How to determine age of tires

[Bilito]

Just found out how to find the year of my tires. most of you may know this but I did not.

Find the DOT number on the tire, the last four digits are the month and year of manufacture

All my tires are 5 years old. I was advised by a sales man at the tire kingdom not to take a long trip on ant tires 7 years old or older, because they might fail just due to their age.

I learn something new every day

[trampsrv]

the first 2 digits are the week the last 2 digits are the year.Tire Tech Information - Determining the Age of a Tire

[Midniteoyl]

Except 1999 and earlier, when the code is 3 letters showing wk/y... Not that any of us have or had or still have tires that old

[RedneckExpress]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midniteoyl Except 1999 and earlier, when the code is 3 letters showing wk/y... Not that any of us have or had or still have tires that old

Got a set of Michelins from '97 still on the '85 Chevy Suburban, they're almost worn out, no dry rot yet .

[Mr_D]

That 7 year "rule" is an urban or internet legend.
Michelin officially says that the tires are normally good for 5 years, then they should be inspected yearly by a qualified technician and absolutely replaced at 10 years.
Here's what Michelin says about cracks:

Quote:

"If the cracks are less than 1/32" deep the tire is fine to run. Between 1/32" and 2/32" the tire is suspect and should be examined by your Michelin dealer. If the cracks are any deeper than 2/32" (1/16") the tire should be replaced immediately"

[Midniteoyl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress Got a set of Michelins from '97 still on the '85 Chevy Suburban, they're almost worn out, no dry rot yet .

Ohh the shame.... the shame...

[RedneckExpress]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midniteoyl Ohh the shame.... the shame...

My camper's dually axle came with old American standard sized tires on it from the 70s or 80s (Dayton Thorobreds, Super EMTs and Dua-Loads) that were still holding load pressure, though I retired them during the swap. I tried selling the rims online, had a couple that wanted to use the tires, in the end, they never got sold, I simply scrapped the rims and tires for $2.75 apiece.

[rebuilder]

we have a rule on the farm... if it's round and holds air.. run it!!

[DrivinMyHome]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Midniteoyl Except 1999 and earlier, when the code is 3 letters showing wk/y... Not that any of us have or had or still have tires that old

We just had a tire blow out (while parked, luckily) on our Suburban yesterday, so I got the spare out. When I looked at the date code it was 188. I realized that means it is probably the ORIGINAL spare (it's a 1999) from 1998! Looked to be in excellent condition, but I was afraid to put it on, as it had no air and I didn't want it to blow as I aired it up.

Anyone know what causes a tire to HAVE TO be replaced after a given amount of time? Does age cause deterioration, or does it have to be in sunlight/the elements? Would I have been fine with this tire? It looked like it had never been used, no cracks, covered from the sun. I paid $190 yesterday to replace it with a new tire. Should (could) I have saved my money?

[Arch Hoagland]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rebuilder we have a rule on the farm... if it's round and holds air.. run it!!

Love it!

[Possum]

I also was skeptical of the 'sudden tire aging thing' so I asked the question about tire aging and the local RV Tire place manager told me they would get right back to me with definitive information as to what causes the tires to suddenly be put into the fail category.

He did call and tell me about a month later that he got such varied answers from his supplies that he too, was starting to think it was a way for them to sell more tires.

[Fred1609]

Back in the day our parents ran bias ply tires until they were completely worn out. I also heard that everytime you put air in your tires your likely putting a bit of moisture in the tires and thats likely what rots your tires from the inside out. Its not what you see that causes blow outs but what you cant see. Theres too much air pressure in my rigs tires to take a chance....5 years max and the tires are gone.

[blackf3504dr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress Got a set of Michelins from '97 still on the '85 Chevy Suburban, they're almost worn out, no dry rot yet .

My car trailer still has tires on it from the early 90s... The wife's Chrysler has the original spare from '96 and it's been on the ground twice in all these years.

[Midniteoyl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrivinMyHome We just had a tire blow out (while parked, luckily) on our Suburban yesterday, so I got the spare out. When I looked at the date code it was 188. I realized that means it is probably the ORIGINAL spare (it's a 1999) from 1998! Looked to be in excellent condition, but I was afraid to put it on, as it had no air and I didn't want it to blow as I aired it up. Anyone know what causes a tire to HAVE TO be replaced after a given amount of time? Does age cause deterioration, or does it have to be in sunlight/the elements? Would I have been fine with this tire? It looked like it had never been used, no cracks, covered from the sun. I paid $190 yesterday to replace it with a new tire. Should (could) I have saved my money?

No clue. I have 1999 Goodyears on the RV still hlding air while I just replaced 3 year old Michilins with 50% tread left 'cause they wouldnt hold air. Said it before, Michilins suck for the price in my book.