TIRE TECH

[JakesBackyard]

With all the discussion on tires on here lately, I thought you might be interested in how to tell when a tire was manufactured.

You may have caught 20/20 a few weeks ago on the subject. It is a code that is on the tire sidewall (inside or out).  It is a depressed elipse (oval) shape with three or four digits.  Three if before the year 2000 and four if it is after the year 2000. The first two digits are the week of the year and the last one or two are the year.

Example:   227      Twenty second week of 1997.
Example:  2207      Twenty second week of 2007.

Here's an article and pic to help:

http://www.tuninglinx.com/html/car-tire-date-code.html

The feds are trying to regulate tires not be sold older than six years.  I do know from experience that older tires do fail.  I lost the skin from the RF radial on the Galaxie doing 75+ on I29 a couple years ago.  WOW, what an attention getter.  Bout needed clean shorts.  Jumped lanes and wiggled a bit, but got her stopped.  The tires had over half the tread, no weather cracks, were stored inside 99% of their lifetime, but were 16 years old!  

I'm guessing that 6 years might be a little short, but I know I'll never go longer than ten again. I would guess if they are in warm storage and not mounted, or no weight kept on them if inflated, tires should last longer than 6 years. How many of us store our summer drivers on stands with the tires off the ground?

Good for a little thought and information.

[Tom]

Ok, using your example : 227 could that be the twenty second week of 1967 or 1987? When did they start dating them? I know I have some OLD tires.

[JakesBackyard]

Here's another site with some more info:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

To answer your question - it doesn't look like there is any other designation for which decade.  They say the 90's may have a small triangle after the date. When they did this it was assumed no tire would be sold or used beyond 10 years.

But you know if it's been laying around your place for twenty years it was made in the 70's or maybe 80's.

[Tom]

But you know if it's been laying around your place for twenty years it was made in the 70's or maybe 80's.

Yes I would know that. But I have bough older tires and those were the ones in question.

Thanks for the links, Jake.

[tracywiedrich]

Ha, makes me wonder about the www's that are on my 56 moredoor that we abused on the way to the Hunnert Car Pileup...pretty scary

[Tom]

Checked the dates on the tires in question. The dates are there, but who knowes from what century.:shock: Like you said Tracy, scary.

[racerjohnson]

My tires are eyeball's age.