Tyres age even when they are not used: over time, the rubber hardens and loses its ability to grip. Before buying a tyre, it’s best to make sure that it hasn’t been stored for too long since it was manufactured. But how do you find the date a tyre was manufactured? It’s actually very simple: just check the DOT marking stamped on the tyre’s sidewall.
The DOT code
The tyre manufacturing date is included in the DOT code stamped on the tyre’s sidewall. Look for the word ‘DOT’ on the tyre profile. Some tyres have a DOT marking on both sides.
The DOT code is a marking required by the American Department of Transportation for all tyres sold in the United States. These days, it is generally also found on tyres sold in Europe.
Since 2000, the code is made up as follows:
- the 3 letters ‘DOT’
- 2 groups of 3 to 4 characters to identify where the tyre comes from (tyre manufacturer and manufacturing plant)
- 4 numbers indicating the week and year the tyre was manufactured.
So to find the manufacturing date of the tyre, you just need to check the last 4 numbers of the code. For example, a DOT code which ends with 4015 tells us that the tyre was produced during week 40 of the year 2015.
rezulteo tip
To be on the safe side, it’s better to buy recent tyres, i.e. tyres manufactured within the last two years. We recommend you do not buy tyres manufactured 5 or more years ago, and tyres over 10 years old must be replaced.
