How to tell age of tire.?

Question

There was an article on how to figure out the true age of a tire by the numbers on the side. I neglected to print info out. Thanks

Answer 1

This site will answer all and then some of your questions.

I heard about this subject on television.

Answer 2

Here's how to read when a tire was made: Look for the tire identification code on the sidewall, containing 10 to 12 digits. It's usually found close to the wheel and is preceded by the abbreviation DOT. The code lists the manufacturing location, tire size, manufacturer's code and the week and year the tire was manufactured. You may need to check both sides of the tire as the full DOT code may only be on one side.

Tires made since 2000 use the final four digits to indicate the week and year it was built. For example, 1505 means the 15th week of 2005.

Earlier tires have one less digit, omitting the decade. 155 indicates the 15th week of either 1985 or 1995 — an oldie for sure.

Answer 3

Look on the side of the tire for the D.O.T. (department of transportation) serial number - look at the last 4 digits. The first 2 digits represent the week number it was made (for example 37 indicated the 37th week of the year), then the last 2 digits should be the year. On some tires the full code may be on the other side of the tire, you would have to gain access to the other side of the tire to read it.