Tire Info Fact or Fiction
#1
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Tire Info Fact or Fiction
Came across this link to the 20/20 site. I know tire age has been a topic here before, but wanted to re-visit this. I've got one tire on the 79 which looks almost brand new, but according to this, it was manufatured in 1999, which is a bad thing??!!! Here is the link
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/popup?...=1&start=false
I'm not so caught up in the supposed scam that tire dealers are pulling in regard to old tires. I'm more concerned in the shear fact that most of us push our cars to the limit at times, and some of us do NOT use those cars as daily drivers, which means we could have some pretty old tires on our vehicles. (I.E. my 79 with a 9 year old tire) For you tire experts out there, is there a lot of truth to this? Something to be extrememly worried about?? I know a little bit about dry rot, but have never considered just shear age can lead to tires being very dangerous. (I'm not talking about folks that might have original tires on their vehicles. I see this sometimes with "timecapsule cars" in Hemmings motor news, etc. I can't ever imagine someone actually driving around on origial rubber on a 30 plus year old vehicle, that's absolutely idiotic!!)
Makes sense to me that along with the rest of the rubber on our cars, this is going to happen for sure.
Thoughts???
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/popup?...=1&start=false
I'm not so caught up in the supposed scam that tire dealers are pulling in regard to old tires. I'm more concerned in the shear fact that most of us push our cars to the limit at times, and some of us do NOT use those cars as daily drivers, which means we could have some pretty old tires on our vehicles. (I.E. my 79 with a 9 year old tire) For you tire experts out there, is there a lot of truth to this? Something to be extrememly worried about?? I know a little bit about dry rot, but have never considered just shear age can lead to tires being very dangerous. (I'm not talking about folks that might have original tires on their vehicles. I see this sometimes with "timecapsule cars" in Hemmings motor news, etc. I can't ever imagine someone actually driving around on origial rubber on a 30 plus year old vehicle, that's absolutely idiotic!!)
Makes sense to me that along with the rest of the rubber on our cars, this is going to happen for sure.
Thoughts???
#2
Administrator - "Tyson"
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
8-9 year old tire?
No thanks.
No thanks.
#3
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Rennlist Member
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Most recent proposals by auto makers / gov safety boards are a 6 year drop dead date. Tread separation being the most common failure reported but actually very few in total numbers.
#4
Owns the Streets
Needs Camber
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Needs Camber
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Me snow tires were pushing 7 years when I sent them to prop up Mr. Landfill.
Stored inside in summer so little UV exposure.
But you can see the tread starting to develop cracks.
Stored inside in summer so little UV exposure.
But you can see the tread starting to develop cracks.
#5
Drifting
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: zürich, switzerland
Posts: 2,233
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Like people said you would expect to see physical symptoms of age like cracking &/or signs of the rubber perishing; I am talking about the tires of course.
marton
marton
#6
I had a set of original 928 snow rims with original pirelli snow tires that came with my 89GT. Had been used very little and stored in doors. I sold them to a lister who was traveling across the country and wanted snow tires in case he ran into some snow crossing the rockies. He got all the way to Colorado and the car started to shimmy...ended up the tread was starting to separate from the tire. If you looked at the tire's they looked nearly new. I refunded some of his money since he had to buy new tires but that incident opened my eyes to tire age...not just tire wear. I believe tire manufacturers now stamp the manufacture date in the sidewall.
#7
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Rennlist Member
Rennlist
Site Sponsor
Lifted from Tire Rack...." Tires Manufactured Since 2000
Today, the week and year the tire was manufactured is contained in the last four digits of the serial number, with the 2 digits used to identify the week a tire was manufactured immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.
Examples of tires manufactured since 2000 with this Tire Identification Code format:
XXXXXXXX 0608
XXXXXXXX 0600 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0608 08 - Manufactured during 2008
And
XXXXXXXX 0600
XXXXXXXX 0608 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0600 00 - Manufactured during 2000
While the entire Tire Identification Code is required to be branded onto one sidewall of every tire, current rules also require the first digits of the Tire Identification Code (everything but the week and year) must also be branded onto the opposite sidewall. Therefore, it is possible to see a Tire Identification Code that appears incomplete and requires looking at the other sidewall to find the entire Tire Identification Code (the use of a partial Tire Identification Code on the one sidewall 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 Code for tires produced prior to 2000 was based on the assumption that no tire would be in service for ten years. They were required to provided the same information, with the week and year the tire was built 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.
For example, if the Tire Identification Code on a tire reads:
XXXXXXXX 0680
XXXXXXXX 0600 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0680 8 - Manufactured during the 8th year of the decade
While the previous serial 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 Code to identify the decade). The Tire Identification Code format used since 2000 accurately confirms the year.
And finally, hold on to your sales receipts. 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 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). ...." The above quoted from Tirerack . This may also explain why there are sometimes close out specials on tires that may be getting "cured" a bit too much
Today, the week and year the tire was manufactured is contained in the last four digits of the serial number, with the 2 digits used to identify the week a tire was manufactured immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.
Examples of tires manufactured since 2000 with this Tire Identification Code format:
XXXXXXXX 0608
XXXXXXXX 0600 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0608 08 - Manufactured during 2008
And
XXXXXXXX 0600
XXXXXXXX 0608 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0600 00 - Manufactured during 2000
While the entire Tire Identification Code is required to be branded onto one sidewall of every tire, current rules also require the first digits of the Tire Identification Code (everything but the week and year) must also be branded onto the opposite sidewall. Therefore, it is possible to see a Tire Identification Code that appears incomplete and requires looking at the other sidewall to find the entire Tire Identification Code (the use of a partial Tire Identification Code on the one sidewall 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 Code for tires produced prior to 2000 was based on the assumption that no tire would be in service for ten years. They were required to provided the same information, with the week and year the tire was built 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.
For example, if the Tire Identification Code on a tire reads:
XXXXXXXX 0680
XXXXXXXX 0600 06 - Manufactured during the 06th week of the year
XXXXXXXX 0680 8 - Manufactured during the 8th year of the decade
While the previous serial 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 Code to identify the decade). The Tire Identification Code format used since 2000 accurately confirms the year.
And finally, hold on to your sales receipts. 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 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). ...." The above quoted from Tirerack . This may also explain why there are sometimes close out specials on tires that may be getting "cured" a bit too much
Trending Topics
#9
Supercharged
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Back in Michigan - Full time!
Posts: 18,925
Likes: 0
Received 62 Likes
on
35 Posts
That's shelf life... not usable life, right? Does that mean that if I install the tires at 4 years and 11 months, I can only drive on them for one month? I think not.
#10
Administrator - "Tyson"
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Where are you buying tires that sit on the shelf that long?
#13
Administrator - "Tyson"
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
#15
Race Car