How to Find the Age of BF Goodrich Tires
While the most important safety issue of any automobile tires is tread wear, another safety issue is the calendar age of the tire. According to BF Goodrich, tires should not be used, no matter what condition they're in, after 10 years of age. Because they're exposed to all elemental conditions, tire rubber can become brittle from cold or dry rot from extreme heat. The U.S. Department of Transportation mandates codes on tires for product recall information, manufacturing information and time stamps.
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Instructions
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Inspect the sidewall of the BF Goodrich tire (on or off a vehicle).
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Locate the DOT code on the sidewall of the tire. This is a series of numbers and letters, but the number always starts with the letters "DOT." One sidewall of the tire has a partial DOT code and the other side has a full DOT number. Part codes only have four digits after the "DOT" stamp. BF Goodrich places the full code on the sidewall with raised white letters or white sidewalls for easy inspection; however, some people don't like the whitewall or raised letters and may request having the opposite blackwall out.
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Flip the tire over (if off the vehicle) or check under the vehicle for the inner sidewall for the full DOT code, if necessary.
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Read the last four digits of the full DOT code on the BF Goodrich tire. Numbers only will be displayed on the last four digits of the full code.
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Determine the year and the week of the year the tire was manufactured. The number 4409 would indicate that the BF Goodrich tire was manufactured in the 44th week of the year 2009. The first two digits of the date stamp indicate the week of the year and the last two digits indicate the year the tire was manufactured.
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Tips & Warnings
A similar formula was used on DOT codes prior to the year 2000. In fact, time stamps go back to the 1980s. A three digit time stamp was used instead of four digits. The first two digits still indicated the week of the year it was manufactured, but the last digit indicated which year of the decade it was manufactured. To determine between tires manufactured after the 1980s, a small triangle was placed at the end of the time stamp to indicate the tire was manufactured in the 1990s.
Prior to purchasing new tires, ask to inspect them before they are placed on the vehicle. This will inform you how long the tires have been sitting on the tire dealer's (or warehouse's) shelves.
References
- Photo Credit tire image by sasha from Fotolia.com
