Age of tyres

[lotusflasherman]

Somebody on Faceache just wrote "an MOT is no guarantee that the car is roadworthy once the car leaves the MOT station. It's a good spot check for sure, but they don't and can't check things like the age of the tyres...," -
The 'can't' is incorrect so I posted "anybody can check the age of tyres - it's stamped on the sidewall in an oval. 4 numbers, last 2 are the year, first two are the week number. This is Week 50 (December) 2017. If only 3 numbers it was made before year 2000 and I suggest needs replacing."

tyre age.jpg

Just thought it might be useful to share that here too...

[chipp]

How does it work with three numbers Phil.

chipp

[lotusflasherman]

How does it work with three numbers Phil.

chipp

"For tires manufactured before the year 2000: The date of manufacture is the last three digits of the code. The first two digits refer to the week within that year. For example, if the last 3 digits are 022, it means that the tire was manufactured in the second week of the year, and the year is the second year of the decade. This is where it gets confusing -- there's no universal identifier that signifies which decade, so in this example the tire could have been manufactured in 1982 or 1992. Some tires do have a small triangle following the DOT code to indicate the 1990s."

My Eclat on SORN is sitting on Eagle NCT's with 073 & a triangle so I'd guess they are 7th week of '93 which seems about right by memory of when I fitted them. Sidewalls are badly cracked so it will get new boots before it's used again.

Note that manufacturers are only required to put it on one wall of the tyre so it may be fitted with it on the inside...

[CalElan]

great info - thanks

[Rusty Wishbone]

It is recommended that tyres are replaced after 10 years, regardless of condition. Mind you, I've seen cheap Chinese tyres with small cracks which are only about 4 years' old.

[rip]

The grip seems to deteriorate after about 5 years, so I try to buy tyres which need to be changed because of tread depth at around this time.

[Simon_P]

There is a similar code for glass by the makers mark.

[clemo]

How does it work with Geoff ? some say he has 3 numbers and is tyred.

[lotusflasherman]

How does it work with Geoff ? some say he has 3 numbers and is tyred.

Thought his number was 417 so that would be 4th week of 1917 ...

[Saltire]

And I’m 512. Crumbs

[GeoffSmith]

And I need glasses.

[lotusflasherman]

Yeah, like this ?

beersknock.gif

[rip]

I recently replaced my daily with a 10 year old car which had done just over 50,000 miles.
I had already noticed that 1 of the rears was date stamped 2508, so definitely a 10 year old tyre & presumably still an original. I did not like the thought of driving around on 10 year old tyres for very long & the fronts did not have a great deal of tread either, so made it a priority to renew the lot.
When I took them off, this is what I found. Some tread left, but look at the cracks in the grooves.
I am glad I have some nice fresh tyres.

& why is it that almost no car I look at has a matching set of tyres? Are we fussy or are many people ignorant & playing dangerously?

[Rambo]

Rip - that is a rhetorical question ! I think your last synopsis is closer to the mark !!

[Giniw]

Are those really only 10 years old? I would have said much more. But it probably depends on the conditions they have been stored ...?

[Rambo]

I have a set of >10 yo tyres that I'm still happy to drive on. Near full tread, soft rubber, premium make, no rips, tears or cracks. Car always stored in a garage ie not left out in full Scottish sun Their road holding is still superb, surprisingly

Ripsters tyres look well shot

[dapinky]

Whilst I don't like driving on unknown tyres of any age (always one of my first purchases when I get a 'new' car), some do seem to age better than others.

What surprises me is that the most cracked/worn/knackered ones I have ever found were Michelins - probably as a result of their long-life wear properties meaning that the casing is shot well before the tread pattern is worn, coupled with owners who don't examine them as often as they really ought to.

[Giniw]

As they tend to be more expensive than cheaper ones( !), people might be tempted to keep them for a longer period of time, too.

[rip]

Are those really only 10 years old? I would have said much more. But it probably depends on the conditions they have been stored ...?

Yup. The date stamp (explained by Phil earlier in this thread) said 25th week of 2008.

Whilst I don't like driving on unknown tyres of any age (always one of my first purchases when I get a 'new' car), some do seem to age better than others.

It sounds like when you view a car, you comment on the 'old tyres which need replacing' to negotiate a few quid off, knowing that you would replace them anyway, unless they were nearly new?
Me too.

What surprises me is that the most cracked/worn/knackered ones I have ever found were Michelins - probably as a result of their long-life wear properties meaning that the casing is shot well before the tread pattern is worn, coupled with owners who don't examine them as often as they really ought to.

I wonder how common it is for people to buy Michelins simply because the tread lasts very well?
On a car driven a lot (eg. 15000+ miles per year) this may well be good, but I would not want them on my Elan which only does about 3000-4000 miles per year because it would either encourage me to keep them on after the rubber has started to perish, or change them when the grip falls off, making me feel that I have wasted a lot of the tread which I have paid a premium for.

Ripsters tyres look well shot

When I saw that one, I was very pleased that I made it a priority to change them ASAP (after 285 miles to be exact). The fronts were a pair, but with about 1mm of legal tread left. The rears were not a pair though. I now have new wheels with Yokohama's all round & will be getting winter tyres fitted to the original wheels.

[ElanBRG]

It is recommended that tyres are replaced after 10 years, regardless of condition. Mind you, I've seen cheap Chinese tyres with small cracks which are only about 4 years' old.

I just replaced all 4 pricey Michelin Pilot Sports on one of my Jag XF's that were only 4 years old because they were cracking all over the tread.

I don't know about Michelin anymore. Those tires were also known to develop sidewall bubbles.