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Tire Age

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A special thanks to KXAS NBC5 in Fort Worth, Texas for inspiring this and all of the Tire pages.

Tire Age?  "Are you talking about how long I have had my tires on my VW?"  Yes and no. 

The older the tire the more risk there is for blow outs and tire separation. 

"How can I tell how old my tires are, other than looking at my receipt from the tire shop?"  Looking at the receipt is a good start but it still will not tell you how old those "brand new" tires are.

For many years, there has been a marking required by the U.S. DOT (Department of Transportation). As of January of 2000 the numbers changed from being a 3 digit number to being a 4 digit number. 

"Where can I found the age of my tires?"  You will need to locate the letters "DOT", usually found along the bead of the tire just about the rim. The number you are looking for will be the last one in line with "DOT", as shown in the pictures.  A number of 2503 would mean the tire was made on the 25th week of 2003.

"How old is too old?"  That depends upon who you talk to.  Ford and Chrysler are both saying to replace tires if they have been inflated over 6 years.  Just remember Ford is the one that had troubles with tires on their Explorers!

Now this is not the same as dry rot of tires. An old tire can look brand new but be upwards of 10, 15 or even 20 years old if it has been stored in a dry cool place.  But the storage of tires in cool dry places does not guarantee the safety of old tires.

"What is dry rot?" Dry rot is caused by heat, temperature, and other factors.  If you see cracks in the tread or the sidewalls of the tires, they are probably dry rotted and must be replaced immediately.

"Is it possible that the brand new tires I bought are old?"  YES! There are many documented cases of consumers buying "brand new" tires only to find out that the tires are actually very old.  Unfortunately, most people find out they have old tires way too late and usually after a serious accident.  One recent case of a man in Texas, is fully written up by going here: nbc5i.com - Money - Tire Aging Problem Deadly For Any Motorist

The one tire that none of us think of until we need it is the spare.  Spare tires should be rotated every time you get new tires.  You can either buy 5 tires at a time (Best idea) or you can simply pick out the best tire from the old four tires (will work but may still cause problems).  If you pick out one of the old four tires, be sure to check the dates and pick out the youngest one, if possible.

While I am on the subject of spare tires, be sure not to drive them forever.  A spare is only intended to run long enough to get a tire replaced.  So keep the mileage to a bare minimum and do not drive thousands of miles on a spare tire.

You can get more information on tires by going to the Safercar.gov on the U.S. DOT (Department of Transportation) website.

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