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General Category >> Technical Documents/Reference >> FYI: How to determine age of a tire.
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Message started by DesertCat on 11/27/19 at 13:03:56

Title: FYI: How to determine age of a tire.
Post by DesertCat on 11/27/19 at 13:03:56

Most of us know this but for those that don't . . .

Age of Tire (How old is a tire?)

Check the sidewall for the date stamp, a four-digit code inside a rectangular box. These indicate the week of the year, and then the year, that your tire first popped out of the mold. So a date stamp of “4012” would read as “the 40th week of 2012,” or some time in early October of 2012.

Prior to 2000, it was a 3-digit code: 2-digit week + year of that decade. Example "408" would be the 40th week of 1998 (or maybe 1997).

NOTE: Many new motorcycles have tires that are up to 18 months old. I believe this is the max allowed by law. So, if you buy a bike that has been sitting on the dealer's showroom floor for two years, the tires could already be 3.5 years old.

Title: Re: FYI: How to determine age of a tire.
Post by DesertCat on 01/18/20 at 14:21:04

My understanding is that when a manufacturer sends a new bike to a dealer that the tires can be no older than 18 months. Now, if a bike sits on the dealer floor for a year or so then a buyer could end up with tires that are over two years old already.

Does anyone know if that 18-month requirement is correct? Is it a law? Or is it just a company standard and different from manufacturer to manufacturer? Or is it not any of the above and there's really no telling how old the tires are on your newly purchased bike?

Most likely: caveat emptor. ;D

Title: Re: FYI: How to determine age of a tire.
Post by Bokobob on 03/16/20 at 10:42:47

Look for the word DOT on the sidewall of the tire..It will appear on just one sidewall. Following DOT will be a series of alpha or numerical symbols the last four of which are the week of the year and then the year of manufacture....For example, 2219 is the 22nd week of 2019. I believe
DOT stands for Department Of Transportation, but that is just a guess.

Don't know the answers to other questions.

;)

Title: Re: FYI: How to determine age of a tire.
Post by Keifer on 04/02/20 at 13:46:52

I was wondering why I couldn’t decipher the front tire on the project I bought! I guess 498 means 1998 :o Next up new tires..