How to Read a Car Tire for Age
It is important to know how old your tires are, as the rubber will stiffen after time. Your tires should not have been sitting around for more than six years. If you are purchasing a used car you would have no way of knowing without inquiring.
- Locate the DOT code on the sidewall of the tire. It is a four digit code. If you find only a 3-digit code, it was manufactured before the year 2000, which signifies an outdated tire.
- Determine what the code means. The first two numbers represent the week the tire was manufactured. For example, if the first two numbers were 16, this would mean it was manufactured in the sixteenth week of the year. The numbers 16 when divided by four (since there are four weeks in every month) is four (the fourth month of the year). This would be the month of April. If the last two digits are 10 this would be the year 2010. The numbers on the sidewall tire would read 1610.
- If your tire does read an outdated number, but the thread still looks good, you should still consider purchasing a more updated tire for safety.
- Occasionally, a tire will not have the DOT code available on the sidewall. In this circumstance you would need to call the manufacturer directly.
- The DOT code may be located on the inside of the tire sidewall on some tires. In this case you may still be able to see it if the car wheels are positioned directly, such as turned to the extreme right or the extreme left.