>>>>> Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 11:44:42 -0700
>>>>> Subject: Re: [TR] Speaking of questionable eBay listings...
>>>>> Tires have date codes molded into them and the dealers
>>>>> know how to interpret them. ........
List, et al:
Tire date codes are not a big mystery, if you have the secret decoder ring.
Molded into the sidewall, in an area close to the rim, is an alpha/numeric
string starting with "DOT" (Department of Transportation) and ending with a
4-digit numeral. In between there may be some additional characters denoting
manufacturing plant, tire size code, and other characters at the manufacturer's
option.
The actual date is defined as "month" (two digits) and "year" (two digits)
of manufacture. The month is coded 01 = January, 02 = February ...12 =
December. The year is abbreviated to eliminate millennia and centuries (i.e.,
2006 =
06).
Thus, a code of 0301 indicates a tire made in March 2001.
A tire made this month (August 2006) would be 0806.
This knowledge added impetus to my decision to replace the old East German
tires that came on a set of wire wheels I bought for the TR4. That and some
vague sense of distrust regarding East German tire technology (let alone
quality assurance) in the waning days of that Empire. The tires had all the
traction of wood, but outstanding tread wear properties.
Bob Sharp
Michigan
64-ish TR4
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