MSMjohn

warning how old are your new tires? how to read date of manufacture code.




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Photo above belongs to a Toyo Proxes T1-S. The production code on all tires are not equal but you will see a special code in an ellipse shape on at least 80% of all tires on the market, and that will help you find tire date of manufacture.

The "last 4 digits" on the ellipse tells us tire manufacture date. The first 2 digits is "PRODUCTION WEEK" and the last 2 digits is the "YEAR". Assuming there are 4 weeks in a month, we can say that this tire (above photo) was manufactured by the end of March 2003 (12=12th week of the year, 03=Year 2003).

(Note: In Europe, vehicle manufacturers typically recommend replacing tires that are more than six (6) years old.)
The group also says tire retailers should NOT sell tires that have been in storage for more than six years since the date of manufacture

If the retailer knows that you know how to read this code, and you requested newer tires "if it is possible", there is a chance that you will get a fresh set of tires.







How old are the tires on your vehicle? The date of manufacture is indicated by the last group of digits in the DOT manufacture code on the sidewall of the tire. The number is often stamped in a recessed rectangle. The DOT code tells who manufactured the tire, where it was made and when. The last group of digits in the code is the date code that tells when the tire was made.

Before 2000, the date code had three digits. Since 2000, it has had four. The first two digits are the week of the year (01 = the first week of January). The third digit (for tires made before 2000) is the year (1 = 1991). For most tires made after 2000, the third and fourth digits are the year (04 = 2004).

In the photo above, the date code is 8PY806. The 8PY is a manufacturing shift code, and the date the tire was actually made was 0806, which is the 8th week (08)in the year 2006 (06).

The date of manufacture is essential information for car owners and tire buyers because tires deteriorate even if they are not used. European automobile manufacturers recommend replacing ANY tire that is more than six (6) years old, including the spare tire. No such recommendations have yet been made by domestic vehicle manufacturers.











in the above picture the pattern for tires made after 2000 is "WWYY" where "WW" is the week and "YY" is the year. Prior to 2000 it's "WWY".

kotomile

iTrader: (24)

Good info for anyone to know. We used to have to copy the DOT #s at the tire shops I worked for, I never came across any new tires more than 2 years old though.

mazda/nissan

iTrader: (2)

great, I've still got a few years on the set in my garage, thanks for the info!

hustler

iTrader: (6)

Is anyone here keeping tires on their car more than 6-months?

miatamania

iTrader: (9)

lol.

Not on the miata.

Thanks for the info, pretty neat.

MSMjohn

After I read this information a while back I started checking peoples tires for them. I went to check one guys tires & noticed a delimitation crack visible on the outside of the tire & showed him & told him to be extremely careful that it might delaminate at any time now. When I read the date they were 6 years old.