Check the date of manufacture

[themechanic]

When it comes to seldom used tires the end of life date will always come way before the tread life has ended. For example, I bought four new BFGs in 2013 and maybe put 500 miles on them. I could just inspect the tires and keep them on the car but why wait for a disaster, like one FBBO member shared, where the belt failed, the tire blew and ruined a fender? So, always get tires with a manufacture date as new as possible.

I ordered a set of 4 tires from JEGS (I had store credit); Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/T. Two tires were dated 0119, one was dated 1619 and one was dated 0518. The newest date of 1619 was between April 15-21, 2019, which is just over six months.

JEGS issued a free return via FEDEX. So, I am returning the tires. They ordered a "will call" to check the warehouse for tires made within the last six months.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...39590&ef_id=XboK5wAABTtFE4NJ:20191106165406:s

When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire's serial number). Unlike vehicle identification numbers (VINs) and the serial numbers used on many other consumer goods (which identify one specific item), Tire Identification Numbers are really batch codes that identify the week and year the tire was produced.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Numbers be a combination of the letters DOT, followed by eight to thirteen letters and/or numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size and manufacturer's code, along with the week and year the tire was manufactured.

"When it comes to determining the age of a tire, it is easy to identify when a tire was manufactured by reading its Tire Identification Number (often referred to as the tire's serial number)."

Tires Manufactured Since 2000
Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.

Example of a tire manufactured since 2000 with the current Tire Identification Number format:

In the example above:
DOT U2LL LMLR 5107
51
Manufactured during the 51st week of the year
07
Manufactured during 2007
While the entire Tire Identification Number is required to be branded onto one sidewall of every tire, current regulations also require that DOT and the first digits of the Tire Identification Number must also be branded onto the opposite sidewall. Therefore, it is possible to see a Tire Identification Number that appears incomplete and requires looking at the tire's other sidewall to find the entire Tire Identification Number

The use of a partial Tire Identification Number on the one sidewall (shown above) reduces the risk of injury to the mold technician that would have to install the weekly date code on the top sidewall portion of a hot tire mold.

Tires Manufactured Before 2000
The Tire Identification Number for tires produced prior to 2000 was based on the assumption that tires would not be in service for ten years. While they were required to provide the same information as today's tires, the week and year the tire was produced was contained in the last three digits. The 2 digits used to identify the week a tire was manufactured immediately preceded a single digit used to identify the year.

Example of a tire manufactured before 2000 with the earlier Tire Identification Number format:

In the example above:
DOT EJ8J DFM 408
40
Manufactured during the 40th week of the year
8
Manufactured during the 8th year of the decade
While the previous Tire Identification Number format identified that a tire was built in the 8th year of a decade, there was no universal identifier that confirmed which decade (tires produced in the 1990s may have a small triangle following the Tire Identification Number to identify the decade).

And finally, hold on to your sales receipt. Most tire manufacturer's warranties cover their tires for four years from the date of purchase or five years from the week the tires were manufactured. So if you purchase new tires that were manufactured exactly two years ago they will be covered for a total of six years (four years from the date of purchase) as long as you have your receipt. If you lose your receipt, your tires' warranty coverage will end five years from the week the tire was produced (resulting in the tire manufacturer's warranty coverage ending only three years from the date of purchase in this example).

 

[Baller]

Good info, thanks.

 

[Jerry Hall]

What do they make these crappy tires out of today. They have been crap since the old rubber plantations were burned years ago. How many I don't remember.
I had another failure today, this is 3 in as many weeks. Every one has been with the car parked and tires 5 years old.

 

[dadsbee]

And my 29 year old Polyglass did 100+ at Atlanta.. and 500 miles to boot!

 

[moparedtn]

What do they make these crappy tires out of today. They have been crap since the old rubber plantations were burned years ago. How many I don't remember.
I had another failure today, this is 3 in as many weeks. Every one has been with the car parked and tires 5 years old. View attachment 861454

Wow, remind me to not buy THAT brand! What are those, like "Road Hugger" or some such?
Who makes that?

 

[Dennis H]

Always check the born on date. I usually get the Coopers from tirecrawler in Downey, California. For the modern Mopar too. I get on the phone and ask the warehouse to check the dates, if under 6 months I’ll take them.

 

[GetX'd]

I never thought of this when buying the tires for my since sold GTX. And they were polyglas tires to boot. I think I’ll contact the guy I sold it too and alert him to check for his safety and the safety of his family. I’ll bet those tires were not current dates and were purchased about 5 years ago. Good info. Thx for posting.

 

[Dreamcatcher]

And my 29 year old Polyglass did 100+ at Atlanta.. and 500 miles to boot!

There is defiantly a different rubber compound now. One of my parts car has a polyglass tire on it. It has been out in the weather for many years now. And I noticed it is not weather checked and still holds air. All the others on said car are radial and all weathered and all wont hold air.

 

[GetX'd]

So are we saying polyglas last longer? Even more recently mfged ones?

 

[Jerry Hall]

Wow, remind me to not buy THAT brand! What are those, like "Road Hugger" or some such?
Who makes that?

I'm not sure who the manufacturer is, didn't look that close, have experienced the same thing with BF Goodrich TA radials, Goodyears and the Hannook tires. They just had a little more age on them. My cars are all stored inside and the tires I have had trouble with showed no signs of dry rot. The tires on this car were on it when I purchased it and were new at the time.

Look closely at the rear tires on my 67 R/T. Exactly the same thing.

 

[33 IMP]

Any info on how to date non-Dot, aka race tires?

 

[moparedtn]

I already had it in mind to replace the BFG's on my GTX this winter (less than 1000 miles, but over 10 years).
This thread just reinforced that for sure...
Oddly enough, I've never had to even re-balance them from what I got them like with the car?

 

[moparedtn]

Any info on how to date non-Dot, aka race tires?

Maybe send them some flowers first?

 

[themechanic]

I would think race tires should wear out long before worrying about end of life date.

 

[Cranky]

Steel belted tires became a problem from day one! I hate the bastards. Even the old style non steel radials were better than the junk we have now. The diesel has BFG's Baja Champions (load range D) and are getting old now (05) but the truck has been garage kept and the tires still look new. I've never overloaded them and have seen 90 one time when they were fairly new. I still trust them but I usually don't drive over 65 much anymore. The Carlisle Untra CRT tires on my 'storage' trailer (also load range D) are 07's and the belts separated just sitting. They don't have 500 miles on them but the trailer is always been outside. The worse tires for belt separation for me have been General Tire and 3 have come apart doing damage to a 73 Challenger then my 95 Dakota and that's when I submitted a claim for form and never bought another General tire since. Lucked out on one car as I caught the separation before it peeled off of the carcass. There have been other tires that were caught in time from doing regular inspections. They also get eyeballed at every fill up and sometimes you can feel when one is starting to bubble by driving very slow in a smooth parking lot etc. Anyone have any Shineese made tires?? A buddy bought a new Dodge dually and it has tires from Korea....factory installed!

 

[themechanic]

Jegs did not have any of the MTs younger than 6 months. So, I got a refund. They have very good customer service.

I ordered the Coopers locally and saved quite a bit over the MTs. Besides, I wanted a wider tire up front and MT just does not make a 235/79 15.

I'll post photos next week after the tires have been installed and RPMs vs MPH at highway speed.

 

[Quintin]

What is the life of a tire if it's always inside? I've heard anywhere from 7 to 15 years.

 

[Cranky]

What is the life of a tire if it's always inside? I've heard anywhere from 7 to 15 years.

That depends on what the environment is like inside. Is there a lot of sunlight from windows or opened garage doors etc? Got any dogs peeing on them? Well, it does take a toll on them.....

 

[themechanic]

Life of tire is 5-10 years with close inspection after 5. And like Cranky said above, it depends on the environment. It also depends on whether the tires are on the ground bearing the weight of the vehicle. Most recommend even for winter storage to raise the car and tires off the ground supported by the chassis to keep the weight on the suspension, not the tires.

At over $100 each, tires are not cheap but it's good insurance to prevent a blowout and damage the car or hurt someone.

 

[dmoore]

Nobody and I mean nobody ever looks at or ask to see the mfg date code on a new set of tires. Because 99% of the motoring public do not know there is even a date code on them. It's only when they experience a problem is the date code brought up. I educate my customers EVERY DAY.