It is not difficult to determine in what year this or that tire was produced. The necessary information can be obtained by simply looking at the side of the product. The date will show up in an oval-shaped frame next to other symbols that together make up an identification number tires. There you can also see the batch of the product to which the tire belongs. This number, starting with Latin letters, encodes the name of the country where the rubber was made, the production code, the size of the product and the date of its manufacture.
Since 2000, it has been customary to place a four-digit number in an oval on the side of a tire. First there are a couple of numbers that indicate the week, and the next two numbers for the year itself. That is, if, for example, we see "1117", then this is the eleventh week of 2017.
But what about the tires produced in the last century? A slightly different approach is used here. The numbers of tires manufactured before 2000 were calculated on the assumption that the rubber would not be used for more than ten years. The production date is enclosed in the last three digits: the first two are the week, and the final one is the year of the decade in which the tire was produced: 129 is the twelfth week of the ninth year.
Why know the year in which the tires were produced?
Many products have expiration dates and sales deadlines, and tires are no exception. Most tires are intended for sale within three years from the date of manufacture, and storage of rubber requires special conditionsas the rubber mixture loses its properties over time.
Loss of elasticity of tires leads to multiple cracks and is dangerous to use. Even if the tires have been in the warehouse for three years or more, with full compliance with the storage rules, you should definitely check them for any flaws. To sell stale goods, sellers can go for any tricks, including assuring that the tire release date is an indicator to which you can close your eyes. There are many products on the markets that have passed their useful life, but they are sold as new.
The dealers bought them, but did not manage to sell them, or they themselves did not pay attention to the year of manufacture. So it is possible that they will try to impose on you tires, which, moreover, were stored in improper conditions and transported in violation of the rules. Therefore, before buying rubber, it is worth checking the release date. It's also a matter of road safety.
How long does the tire last?
When should you change tires? This issue must be clarified. Any tire is a complex mixture of all kinds of chemical components, which can be influenced by the most diverse factors: driving principle, road conditions, climate, and so on. The load on the rubber is different, which means that the tire wear rate is not the same.
It is important to conduct an independent inspection of the wheels from time to time and periodically contact specialized centers or even suppliers who will diagnose and point out the identified malfunctions. It is important to see changes in time appearance tires, pay attention to pressure loss and be sure to turn to professionals if the "behavior" of the wheels on the road leaves much to be desired. Technical diagnostics will help you understand whether the tires are worth repairing or it's time to change them. This applies to both rubber for passenger carsas well as truck tires and public transport... And, of course, you always need to have a spare tire. Just in case! By the way, this wheel also needs to be checked with great care. Long lying idle and not always correct storage often lead to the fact that the "spare" is covered with cracks and becomes unusable.
If the tires have been actively used for five years, then annual diagnostics should be planned.
The older the rubber, the faster it wears out, all kinds of defects appear, which should certainly be identified. Moreover, it is impossible to determine the date of replacement of the old rubber with a new set by a calendar method, as a result of the inspection it will become clear whether the existing tires can still serve or it is time to buy new ones. If there is a need to replace the tires, it is better to update the entire kit along with the spare wheel.
How to choose the right tires?
Of course, it is worth buying products from reputable companies that have the opportunity to use innovative developments and conduct research related to the wear and life of rubber. For instance, famous manufacturer Bridgestone has its own scientific centers in different countries.
If the purchase of used tires is relevant, you should carefully inspect the tires, check for cracks, paying close attention to the tread wear. Irregularities at the base of the rim, scuffs and traces of repair are a weighty argument against buying tires. Even if outwardly tires inspire confidence, it is worth finding out how, where and how many years they were stored before being sold.
And it is best not to risk it and buy tires in our online store of Small Wheels tires and disks, our experts will advise you on all issues.
Recently, we have noticed that buyers are more and more interested in the year of manufacture of the tire.
Is this parameter really that important?
Let's try to figure it out.
Tire release date - should you look for the "freshest" tires?
In recent years, we have noticed that discerning buyers are increasingly interested in the year of manufacture of the wheels they buy. Is this parameter really that important?
Let's try to find out.
We are forced to note that many customers often do not themselves understand why they need the freshest tires, because we are not talking about hot cakes. There is a mass of contradictory and unfounded information on this matter on the Internet, therefore, to try to understand this issue, we use the most objective and authoritative expert opinion from Michelin.
TIRES ARE NOT BANANAS!
Apparently, even this leading corporation could not help but respond to the growing problem, and the Philippine division launched a special explanatory campaign "Tires are not bananas!" People fear that tires "age" over time. Three independent studies conducted in South Korea, Germany and Saudi Arabia prove that under storage conditions of +40 degrees Celsius for 20 years, the condition of tires will be similar to a mileage of 40,000 km. A year of active operation is approximately equal to ten years of storage in a warehouse.
Numerous tests have revealed that after a three-year storage of the tire, there is practically no difference with the newly produced one. Braking, acceleration, rearrangement on conventionally "old" tires are identical to conventionally "new" ones, and the resource and impact resistance are also no different. So calling all the shops in the city in search of "fresh" is pointless.
By the way, the domestic GOST also speaks unambiguously - within five years from the date of production, tires can be sold safely. With proper storage, wheels do not lose their properties for more than five years, because they are resistant to temperature extremes.
But in pursuit of the "freshest" tires, many buyers overlook the fact that it is much more important for their health of tires, their resource, and trouble-free driving to monitor pressure, uniform wear, and avoid overloading during operation. After all, even a seemingly insignificant deviation of 0.3 atm. in one direction or another can reduce the life of the tire by a quarter, and overloading can even lead to fatal damage to the cord or hermetic layer.
Another point that some of the customers of tire shops do not take into account: the tires at the manufacturer's factory are pre-made. For example, in the spring of 2018, you ask a shop assistant to pick up tires for you with a production date of exactly 2018.But after all, the release of the summer range begins in the fall of 2017, and the required standard size of the required year may not be available in warehouses at all!
2) During operation, pay more attention to the condition of the wheels, damage, and pressure, which should correspond to the recommended values.
3) Keep in mind: three-year-old tires are virtually identical in performance to those produced recently. And let's add on our own: in our experience, in studded wheels that have been in the warehouse for a couple of years, the stud retains better. The reason for this is diffusion, although it does not reach noticeable values, it is objectively possible to lose the thorns noticeably. As such, research on this topic has hardly been carried out, but practice shows that this is exactly the case.
"The 60-day warranty tells us the device will explode on the 61st day."
Arthur Bloch (American writer)
It's a joke, but with modern production volumes, when quantity is often given much more attention than quality, the product warranty is one of the most important factors that the buyer is guided by when choosing.
The stamped form instills in the consumer confidence that he will not only be able to return the goods or repair them free of charge, if necessary, but also hope for the stated characteristics for a certain period of time.
How does this information relate to car tires?
The fact is that the buyer of tires, purchasing goods in the store, naturally, receives a guarantee. BUT!
The main thing here is not to confuse the store warranty with the factory one. And when buying on the market, by the way, there can be no question of any guarantee. But this does not negate the need to find out the date of tire production. Why do you need this if the rubber looks great on the outside?
This is the main question. Back to the factory warranty. Now the world's tire manufacturers give a 5-year warranty for their products.
Do you understand what this means? During this period, you can count on the declared characteristics of the product (grip, durability, deformation, softness, hardness, etc.). After the warranty period has ended, under the influence of the atmospheric environment, rubber gradually deteriorates and loses its performance properties, because of which you purchased tires.
It should also be noted that the 5-year warranty presupposes the correct storage of tires (in special bags, away from sunlight). Can you be sure when buying new tires in a store or at a market that they are really new?
And will they "keep" the performance for all 5 years?
Of course, if the seller offers you "new" tires, but at the same time honestly admits that in fact they are already 2 years old and he is ready to drop the price, this is one thing. But buying 2-year-old tires at the price of the just-released tires is fundamentally the wrong decision.
This is where the knowledge of how to find out the date of manufacture of tires will come in handy. Pay attention to the picture at the beginning of the article.
As you can see, the arrow points to 4 digits in the oval. This is a code that can be easily decoded. In our case, the tire was manufactured in the 1st week of 2003. That is, in this code, the first two digits are the week, the second are the year.
Old tires have a three-digit code. But it can be easily hacked if desired. The first two digits in it are still the week. And the last one ... However, let's look at an example.
* 109 * - tire produced in week 10 of 1989.
* 109 * (i.e., with a space in which there may also be a triangle) - the tire was produced in the 10th week of 1999.
That's all. Nothing complicated, right? But now you will be much more confident in talking with the seller and will be able to reduce the price.
P.S. Of course, we now have a classic case when theory is at odds with practice. In fact, it is almost impossible to buy really NEW tires in a store. In any case, they are kept in the warehouse for some time (first the manufacturing plant, and then the seller). So don't be too hard on the shops.
Good garages and tire fitters know how to determine the year of a tire at a glance. These are not tricks and not "show off" in front of a gullible client for a "wow" effect. In fact, it is determined very simply, the main thing is to know where to look. And there it all depends on arithmetic skills or the availability of a calendar at hand.
Interesting! Tires have been around long before cars and even bicycles. The first samples were made of metal. These were the first prerequisites for the creation of analogues. modern tires... John Dunlop, when cycling on rough roads, suffered from a terrible migraine, because then there were no spring suspensions. This prompted the inventor to make the first experiments with rubber.
Is there an expiration date for car rubber
Rubber products, like many things in nature and in the world artificially created by man, are subject to wear and tear. Special impurities added to the material during the manufacture of tires slow down aging, but prolonged use destroys rubber faster than the natural process. Microcracks form in the tread and on the sidewalls, and this, as a rule, leads to deformation of the frame.
Experts recommend replacing tires when they are almost past their expiration date. And this applies even to those tires in which the car has never even “put on shoes”. The average life span of most car tires is 5-6 years from the date of manufacture. Therefore, it is important to know where the year of manufacture is written on the tires.
Tire aging depends on a variety of physical and chemical processes... Over time, this has a detrimental effect on their functions. This applies more to those tires that just sit somewhere in the garage and wait in the wings, or those that are dressed once a year for one month. The same tires that are in constant working mode become fragile much later.After all, rubber softeners are catalyzed only when the car wheels rotate.
The Michelin company gives a guarantee on its products for about ten years, when many others do not raise the bar above six. Moreover, if the tire does not have any of the above defects. In addition to how to determine the year of manufacture of a tire and how long it can last, important point is their distinction by category. It is clear that tires marked ZR (over 240 km / h) are subjected to enormous loads during operation, which cannot be said about tires of category S (up to 180 km / h).
It would be logical to assume that rubber intended for high speeds, should roll back its no more than five to six years. What about caravans and trailers? They pass a little a year, they stand on half-deflated longer, the tread is not worn out. They can be scrapped even after eight years. This is true when the rubber profile looks good enough. In this case, it will not be difficult to determine the age of the rubber, the main thing is that the date of production of the tire is visible.
Interesting to know! The largest tire in the world is located in Detroit, which is also called the "city of motors". But it was designed in New York for the 1965 World's Fair by Uniroyal.
How to find out the year of manufacture of tires and why to do it
Each batch of issued car tires receives an individual serial number. But where can you find it on the tires and how can you tell if the year of manufacture is indicated there? The number consists of combined Latin letters and numbers. It is located on both sides of the tire. On one side it is printed entirely, on the other it is partially duplicated: only letters and initial numbers. The last three- or four-digit number indicates the production date. For convenience, the year of production of the tire is enclosed in an oval stamp so that it quickly prompts motorists where to look.
Today, tires with a four-digit number are more common. This means that they were made after the millennium. Then the manufacturing companies switched to a more convenient numbering system. The two numbers at the beginning indicate the week, the second pair indicate the year of production. Let's say there is a tire numbered 3412. How can you find out the year and month of the tire manufacture? It's simple. The thirty-fourth week is August, and twelve is 2012. This means that the tire was released in the late summer of 2012.
Among motorists there are very scrupulous people who do not leave the thought, but how to find out the more exact date of manufacture, when the year of the tire production and even the month is known. You can use a simple calendar or online calculator to calculate the release date of your car "shoes". It will not be difficult to understand them. You just need to enter the last digits of the tire serial number, and then the exact date of rubber production will already be found.
If the serial number has three digits, then know that the tire was manufactured before 2000. The first two digits are similar in meaning to the four-digit version, but the third means the last digit of the year. But here a dilemma arises: the tire could have been produced in the 80s and 90s. How to more accurately see the year of rubber production? Tires from the eighties have stars on the sides of the serial number, from the "dashing" after the numbers there is a space, then an asterisk, or even a triangle.
Quality tires can last much longer than the manufacturer's stated period. The main thing is to observe the correct storage and operating conditions. When buying tires, do not look only at the production date, but inspect the tires themselves. How much the tread height meets your requirements, is it black. Over time, it turns into a whitish-gray, and the surface is covered with a web of small cracks.
If all these signs are present, then the tires were stored incorrectly. If you are not provided with a similar model, but fresher, then do not take them at all.
Did you know? Only a quarter of all motorists regularly check tire pressure. Of these, 18% of men and 4% of women do it according to the recommendations of manufacturers - on a weekly basis. Others ride on tires with insufficient pressure.
Is it possible to determine the storage conditions of car tires
Sometimes, walking between the rows of foreign-made automobile tires, you are surprised at the resourcefulness of market marketers. According to their assurances, manufacturers give a guarantee on their goods for up to nine, or even ten years. And the characteristics are so versatile that they are striking in their uniqueness, as if these are alien technologies. And people are happily led to such tricks. And then a reasonable question arises, is it worth trusting such a product? How not to be mistaken in choosing car tire manufacturers?
First of all, swear not to buy auto shoes on the market, and even more so from someone else's hands. A large percentage will stumble upon a fake, which will not last long, and the characteristics of the product will be very doubtful. The second worrisome point will be the cost of the tires, which is too low for a well-known brand. Tires whose storage conditions have been violated differ primarily in appearance:they are wrinkled and deformed. Shop at reputable stores where you can return the item on time if needed.
Be sure to check the service life and the products themselves for visual damage and defects.World brands give a guarantee of up to two years. During this period, the tires can be returned back to the seller if he has not been used, but specifications fell or were completely lost. And finally, about the quality. Regrettably, but foreign manufacturers make better quality goods than domestic ones.
It is interesting! In a small Colombian town, there is a workshop for sewing clothes and shoes from old car tires. Only soft tires that are flexible for cutting are specially selected, from which you can sew a lot for everyday wardrobe.
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When buying a set of car tires for any season, many modern drivers often ask themselves the question - what is the production year of the tires being purchased?
Naturally, sellers, whether used material or new, of course, will say the year is newer than it actually is. And here you only need to rely on yourself to understand how old the tires really are.
ATTENTION! Found a completely simple way to reduce fuel consumption! Don't believe me? An auto mechanic with 15 years of experience also did not believe until he tried it. And now he saves 35,000 rubles a year on gasoline!
We will tell you how you can determine the age of car tires and what methods exist for this.
Methods for determining the year of manufacture of tires
To determine the real age of car tires, you need to carefully examine them. If you see wear on the surface of the working part of a car tire, then on its basis it is already worth determining how long the tires have been in use. In the absence of wear, every driver will think that they have new tires, which were released this year.
Regarding the novelty, this will be true, but there may be slight misconceptions about the exact year of manufacture, since there are a large number of sets of car tires in the world that were not sold and, accordingly, were not used for their intended purpose. These tires could sit on the counter for a week or several years. How to be in this case and find out how old the tires are? 
In this case, the marking of car tires will help you, on which information about the manufacturer and the year of manufacture must be indicated. On car tires from the French manufacturer Michelin, you will definitely be able to find such information, it is enough to carefully examine the side of the tire to see the engraved marking on it indicating the necessary data. However, there are times when, due to wear and tear, the marking is not visible or read very poorly. In this case, you can determine the age of car tires only approximately, by eye.
Michelin tire service life
Determining the age of Michelin car tires is quite an important measure for drivers, because it is always necessary to correctly assess the resource of used car tires, safety margin and all key performance characteristics... When determining age, drivers can also find out the approximate lifespan of purchased tires from the French manufacturer Michelin, which will help drivers determine how long they will use a set of tires.
It is no secret to anyone that tires from the French manufacturer Michelin have enough long term use. In general, the manufacturer declares that his products may not lose their best qualities for a minimum of 3-4 seasons. This suggests that, in principle, these tires can be used for 5-6 years. In fact, this is a rather long period, which indicates a very large resource.
This is really so - Michelin tires have a very serious margin of safety, which is manifested due to the fact that the manufacturer, in the manufacture of all modifications of its own products, used the optimal composition of components that were included in rubber compound Michelin tires. These are absorbent gels, synthetic substances, and natural rubber. Together, the combination of these components made it possible to use tires very high Quality, which still delight a large number of drivers not only in Europe, but throughout the world.
How to keep Michelin tires fit for a long time
Despite the fact that Michelin car tires have a fairly serious margin of safety, it is nevertheless necessary to preserve such an advantage of your tires in order to use them as long as possible. In fact, in order to keep Michelin tires in perfect condition for a long period of time, you just need to follow a few rules.
First, you need to move as carefully as possible. This is a rather abstract concept, as each driver has their own driving style, from which it is very difficult to deviate for the sake of something. You just need to try to move on a flat surface, and also provide a driving style in which you will have a minimum of sharp maneuvers - turns, starts, brakes, drifting, etc. These factors can have a serious impact on the final quality of your Michelin tires.
Secondly, at the time when the season of use of your tires ends, you must store them in a strictly defined place while maintaining certain conditions. It is well known that rubber products tend to shrink and expand, and this can ultimately play on a decrease in the strength characteristics of Michelin car tires precisely during a long period of storage in inappropriate conditions - even despite the fact that Michelin car tires great quality rubber.
Third, when changing kits for the new season, be careful when removing tires. Even tires as strong and dense as car tires the French manufacturer Michelin are sensitive to strong deformations and external influences, therefore, also exercise the utmost care and be extremely careful.
Summary
As it becomes clear, there are not many ways to find out the age of Michelin car tires. The most important thing is to try to determine the age as approximately as possible, since it is very, very difficult to determine the exact age, especially if the car tires have already been used by any driver before.
The most important thing to pay attention to when determining the age is determining the tread height of Michelin tires. To do this, it is enough to measure this value as accurately as possible and compare it with the standard value. If the difference between these values \u200b\u200bis relatively small, then the age of such tires will also be small. With an increase in this value, accordingly, the age of automobile tires will also increase.
The most important thing for drivers is to try to maintain the quality of their Michelin tires as long as possible. To do this, it is enough to treat rubber products as carefully and carefully as possible.
