Know the real date of your tyre

Not sure how old your tyres are and don’t have the receipt from your last purchase? Don’t worry… it’s a common problem and we can show you exactly how to find out.

How to find the DOT number on your tyres

If you take a close look at the sidewall of each of your tyres, you’ll see a lot of letters and numbers. While this may seem like a big jumble, it’s actually useful information. Look for a number that begins with the letters “DOT”, followed by a string of 10-12 characters. This code will tell you several things:

• Week, year and place of manufacture.
• The manufacturer’s unique code.
• The size of the tyres.

For tyres made in the 21st century

The manufacturing date is the last four digits of the DOT code. The first two digits are the week of manufacture, and the last two digits correspond to the year.

For example, if the last four digits of the DOT code are 0306, it means the tyre was made during the third week of 2006. Pretty simple, right? However, if your tyres were made before 2000, it gets a little more complicated.

For tyres made before 2000

The manufacturing date is the last three digits of the code. The first two digits refer to the week within that year.

For example, if the last 3 digits are 022, it means the tyre was made in the second week of the year, and the year is the second year of the decade. This is where it gets confusing… there is no universal identifier that tells you which decade, so in this example the tyre could have been made in 1982 or 1992. Some tyres have a small triangle following the DOT code to indicate the 1990s.

See an incomplete DOT number?

If you look at the sidewall of the tyre and see a DOT number that appears to be incomplete, it’s because current DOT regulations require the full number to be marked on one sidewall only, while the opposite sidewall is marked with only the first digits. To see the complete DOT number, just look at the other side.

Keep your receipt!

The next time you buy tyres, wherever you make the purchase, make sure to save the confirmation email or receipt. That way you’ll always know how old your tyres are without having to check their sidewalls. Plus, this way you’ll be ready in case you ever need to make a warranty claim.

How long does the warranty usually last?

Most tyre manufacturer warranties usually last four years from the date of purchase, or five years from the week the tyres were manufactured.

If you lose your purchase receipt, you could limit your warranty coverage. Here’s an example: if you bought new tyres today, but they were made two years ago, your warranty would cover four years from today’s date, since that is their purchase date. But if you lose the proof of purchase, the tyres would be covered for five years from the manufacturing date, which was two years ago. So your warranty would end three years from today, not four, meaning you could lose a year of coverage.

That said, keep that receipt or email!

Are your tyres ageing?

Now that you know how old your tyres are, and you’ve confirmed they’re quite old, why not start by buying cheap tyres online?

As you know well, it is not advisable to drive on tyres that are more than 10 years old. So… don’t wait any longer and look for new tyres to take you on your next adventure!