Tire date codes and your safety

[SirJoey]

<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Mine don't look like that, SlowDay. Mine simply say "Dot R882".&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Nobody seems to know wot that means.&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" /></strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>I always seem to end up with the oddball crap nobody can explain.&nbsp;</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>They were on the truck when I bought it. Prolly some kinda foreign garbage.</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>I've been meaning to post pics, but I've been busy with the camper underpinning project.<br /><br /></strong></span>

 

[Lostinspace]

I know it's a pain, but have you checked the other side of the tire? Could be there.

Wade

 

[SirJoey]

I know it's a pain, but have you checked the other side of the tire? Could be there. Wade

<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Not yet.&nbsp;<br /><br /></strong></span>

 

[user 423]

<span id="post_message_1275836861">From post #1:<br /><br />

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) &ldquo;Tire Identification and Record Keeping Regulation,&rdquo; revisedJuly 2, 2000, specifies a new 4-digit datecode that must appear on all tires sold in the United States.

<br /><br />It means they are at least 12 years old and are dangerous to drive at high speed. <br /></span>

 

[SirJoey]

<span id="post_message_1275836861">It means they are at least 12 years old and are dangerous to drive at high speed. <br /></span>

<br /><strong style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;">Dang, if that's true, it means they're older than the truck itself!&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif" /><br /></strong>

 

[user 423]

If they are just a bit older than the truck and are OEM type for 4Runners (Bridgestones?), then the tires could have been sitting in a warehouse somewhere for a while waiting to be put on a new vehicle. Or someone could have swapped out the tires/wheels later.

 

[Lifemagician]

This thread has been of great interest to me.&nbsp;&nbsp; I never knew any of this.&nbsp; But it may explain something.<br /><br />When I bought my 1998 E150 it had very good tyres, with lots of tread still on them.&nbsp;&nbsp; From memory I think they were Wrangler.&nbsp; The previous owner drove fewer than 5000 miles for each of the 13 years he had the vehicle.<br /><br />I put an extra 25000 miles on the Ford in the 25 weeks from March to September 2012, which included a trip up the James W Dalton Highway - the haul road - from Fairbanks to Deadhorse AK.<br /><br />On my way south, just as I was approaching Atigun Pass, I pulled over and stopped, to let a truck pass.&nbsp;&nbsp; This meant that the right hand side wheels were slightly off the rough ashphalt road edge.&nbsp; When I went to pull off something was not quite right, just as a nearby motor cyclist alerted me to a flat rear tyre.&nbsp; The side of the tyre was completely destroyed.&nbsp; Can't remember if it was the visible side, or the side under the vehicle.<br /><br />Now this thread has got me thinking.&nbsp;&nbsp; Could they have been old tyres, given the driving habits of the previous owner?&nbsp; <br /><br />At present the vehicle is stored in Longmont CO, so no way I can check the remaining two 'original' tyres, but I will definitely check them when I go to pick it up again.&nbsp; For that matter I will check the two replacement tyres as well.<br /><br />At least now I know what to look for and what questions to ask, next time I need to purchase new tyres.&nbsp; (When it stops raining I am going outside and check my Subaru.&nbsp;&nbsp; See how old those tyres are.)<br /><br />Lifey

 

[user 423]

<strong>Lifemagician:</strong> When I bought my 1998 E150 it had very good tyres, with lots of tread still on them.&nbsp;&nbsp; From memory I think they were Wrangler.&nbsp; The previous owner drove fewer than 5000 miles for each of the 13 years he had the vehicle.

<br /><br />It would be unusual for tires to show good tread with 65k on them, so they were probably not the originals. Also, I don't believe Goodyear Wranglers would have been put on as Ford OEM tires.<br /><br />Some of the better tire brands such as Michelin would probably be fine if used well past their due dates. Much depends on the weight of the vehicle, proper inflation, traveling speeds, climate and road surface quality. How rough was the Dalton Highway? Even new tires will fail quickly if they are run under-inflated and overloaded in hot weather,etc.