Tire Safety and DOT date of manufacture

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Tire Safety and DOT date of manufacture

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

I have heard 5 years, 10 years and other options as well.

My own experience has been fine with tires that were well over 10 years old. However, if there's any sign of ageing, other than tread wear of course, they are discarded.

Our Grand National had the original 13 year old tires on it when we sold it in 1990 and the rubber still felt fine and looked perfect.

I don't recall seeing a blowout at work that was an age related issue. What people often claim is a blowout usually turns out to be a case of running an underinflated tire and ruining it. Blowouts are actually quite rare.

Again, that's just my two cents, other opinions may vary!

timbuk · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

427 carl says if they look good run em and i do i got some old ones for sure with lotsa tread

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

I'm more concerned about the Corvette because I will be driving this car daily and on long highway runs too. The Paul Walker death in a similar type car worries me:

The investigation into the cause of the 2013 accident that killed the actor Paul Walker revealed that the Porsche Carrera GT in which he was riding had 9-year-old tires. The California Highway Patrol noted that the tires' age may have compromised their drivability and handling characteristics.

4SPEED427 · A Poncho Legend!

I think if it's going to be on your mind then you should replace the tires. There's no fun in driving the car if you're always going to be worried about them.

long stroke · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

I have a buddy that has a 79 Trans Am that he drove with the original lettered tires from 1979 to 2015. Granted the car has super low miles and he hardly ever drives it but i was on him for years to change those tires before he dies driving that car. There is no way tires should be on a car any where near that long. I do not know what the magical formula is but there is no way that tires only last five or six years. Tire company's want people to think that to cash in, plain and simple. Cheers.

-- Edited by long stroke on Thursday 16th of May 2019 05:34:10 AM

dualquadpete · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

If you do decide to replace the rubber, check out the "age" of new ones!!! Iv'e seen "NEW" tires come off the rack & the date code shows their 4 to 5 yrs. old already!!!!

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

Replace the tires Ray.

ABC123 · Uber Guru

Without sending you to the link with millions of pop ups !
Here is a quote,

"The Porsche that Paul Walker was riding in when it crashed and burst into flames, killing the "Fast & Furious" actor and his friend behind the wheel, was on tires that were more than twice the recommended age for the high-performance car, investigators found."

This is a big topic for the RV guys.

The big tire chains do not sell tires after 1-3 years. Most 1 year.

When in doubt, throw it out !

Don't let worries ruin your summer fun !

This is from a guy with original tires on his 2012.

I have to fix that soon !

They are Michelins and they say their tires are good for "up to" 10 years.

cdnpont · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

Cracks.

Any visible cracks, then it's time. Even on a relatively new tire.

No cracks, I mean absolutely none, then they are probably ok regardless of age (this from my tire guy). But realistically, you have to keep the speed down on the older ones.

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

73SC wrote:
I'm sure many are in the same position I am, in that I only drive the old beast for two or three months a year and rack up next to no mileage. Often when I do drive it is on highways with 100 kph speed limits to go to an event or cruise. Regardless of tread wear how old is too old for a tire, My LeMans has 4 that are manufactured in 2006 while my Corvette has two that were manufactured in 2002 and two dated 2017.
It seems conventional wisdom suggests that tires should be discarded at 6 years old regardless of condition and tread wear. What does the collective wisdom of Canadian Poncho say.?

Two from 2017 and two from 2002? That's a no brainer, you only have to buy two tires and you have peace of mind.

There is lots of information floating around out there, and none of us are experts, including myself. The rule of thumb that I go by is no external cracking, I had some Michelins that were only 4 or 5 years old that had sidewall cracking but had good tread (like around 5mm), so I tossed them to be recycled. However, although I haven't experienced it myself, I've heard of belt packages separating internally on old tires, causing a blowout.

My personal experience is that I've run some very old tires without problems, but not at high speed, which sounds like what may happen with your Corvette, so IMHO why risk it?

On the subject of old 'new' tires, I bought a set from my local tire dealer last year. 3 were manufactured in 2017 and one in 2012, so I sent it back and they replaced it with another 2017 tire... you have to watch them.

oshawacliff · Poncho Master!

The date of manufacture is the last four digits of the DOT code. The first two digits are the week of manufacture, and the last two digits are the year. For example, if the last four digits of the DOT code are 0203, that means that the tire was manufactured during the second week of the year 2003.

downloadtire date code.jpg

As a reference.

From a motorcycle web site

Now, how long do tires last? As with beer, a tires shelf life differs greatly depending on how it is stored. Left out in the sun and the elements, a beer might last a week and a tire is lucky to last a year without showing signs it is in need of replacement. On a pantry or warehouse shelf subject to temperature changes, a beer is good for several months and a tire for several years. Now, a beer stored in a refrigerator can stay fresh for years. Similarly, a tire stored in climate-controlled warehouse can stay fresh for up to 6 years.

Most tire manufacturers warranty policies cover eligible tires that become unusable for any reason within the manufacturers control, such tire will be replaced with an equivalent new tire on the basis set forth in their Limited Warranty policy. The manufacturers states if, before wearing down to 1/32 inch (0.8mm) of remaining original tread depth (i.e., worn down to the top of the built-in indicators in the tread grooves), and within 4 years from the date of purchase (proof of purchase required; without proof of purchase, then 4 years from the date of manufacture - referenced by the last four digits of the DOT number), for any reason other than those excluded.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Interesting perspectives and I'm glad I posted the question just to start a conversation.

I already decided that the Corvette fronts needed replacing from the first time I saw the car and in fact used this as a bargaining point when purchasing the car. These tires on this car are interesting in as much that you need one tire for each position on the car, fronts are 255/45ZR17 and rear are 285/40ZR/17 and are asymmetrical, which means one tire to one wheel position.

Canadian Poncho · A Poncho Legend!

When you buy make sure you chose a shop with a balancer that simulates the tire being under weight and that indexes the rim to the tire to get the smoothest ride.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Thank you Todd for this advice.

norontcan · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

One factor that has been alluded to but not specifically pointed out is the use/abuse you plan on subjecting the tire to. A quiet Sunday afternoon drive in a 58 Buick is much different than a tire smoking drive in a big block.
When I asked this question at both the Coker and Universal booths at Hershey I got the old " use the thumb nail test" answer. But then again they were talking older cars.

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

I think you make some good points Ted. Certainly the Paul Walker death would fall into the tire smoking big block style of driving, nonetheless I can't help but think that a tire failure on a big and heavy 58 Buick at say 70 kph in the rolling hills and twisty roads of Simcoe County wouldn't have devastating effects on vehicle dynamics and control. Certainly a crash is possible and injuries very probable.

Pontiacanada · A Poncho Legend!

You might as well burn the old tires a bit more before changing them. wink

MC · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

73SC wrote:
I think you make some good points Ted. Certainly the Paul Walker death would fall into the tire smoking big block style of driving, nonetheless I can't help but think that a tire failure on a big and heavy 58 Buick at say 70 kph in the rolling hills and twisty roads of Simcoe County wouldn't have devastating effects on vehicle dynamics and control. Certainly a crash is possible and injuries very probable.

Exactly. Lots of factors in play, such as vehicle weight, tire pressure, air and pavement temperature, etc. etc.

And as you mention, some vehicles will respond better to a blowout than others. You don't have to be cooking it to be put in a dangerous situation by a blowout. Look at the Ford Explorer/Firestone situation in the late 1990s, where many of those cases involved a blowout while driving along a straight highway that still led to a rollover. Classic case of bad vehicle dynamics not responding well to a blowout.

ak 67sd · Poncho Master!

Mine are over 26 years old... I've been thinking about replacing them... maybe this year. I run them pretty hard on the few times I drive the car... the rears were saved since I ran slicks on the street for many years

I'm curious to check the actual dates...

ak

oshawacliff · Poncho Master!

Post some photos of the codes. They were different prior to 2000

Cliff

Brian · Addicted!

Prior to 2000 the code was a 3 digit - frist 2 was week and last was year which could be (395) 39 wk 1995, 1985, 1975
After 2000 was four digit (3905) 39wk year 2005

-- Edited by Brian on Friday 17th of May 2019 08:53:42 PM

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

Since I started this off I'll bring my piece to a close. The guy who explained this best to me was the local Goodyear Franchise owner. He likened the tire and its softness to a pencil eraser and how an old pencil has a hard and brittle eraser, really no good for erasing any more because its lost its softness. He said he never saw any old tire blowout but because the compound gets hard and brittle he's seen cracks and brittle bits break off. In essence the rubber gets hard and instead of driving with a sticky tire that has traction its like driving around with hard pucks for tires.

He recommended DOT date of only 4 years for a high performance tire on an exotic car then proceeded to tell me Goodyear no longer makes the tire size I needed for my Corvette.

It turned out to be a bit difficult to source the 255/45/ZR17 front tires that I needed. None from Good year, none from Superior Tire, none from good ole Canadian Tire. 65camino intervened and he had Continental ExtremeContact Sport W speed rated ordered in for me. When they arrived their DOT date was March 2018. The old 2005's were discarded with hardly any wear. I now feel safer, even though I'll never push this car to the limit or even approach the W speed rating.

You will notice the letters D W on one of the treads. These are wear indicators. Once the W disappears you should not attempt to drive in the wet and when the D is gone so are the tires.

Continental Extreme Contact Sport.jpg

timbuk · Canadian Poncho Superstar!

wow good eraser comparison and neet tread wear indicators and nice tires too ray can u feel the diff

73SC · A Poncho Legend!

To be honest I have never really pushed the car I've inadvertently had it up to 150 on an on ramp to the highway then merged into 115 traffic. When I say inadvertently I mean I push the accelerator to merge on the highway look down and there it is 150. Tonight I had a long run on highway 401 that famous highway from the show Heavy Rescue 401 and mostly stayed middle lane at around 100 - 115 getting passed by every hot shoe in a 3 and 4 cylinder micro car. Everybody is an F1 driver when you're in a Corvette I've noticed.

I can tell you that the car does ride much nicer and I have better control. With the old ones I felt it skating around a lot on bumpy city streets and street car tracks, lots of steering correction needed. I took it to work today first time with new tires and in the 25 minute commute to downtown Toronto it felt really nice, better than my Cadillac actually, so yes it does ride nicer. The old tires were Kumho so I was happy to get rid of those and get a good quality German designed tire, Continental are OEM on many Porsche's.