How Do I Find How Old New Tires Are?

New tires may have been in the store for a long time.

The United States Department of Transportation requires that all tires be marked with a standardized tire identification number that shows manufacturer information, the tire's size and when the tire was made. Knowing the age of a new tire is important because sometimes tires can sit around in a store for years. Tires can degrade over time, according to CBS, even if the tires still appear new and have not been used.

Instructions

1. Locate "DOT" on the sidewall of the tire. This is the Department of Transportation tire identification number.

2. Find the last four digits of the DOT number.

3. Use the last two numbers to determine the year the tire was made. For example, if the tire DOT number ended in "1810" you would know the tire was made in 2010 because the last two digits are "10."

4. Use the previous first two numbers in the last four digits to find the week that the tire was made in. In the example "1810," you would know the tire was made in the 18th week because the first two numbers are "18."

Tips & Warnings

• If the tire's DOT number ends with three digits instead of four digits, the tire was manufactured before the year 2000 so you should not purchase it.

References

• Tire Rack: Determining Tire Age
• CBS: When Good Tires Go Bad