Car tires have a maximum lifespan, but too few motorists know how to know their age.
Did you know ? Like yogurt, car tires have an expiration date. And as you certainly know, tires are very important for road safety. Loss of grip, reduced handling, increased braking distance, aquaplaning, increased probability of bursting… tire degradation can have dramatic consequences on the road. But actually, when should you change the tires on your vehicle? Every 50,000 kilometers according to specialists if the wheels are fitted with premium brand tires, such as those from manufacturers Michelin, Dunlop, Pirelli, Bridgestone or even Continental. This distance can be reduced by two for a vehicle equipped with inexpensive tires.
For heavy riders, 50,000 kilometers can be covered in two years. But many motorists do not use their car on a daily basis and are mostly content with short journeys. However, the condition of a tire gradually deteriorates even if it is not rolling. Moreover, in commerce, a tire, even stored in optimal conditions, can no longer be sold as new by a manufacturer if it is more than 5 years old. Over time, the rubber hardens and is more likely to crack. Once on a car, the “expiration date” of a tire, even if it is not official, is estimated at 10 years. After this date, and even with low mileage on the odometer, it is strongly recommended to change it.
Problem for many motorists: how to know the age of a tire? Yet it’s like Port-Salut, it’s written all over it! Few people know it, but the manufacturing date of a tire is written on one of its sidewalls. Most of the time it follows the inscription “DOT” (department of transport in English) and its alphanumeric sequence. To find out the “date of birth” of the tire, you need to look at the last four digits. The first two indicate the number of the week of manufacture, the last two its year of manufacture. For example, if the last four digits of the sequence following the inscription “DOT” are 3218, then the tire will have been designed in the 32nd week of the year 2018. This is the benchmark that must be followed to know the precise age of a tire. The one cited as an example would therefore reach its “expiration date” towards the end of summer 2028.
The average price of a tire from a premium brand intended for a city car is today around 75 euros, it is rather 120 euros for the tire of an SUV with a larger wheel size. When replacing the tires of a car – by two or by four because it is strongly recommended to change both on the same axle at the same time – it is better to plan a small budget. But the safety of the car’s occupants is at stake, not to mention that in the event of an inspection by the police, driving with tires that are too smooth is punishable by a fine of 135 euros. It’s more expensive than the price of a new tire…