The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number stamped on the tire’s sidewall contains a date code that identifies the age of your tires. This DOT number (also called the Tire Identification Number or TIN) is contained in a sequence of up to 12 letters and numbers that signify the tire size, the manufacturer, the specific plant where it was built and when it was built. In the event of a recall, tiremakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration use the DOT number to identify which defective tires are in the campaign. The date code used on tires is not a typical representation used for dates and can be easily missed by the untrained eye.
To determine the age of your tires, check the last four digits of the U.S.
Tires built from 2000 to the present use the last four-digits of the DOT number to identify the week and year of manufacture. For example, a DOT number with 4116 at the end of the sequence would mean that the tire was manufactured in the 41st week of 2016, or sometime in the mid-October.
While it is increasingly rare to find a tire made before 2000, these tires use only three digits in the date code for the week and year. A tire with a three-digit date code like 416 means that the tire was made in the 41st week of 1996.
Tire DOT Numbers Include a Date Code
(Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Be aware that the complete tire DOT number is not required to be molded on both sides of the tire. While some tire makers include the full DOT number on both sides, the date code on your tires may only be contained on one side. If the DOT number is only eight characters, you’ll need to look on the other side of the tire to find the full number with the date code.
Why is it important to understand your tire’s age? Manufacturers have known for decades that exposure to heat and oxygen weakens rubber over time.
Today’s tires are highly engineered products, with anti-aging chemicals mixed in the rubber compounds, along with others to make the rubber softer and more flexible. But, over time, the rubber and component materials within the tire changes and becomes more prone to failure. In most instances this loss of strength is invisible – and the material degradation is present regardless of tread depth and even in tires that have never even been put on a vehicle
Aged tires are more susceptible to catastrophic tread separations, which occurs when the tire’s outer layer separates from the tire body or casing. This type of failure can be much more dangerous for drivers to manage than a flat tire or blow out, particularly in trucks, SUVs and vans – particularly 15-passenger vans – because they are more prone to handling and stability problems.
While tread separations caused by manufacturing defects can occur in new tires, tires older than six years – especially those on vehicles located in hot-weather states such as if such as Arizona or Florida – are more prone to suffer a catastrophic tread separation.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “Most vehicle owners can easily overlook tire aging, increasing their risk of a crash.”
Based on research showing that the rate of tire failures increases after six years, nearly all vehicle manufacturers recommend owners replace tires after six years, regardless of tread depth. Most tire manufacturers recommend replacement at 10 years or that owners follow the vehicle manufacturer’s guidelines. Tire makers continue to insist that expiration dates are not necessary, yet, nearly all passenger and light truck tire warranties expire at six years. Some tire retailers have also adopted the tire age recommendations and will not service vehicles with tires that are beyond the manufacturers age recommendation.
Consumers should also check the DOT code when buying new replacement tires. Some retailers will sell a “new” tire that has actually been sitting in their inventory for years.
That tire could have been improperly stored in a warehouse or outdoors exposed to high temperatures that reduce a tire’s robustness and useful life.
Consumers should insist on replacement tires manufactured within months of the purchase date. And, regardless of tread depth, vehicle owners should replace their tires six years and older.
Call us if you believe a defective tire caused your accident. The team at Newsome Melton can review the facts of your case and determine if we believe you have a valid claim for compensation. If we feel you have a strong defective tire case against the manufacturer, we can navigate the claims process on your behalf and potentially recover compensation to pay for your medical bills, lost wages, vehicle repair or replacement, or other losses.
Call us today at 888-221-5316 or contact us through our online chat. We offer free reviews and handle many of these claims on a contingency fee basis.
This means we do not recover compensation unless you do.
Are you having difficulties reading the DOT number of your tires? Do you want to know how to read tire date codes? If you have lost the receipt of your purchase, you might be having difficulties knowing the exact age of your tires. This issue is common and you can find the solution from your tires. Just observe your tires, you will get the answer.
*Picture Copyright: UTires.com
How to Read Tire Date Codes?Whether you are financing your tires or purchasing them, it is important to understand how to read tire date codes. The numbers are present on tires only. You just need to know how to get them. You might have difficulties while reading codes on old tires. Keep reading to know how old your tire is.
Look at all the sides of the tires. There are a bunch of numbers and letters. It might seem like a jumble. But this is helpful information about the tire. Find the number that starts with DOT and followed by ten to twelve series. This code will reveal a lot of things about your tires. You will know the tire size, year, and place of the manufacturing with the unique code of the manufacturer. You can also rent a wheel payments to know more about tires. Once you rent a tire payments, you will not have to be bothered about the manufacturing year. They will take care of this. You just need to look for a rent a wheel return policy to make it more beneficial for you.
Tires Manufactured 2000 & AfterRemember that the last four digits of the code are the date the tire was manufactured. You can check the first two digits of the DOT code to know the week of the manufacturing. The last two digits will reveal the manufacturing year.
For instance, when it was written in 0203, the manufacturing year was 2003. But it is a bit tricky to know the manufacturing year of tires manufactured before 2000.
You need to check the last three digits of the DOT code. Check the first two digits to know the week. For instance, when the last three digits read 022, you should understand that the tire was manufactured in the 2nd week of that year. You might be thinking about how to know the year. The year is the 2nd year of that decade. It is easy to get confused to know the decade. It might be harder to know the exact decade. There might be some other indications to know the year.
*Image Copyright from kilgoretirecenter.com
What About the Incomplete DOT NumbersIncomplete DOT numbers mean the current DOT regulations demand the complete number to be written on one sidewall only. When you find a few digits on the opposite sidewall, you can check the other sidewall to find the complete DOT number.
Now you know how to read tire date codes. You can simply check at the sidewalls of tires to avoid any further confusion. Also, never lose your purchase receipt. If you do so, you might not get the warranty benefits. So, keep the receipts in a safe place and avoid any confusion by checking the DOT code. Whether you are interested in learning about wheel alignment or more about DOT numbers, our professionals here at Dan the Tire Man can answer your inquiries.
Determining the date of manufacture of a car tire is an important point in determining how long a product can be used without risk to road users. You can find out the year of manufacture of rubber by special markings on the side of the product. This indicator should influence the final choice of the consumer when buying tires, while also taking into account the country of manufacture.
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80% of sales outlets, when asked if tire age matters, answer no. However, this is 100% fraud. According to research by manufacturers Hankook, Continental and other global brands, a tire can be stored in proper conditions for up to 5 years from the date of production. Therefore, when asked whether this index is important, the correct answer is yes.
There are differences in terms of service life and storage of different models. For example, tires "Bridgestone-Blizak" or "Ice-Cruiser-7000" with proper storage retain their properties for up to 5 years, and summer models can be stored for no more than 120 months.
Buying a fresh product, the motorist guarantees himself the necessary margin of time, in which the rubber will retain optimal elasticity, strength and tenacity.
If the age of the tire is 3-4 years or more, the probability of cracking increases critically, and traction is lost. Winter options can completely lose their properties and become coarse, which is fraught with an increase in the braking distance at times.
Different countries have their own markings that determine the date of manufacture of car tires. However, in the early 2000s, manufacturers began to adhere to common standards. This has become a necessity due to the distribution and mixing of products. For example, for foreign brands Kumho, Yokohama, Dunlop, Pirelli, a special marking is established, where the exact data is encrypted.
Recently, other manufacturers have joined the general standards:
The following is a more accurate determination of the production time of tires from popular manufacturers.
Department of Transportation regulations require all tire manufacturers to affix production date markings on their products. The code should be separated from other designations, which makes it stand out for better identification.
The requirements of the organization say that for this index it is necessary to choose a place on the side of the rubber, in a place visible to the buyer, therefore, the index must be viewed on the sides.
However, the exact location is not specified, brands have the right to place indexes at their discretion.
For models made by manufacturers such as Goodyear, Michelin, Nokian, the location of the encoding in a separate oval is relevant. The index consists of 4 digits, which makes it easy to find and decipher.
For example, we can take Nokian Hakapelita tires of 7/5/8 generations.
In this case, it is clear that the index is highlighted with a rubber oval, the numbers stand out among the general designations.
Also on the market you can find products with strange indexes like YYY 2015/2117 and others. You can find it on the side of the tire.
These are typical identifiers for the Yakohama brand.
From Goodyear you can find the following designation:
As you can see from the photo, the code numbers are not surrounded by rubber circles or squares, but simply written during vulcanization.
As of 2022, there is a generally accepted marking of the date of manufacture of automobile tires according to the DOT code. At the same time, for cars, trucks and buses, the rules are the same.
Side parts on tires of brands Bridgestone, Michelin, Toyo, Kama contain the so-called DOT coding. The index itself consists of several characters, but in this case, the buyer should be interested in the last 4 digits.
The photo shows the standard marking, where the first two digits "31" indicate the calendar week, and "03" the year.
Thus, it can be deciphered that the above tire was released in August 2003.
The distribution for weeks is taken into account according to the ISO 8601 regulation, where weekly calendar deductions are strictly broken down.
Also, on some modifications of rubber, you can find the type designation "YYY2018" and similar. This is especially often indicated on Yokohama brand products. Having met this marking, you should not be afraid. The first three letters are not taken into account, the numbers are interesting - 2018 tells the buyer that the product was released from the assembly line on the 20th week of 2018.
“In the bins” of some unique stores, you can still find wheels with three-digit indexes like 125 or 129. This is a standard marking for parts manufactured before 2000. At the same time, there is no distribution of winter or summer tires.
This also defines the week and year of manufacture. To accurately understand the situation, you need to pay attention to the place after the extreme figure.
For example, if there is a space or a triangular character after the code, this determines 90s, and in the absence of extraneous marks, the model was released in the 80s.
For example, we can take a standard European brand tire. Here you can determine the production time in this way.
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Specific dates depend on the quality of the material, storage conditions. For example, the ideal storage environment is a dry shop where there are no temperature fluctuations, minimal dampness and no direct sunlight.
If all parameters are met, the product can be stored for 7-8 and 4-5 years for summer and winter tires, respectively.
More precise studies were carried out by MICHELIN, Continental and others. Artificial tests confirmed these results and showed that a tire that has been in storage for 2-3 years practically does not differ from a fresh one in terms of characteristics. In 2022, you can take products released after 2014-15. And for products of 2012, the critical moment of decommissioning has already come.
At the same time, the data is relevant only for branded products such as Blizzak Spike 01, Goodyear, Hankook and analogues of Japanese or European production.
For simple modifications, it is necessary to revise the terms down. This makes it difficult to determine that cheap tires may not be equipped with dates. Therefore, such factors need to be carefully considered.
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10 May 2018
No matter how ridiculous it may sound, but you need to choose tires for a car "fresh". This applies to both the purchase of new and the purchase of used wheels. After all, the safety and comfort of a trip largely depends on the physical condition of the tires. And they have their own shelf life and operation.
Subject to certain rules of packaging, transportation and storage of tires, the manufacturer guarantees the safety of the operational properties of tires for 5 years from the date of production.
You can use tires after this period, but with a mandatory check of their condition at the beginning of each season.
Non-observance of storage conditions leads to loss of rubber elasticity. Rubber becomes harder, microcracks appear on its surface. Signs of aging seriously impair tire performance. The possibility of their further use is determined by the buyer himself, based on the technical condition of the tires.
To find out the date of manufacture of the tire, just look at the side surface of the tire. Here, along with other alphanumeric information, there is a four-digit number enclosed in an oval. It is located at the end of the DOT code.
Regardless of the country of manufacture and the geography of tire sales, the numerical marking in the oval indicates the week number and year of manufacture of the tire. The first two digits are the production week number. The last two are the year of issue. In our example, the numbers "3706" indicate that the tire was produced in the 37th week of 2006, that is, in the first week of October 2006.
A three-digit coding indicates that you have a tire in front of you that was created before 2000. For example, the code "127" indicates that the tire was made in the 12th week of the 7th year. To determine the exact decade, pay attention to what comes after the number 7. The presence of a space ("127_") or another character ("127▵") indicates the year of manufacture in 1997. The absence of a space or signs - for 1987 production.
This complexity in the designation is due to the fact that in the 20th century, tire manufacturers did not expect that their products would be used for more than 10 years. They switched to a more convenient 4-digit marking after 2000.
Japanese tires enjoy well-deserved popularity in the world. One of the brands, Bridgestone, has been producing a wide range of tires for cars, trucks and sports cars for more than 80 years.
Each type of tire bears a standard marking of the rubber production date. The year of manufacture on Japanese tires is indicated on the sidewall, after the DOT marking. Look for the last 4 digits enclosed in an oval. The first two of them are the week number of the tires, the last two are the year of manufacture.
Without exception, all leading manufacturers recommend changing tires if they are 10 years old from the date of manufacture. Rubber older than 8 years is considered potentially dangerous to use.
Many offline and online shops offer to buy tires no older than 3-5 years. Subject to proper storage conditions, this is the optimal shelf life of the wheels without losing their performance characteristics. You can buy these tires. And its acquisition promises a good benefit. As a rule, before the debut of a new collection, a set of rubber from past seasons can be taken at a very good discount.
From the above, we can draw the following conclusions:
