You already know that there are numbers and letters on your tires to let you know the size, speed rating, and aspect ratio, but did you know they also tell you how old your tire is? Whether you are looking for your tire’s age for warranty purposes or safety reasons, all the information is right there on your sidewall. The team at Eugene, OR‘s Integrity Auto Repair always wants you to know as much as possible about your vehicle and that includes your tires.
How Age Affects Tires
Tread depth is not the only factor that affects the safety of your tires. A tire can look brand new, but if it has been sitting in a warehouse for years it could be subject to dry rot from the inside out. Old tires put you at risk for a dangerous blowout and should never be put on a car. Most manufacturers recommend that you retire that tire when it is around six years old.
Find the Age of Your Tire
The DOT requires that the date of manufacture be displayed on all tires. If you look on the sidewall, you should be able to spot the letters DOT followed by a series of numbers and letters. This may look like a series of random characters but it actually tells you where and when the tire was made if you can read it.
Deciphering the DOT Number
The digits that reveal the age of your tire are the last three or four depending on whether the tire was made before or after the year 2000. If your tire was manufactured after 2000, the last four digits in the series tell you the week and year it was made. Don’t be confused, this part is pretty simple. If the last four digits are, for example, 0619 then that particular tire was made during the sixth week of 2019. Easy right?
If the tire was made before 2000, it is a little more difficult to tell the year. Tires made before 2000 only have three digits at the end of the series. Before we discuss how to read the numbers, it is important to point out that it is 2019 and you should not have a tire made before 2000 on your vehicle.
The last three digits on pre-2000 tires are similar to the last four on post-2000 tires. The first two digits in the series represent the week and the third digit represents the year. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to know the decade the tire was made. For example, if the last three digits are 439, you know it was made in the 43rd week of the year, but it isn’t apparent if it was manufactured in 1989 or 1999.
Integrity Auto Repair always puts your safety first. Check your tires today and if they are older than six years, call us today or come by to check out our awesome tire selection.