Tire Age Codes have been hidden by tire manufacturers for many years. Tires have a date on the tire that translates what month and year the tire was made and YES Tires have a shelf life.
When thinking of buying tires, you usually determine which brand you want and go buy them. Now, just imagine you go to your local tire store and buy a tire that was made over 6 years ago. This tire may or may not be safe! The 6 year mark is the number of years that many agree that a tire starts breaking down even if it is brand new and never driven on.
When you look around the outside of your tire you will see many numbers including tire size such as P245/60/R17. The first number is the width of the tire in millimeters from sidewall to sidewall. The second number is an aspect ratio-it is a ratio of sidewall height to width. The last number is the diameter of the wheel in inches--in this example, a 17 inch wheel.
To determine the age of a tire, we are actually looking for the DOT #. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Code be a combination of eleven or twelve letters and numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size, manufacturer's code, and week and year the tire was manufactured. The month and year are usually the last in this set of numbers and is usually in a raised rectangle. You are looking for the last 3 or 4 numbers in this sequence. If your tire was made since 2000 it will have a 00 for 2000, 01 for 2001, 02 for 2002, etc. all the way to 08 for 2008. The last 4 numbers may be 2102 which would mean the tire was made the 21 week of the year of 2002. If your tire was made prior to 2000 it will have just one number after the week of the year. For instance, it may have 3 numbers (348). This would mean the tire was made the 34th week of the year in 1998. This is very important because you do not want to go buy a brand new tire that has been on display in a tire showroom for 7-8 years. It does happen so I hear. Also, be careful if you have a flat tire and are using your spare tire. Use this tire temporarily until you can get a new tire replaced--DO NOT drive on your spare for extended periods because this tire may be older.
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