Auto Trends

The Problem:

ABC News recently reported on the little known danger of aging tires. While some folks in the tire industry will tell you that tires have no expiration date and don’t need to with their current advancements in technology. You really have to ask yourself… is you or your loved ones lives worth taking the chance.

Since this newscast, there have been a number of tire shops around the US who have had to answer to the question…

How old is this tire?

How many of you have ever really thought about this. We just assume that most things that we see in a store are “new”.

It may have never been used, but it also might have been sitting in the store for as long as 10 to 12 years. Many tire shops know about the “unspoken” rule that tires should only be used for 6 to 7 years, but that doesn’t mean that some of them won’t sell them anyway… there is no government mandate controlling this.

While there has never been an expiration date for tires, how many of you would willingly purchase a “new” tire that was 4 or 5 years old? It’s kind of like when you buy a bag of lettuce. Do you take the first one off the top, or choose one with the longest shelf life left?

The Solution:

This is why we are going to share with you how to decipher when a tire was manufactured. Knowing how long your tires have been in existence, allowing the rubber to dry and lose some of its elasticity, is never a bad idea.

Where to Look?

It is at the very end of the DOT code on your tire. It will say something like 4202 or 414. To crack this code, what you need to know is the first two letters represent the week of manufacture, while the last number or numbers, represent the year. So, 4202 is deciphered as the 42^nd week of 2002, and 414, as the 41^st week of 1994.

Can’t find your number?

Then it might be on the side portion of your tire, facing the underside of your vehicle. Up until a year ago, manufactures did not even print this helpful information on the outside of a tire.

Additional Words of Advice:

Water, air, and sunlight can cause any tire to wear prematurely even before it reaches six or seven years. This is why you should also inspect your tires on a seasonal basis for signs of dry rot and cracking.

Please don’t forget to keep an eye on your spare tire also. These often get forgot and sit in a vehicles trunk for years without even a single thought. Then the first flat you get, no matter how careful you have been keeping an eye on your other tires, you find yourself riding on a time bomb.

Pass this little known information onto everyone you know…