How to Determine a Tire's Age

Aged tires cause accidents everyday

You may think that the age of a tire isn’t a big deal, but consider this. Even if the tire looks brand new, it could be dry rotted.

Decode the Tire Identification Number. The only true way to determine a tire’s age is to decode the Tire Identification Number. This number is a combination of letters and numbers that give information on where the tire was made as well as when it was made. If the tire was made prior to 2000, the last three digits of the number are the date of manufacturing. For example, if the last three digits read 469, the tire was made in the 46th week of 1999. Since 2000, manufacturers have used four numbers. If the last four numbers were to read 3407, you would know that the tire was made in the 34th week of 2007.