how to check the age of ur tires

[420n620]

thought this was sum very good info about tires that are being sold today.

http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=5054607

heres another related story.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4822250&page=1

[ppeters914]

Yeah, good info. Scary, too. :eek:

[flyerdan]

Well then I know that all of my tires are way out of date, don't rack up the miles so I don't buy tires very often, and when I do I usually get good used ones from a local tire shop. Hell, the tires on my scoot are the same ones that were on it when I bought it in '84.

[Z-train]

Don't go getting all paranoid.That piece is full of half truths,lies and out & out bullshit.

 

Ask yourselves,Who stands to gain if the "logical end is sought".Meaning that tires have to be thrown away after a certain date.All the used tire places would dis-appear.The winners?The Tire Companies.

[yello620]

Don't go getting all paranoid.That piece is full of half truths,lies and out & out bullshit.

 

Ask yourselves,Who stands to gain if the "logical end is sought".Meaning that tires have to be thrown away after a certain date.All the used tire places would dis-appear.The winners?The Tire Companies.

 

Now ask yourself who is at risk of injury, death, or just a nasty car crash if you are the one that chooses to drive on these so called questionable tires.

Yes, a company might profit from your safety..

 

Tires are really not that expensive..Especially in Datsun sizes.

 

Also, dont go and buy the cheapest black round hole in the middle tires you can find. A great deal of there safety and longevity depends on the original quality of the tire and rubber compound.

 

 

Jason

[Z-train]

Who says they're questionable?Up untill 97 i had a 69 Grand Prix with the ORIGINAL bias plys on it.No issues(exception traction)

 

THat news piece was/is bullsh!t.

[hang_510]

overhyped - defintely!

BS - no.

there are always scheamers out there trying to unload crap on the unwary, (new-old) tires are in that category. no one wants to lose money on their inventory.

 

nothing wrong with educating the masses, just stop scaring them!!! :fu:

there are a lot of idiots out there.

 

 

 

 

i got new tires a few weeks ago made in the 32nd week of 08... now thats 'new' :D

[dat521gatherer]

nice to be able to date a tire. scare mongering is not cool. i'd feel fine driving on a 12 year old tire if it was unused.

 

if you saw the condition of some of the tires i've driven on you'd shit your pants.

[volksmike]

It has been my experience when the tire starts to crack in the side wall, time to get new ones. Eventually it will come apart. The less number of sidewall plies the quicker it will die. And most likely in the worst possible place and time.

As you might know the sidewall is always flexing as the tire rolls. This is where most of the heat is generated and part of what kills the tire, especially if there is not enough air pressure.

[datzenmike]

Who says they're questionable?Up untill 97 i had a 69 Grand Prix with the ORIGINAL bias plys on it.No issues(exception traction)

 

THat news piece was/is bullsh!t.

 

My dad's new '90 Sundance had the original 18 year old tires on it untill last summer. They were about 1/4 to 1/3 wore down with 16,000 MILES on them. They wer slightly weather checked from sitting in the driveway in summer sun and winter cold in Ontario. They ran fine and held air but he put a new set on when he gave me the car. If tires are stored properly they will probably last indefinitely before you buy them. Fear mongering. Beef jerky will store for years too.

[volksmike]

Your right in that, thats why they sell those covers for RV's If you keep the UV's from breaking down the rubber, you're all set.

[SickDrift]

Not trying to add fuel to the fire, but a lot of tire life has to do with where you live. For example, where I live it is constantly hot and dry (100+, from Apr-Sept)). Not only is the weather is hot, but the roads are blistering hot. Combine that with aged tires that have lost their elasticity, and low air pressures, as people rarely check their tires when they should, and you have the perfect recipe for tire blow out. I can

[volksmike]

Yep that is where I was thinking, right where the sidewall turns into tread. That is where I have had a few nice looking tires go to crap.

[mklotz70]

Don't go getting all paranoid.That piece is full of half truths,lies and out & out bullshit.

 

Ask yourselves,Who stands to gain if the "logical end is sought".Meaning that tires have to be thrown away after a certain date.All the used tire places would dis-appear.The winners?The Tire Companies.

 

I thought the same thing when I watched it. I'm sure the truth lies in the middle somewhere. I wouldn't put it past the tire companies to be behind this whole thing. They make better quality tires now that last longer....so they have to find someway to get people to buy new tires more often :)

 

I think something that needs to be factored in as a bigger part of the equation is that most of the users are basically lazy. How many drivers do you know that actually check their tire pressure anytime other than when it's pointed out the tire is low? I'd guess about 5 in 100 actually make the effort to check their tires. I'll bet the other 95 are driving around on tires that are not properly inflated! People just don't pay any attention to it. A tire can be down 7-10lbs before it gets noticed.

 

I may not check mine every month....but pretty close :)

 

Always put the best tires up front...even on RWD cars!! Anyway....

[SickDrift]

I still havent watched the subject video, as cant stand tire safety videos anymore, but I think you're right. The idea is probably to make people aware of their tires. If you tell people, "Check your tires for safety", and "Check your tires or they may blow out", which statement do you think people will be more likely respond to?

 

I would see some people, mostly women (although not exclusively), arrive for free air checks and tire inspections, whose tire pressures would vary 50 psi, no joke. The fronts might have 70 psi, in a 35 psi max tire, and 20 psi in a tire at the rear. Considering it *could* be a life and death issue, people should be more educated on proper tire maintenance.

 

As far as used tire sellers are concerned, I would only buy used out of necessity. Those same sellers would break into out dead tire area and take the tires we would not resell. Our used tire policy was no tires over three years old, no tires with "plugs" or other improperly repaired tires, no sidewall punctures and a minimum of 50% tread; I think we walked the walk. Unless you personally inspect the used being onstalled on your vehicle, you dont know what kind of POS they may be taking your money for.

[volksmike]

That is REALLY true of some of these side of the road shops that sell used around here.

 

I wish more people were aware of how their car works. MOST are of the "point and go" crowd. They have no Idea what makes their car go and stop. When something breaks, they buy a new one... I like the idea of having a "paid for" car...

[SickDrift]

That is REALLY true of some of these side of the road shops that sell used around here.

 

I even see these guys going to the local Pick-Yer-Part and buying tires out there for resale as well. I guess theres nothing necessarilly wrong with this, as long as they are working within the law, and with complete diclosure with their customers. I have a feeling however that this is not the case.

 

I wish more people were aware of how their car works. MOST are of the "point and go" crowd. They have no Idea what makes their car go and stop. When something breaks, they buy a new one...

 

And they drive with a burger, fries and a drink in their greasy hands while chatting on their cell phones... but enough about my wife :rolleyes:

[volksmike]

Yeah, to think the cars us guys like don't have cup holders:fu:

[SickDrift]

Yeah, to think the cars us guys like don't have cup holders:fu:

 

 

I'll sport a window mounted cup holder anyday. Shit, I'll take a burger holder if they have one of those too!:D

[moparvwfreak]

i am constantly checking my tires. i have had a wheel come off on me and from that point on i always check both my lugs and tire pressure. every 6 weeks or so i have my wheels balanced adn rotated with a pressure check. going to take my wifes passat down tomorrow and have that done again. as for the tire dateing i have run on some NASTY tires. hell teh Michelins i had on my wifes 87 Cherokee were originals. so is the spare. no cracks or anything. just no traction as they ahd alot of miles on em. so old tires are jsut that old. so what. as long as they are in good shape i wouldn't worry about em. definatley keep an eye on them of course.

[Gensaiken]

I was looking for this thread because I just bought some brand new tires and I thought i'd check their age so I know how to read them..

 

I checked these 13in tires and the code said "519". I didn't think that could be right but it appears that these 13in tires were made in the 51st week of 1999. :eek:

 

I'm wondering if I should take the tires back.. The tires are older than the store I bought them from!

[Cuts metal like mad]

Convienent how a story comes during a economic downturn with stock prices dropping daily... Mklotz has it right, its definately somewhere in the middle. I keep a tire pressure gauge in my vehicle at all times and keep an eye on the sidewalls for "squish" (not while driving though :D )

 

Never had a blow out...

[SickDrift]

I was looking for this thread because I just bought some brand new tires and I thought i'd check their age so I know how to read them..

 

I checked these 13in tires and the code said "519". I didn't think that could be right but it appears that these 13in tires were made in the 51st week of 1999. :eek:

 

I'm wondering if I should take the tires back.. The tires are older than the store I bought them from!

 

Hmm...... are you lookin at the right side? Sometimes the tires have codes on both sides..... but, the date code will only be on one side. Definately not saying that it's not possible that your tires are almost 10 years old, but not real likely. You have a pic of the code you're lookin at?

 

If they ARE ten years old, I would take the car back for newer tires. If you called the manufacturer of the tire, they would probably not recomend you having those tires on there. BTW, who is the manufacturer?

[Gensaiken]

Hmm...... are you lookin at the right side? Sometimes the tires have codes on both sides..... but, the date code will only be on one side. Definately not saying that it's not possible that your tires are almost 10 years old, but not real likely. You have a pic of the code you're lookin at?

 

If they ARE ten years old, I would take the car back for newer tires. If you called the manufacturer of the tire, they would probably not recomend you having those tires on there. BTW, who is the manufacturer?

 

Oh, I have the right number. It says "DOT" a few letters then in a indented circle it has the week and year of production. Witch was 519. Newer tires have four digit manufacture codes like 4208 would be this week. Tires made before 2000 use a three digit date code, after 2000 it is a 4 digit date code.

 

The tires are made by Federal. I looked at all the other tires to make sure that it wasn't just one but they all had the same date of manufacture. I can take a pic if you want to see.

 

I looked in the same spot on all of my family's cars and noticed they had reletively recent dates. Even my silver 510 had a slightly older date (1101) but the tires were used when I bought the wheels.

[SickDrift]

Yeah, thats no good and no need for a picture. I'd take the tires back and ask for new ones. If they dont want to help you might call the Bureau of Automotive Repair, they may have some authority.