if tires are brand new
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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Tire Concerns:Michelin tire date code
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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Tire Concerns: Tire manufactured date.
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.
Editorial Comment:
When a tire is not being used, the only cause for deterioration is heat and sunlight. So if a tire is stored in a cool, shaded area, there should be no cause to be concerned over how long it's been since the tire was made, in theory.
In practice, as a dealer, I've never had a tire that hasn't been sold within a year or a bit more of it's manufacture and if there were any that were reaching that limit, I'd put them on sale, so that my stock was always "fresh". This doesn't mean that other dealers would do the same.
The manufacturer generally will guarantee a tire against defects for 5 or 6 years from the date it was made, and this is done with the expectation that most tires will be completely worn out from normal use long before then. (Average life in use is from 2-4 years.)
There is no hard and fast rule, but as long as the tire has been adequately stored, and appears to be in good shape, I wouldn't feel nervous about buying a tire which is within 4-5 years of being made. This still gives you about a year of use to discover is there is any manufacturing defect which almost always show up within a short time after being put into use.
TG
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TireConcerns: Age
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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Tire Concerns: Fabrication date
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?
Editorial Comment:
The complete DOT code is 12 characters which follow the letters DOT. What you have cited is an incomplete DOT code which many companies stamp on one side of the tire. The complete code, would likely be found on the other side of the tire. Look at the last 4 characters and the first two will be the last two digits of the year in which the tire was made. In your case it would be 09 or lower. The next two digits will tell you what week of the year the tires were made and may range from 01 to 53 or possibly 54, but never more, depending on the calendar for that year.
TG
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Tire Concerns: How can you tell the age or how old your tire are?
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)?
Editorial Comment:
See our article on tire markings to learn how to determine the manufacture date of your tires.
Most manufacturers will guarantee a tire as free from defects for as long as 6 years from the date of manufacture. This doesn't necessarily mean the tire is useless after that time, just that the company that made it will not respond to any complaints for defects.
Usually, under normal use, a tire will be worn out before it is 6 years old, but if the tire has been in storage and kept under ideal conditions it may be useful for a longer period ... just without any guarantees.
To avoid liability most tire experts recommend replacement of any tires older than 6 years.
TG
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How are tire date codes read?
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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Confusing date marking on new Michelin tires
typical DOT code.
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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DOT code
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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I believe my tyres are very old
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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how long from the date on the tire is it good
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