Community Forums

MWKingSD · 05-24-2020, 04:29 PM

Out of COVID boredom, I thought I would look up the age on my tires. These are Michelin tires on a Coachmen motorhome.

I looked up how-to and I found the DOT marking area...the last characters in that area, supposedly the date code, are “00YX” which doesn’t seem to correspond to a date in this universe. So now I’m puzzled. Is there a translator that I should look at? What am I missing?

Thanks!

R.Wold · 05-24-2020, 04:40 PM

You are probably looking at the wrong numbers. It’s really simple. Since 2000, the first two digits are the week (01-52) and the second two digits are the last two of the year. So a tire made on March 3rd, of 2017 would be date code 0917. Ninth week of 2017. If the numbers you are looking at don’t compute, it’s the wrong set of numbers. Keep looking and you’ll find the right ones. Yours will probably be XX16. So in the pic below the tire was made in the 35th week of 2007. All numbers, no letters, four digits.

MWKingSD · 05-24-2020, 05:35 PM

Ok, that’s what I was expecting. I will look has in in better light.

Thanks!

Capt Steve · 05-27-2020, 08:18 AM

Had an appointment yesterday to pick up a couple of Maxxis' 8008's for my cargo trailer at a local tire shop chain. Before the install I insisted on checking the DOT Codes and was glad I did...

The tires were manufactured in April of 2016, more than 4 years old.

I asked their manager where they got off trying to sell me 4+ year old tires as new and all I got was the deer in the headlights stare and a lame, mumbled "sorry'. No, I won't be back!

Last fall I had a 5.5 year old Michelin LT grenade on my Class C west of Phoenix on I-10. I had had my tires inspected and aired up for their respective loads the previous day by Discount tires who reported they were fine. That "fine" tire did $4,131 in damage to my coach literally blowing the wheel well right up through the floor.

It is usually not the miles or apparent wear that leads to a failure, tires time out and I will NEVER own a tire more than 5 years old again. I do admit that southern Arizona is a tougher venue than most on tires. I had a China Bomb shred on my 22' TT about 8 years ago, went out and replaced all 4 with Maxxis' 8008 the next day... that was the end of the problem.

artman1913 · 05-27-2020, 08:36 AM

They must have the date code but is is not required on both sides of the tire.

I ask the Tire shop to put the date code facing outside.

Asking to check the date code before or at least asking if it is less than 1 year old is not a bad thing.
Check the date code when they are done.

Notice in R.Wold's pic it is in a kinda oval area, this is because it is part of the mold changed weekly.