DOT or date of manufacture of tires is a four-digit mark located on the side of the tire and which is in the format WWMM (W - week from eng. Week; M - month from eng. Month). These markings show in which week of the year and in which year the tire was produced.

 

 

 

Lately, we are increasingly faced with the question of customers when the tire was produced and the refusal to buy a tire that is more than a couple of months old, so we decided to answer all questions to our customers in this text regarding the age and expiration date of tires.

 

 

 

For starters, it is considered that a tire starts to age only when it is mounted on a car. Why? Because a tire that is not mounted and stored properly has no load. Tires after three years of storage have the same characteristics as newly produced tires.

 

 

 

However, despite the fact that the tire does not age and has a shelf life, the manufacturer's recommendation is to put the tires out of use after 10 years of production, no matter how much they are used. This recommendation has no technical basis, but is only a precautionary measure.

 

 

 

Also, it is recommended that the tires be used for a maximum of 6 years on the vehicle and that they be changed after 6 years of use.

 

 

 

From all this, it can be concluded that the most important thing about a tire is not whether it is a couple of weeks old or a year or two days old. There are other factors that affect the life of a tire much more. You can read more about it HERE (link to the text How to make a tire last as long as possible).