The modern day tire is a feat of engineering. Due to things like synthetic rubbers and vulcanization, tires can last for hundreds of thousands of miles. Tires, however, are not forever. In fact, they’re a lot like milk. Milk can be prolonged – you can store it in the fridge, keep the lid tight, etc. However, if you don’t consume it fast enough, it will eventually go bad.

Tires are the same way. You can keep them aired up correctly, you can rotate them, align your car for them, garage keep them and so on, but if you don’t consume the tire fast enough, it will go bad – even with a lot of tread left.

DOT tire codes exist for this very reason. The last four digits of a DOT tire code tell you the week and year the tire was made. For example, a tire code DOT Y9RJ FPUU 2618 was built on the 26th week of 2018. The goal of the number is to give you an easy way of measuring tire life.

Old tires, even with no signs of dry rot, cracks or deformities are very susceptible to blowouts. If you have a car that you only drive on the weekends, or if your elderly neighbor is the kind who only ever drives on Sunday to go to church, check those tires. Six years or older is a commonly recommended replacement time regardless of tread, but 10 years is industry standard.

Questions? Call us at 704-545-4597 or check us out online at manchesterautoandtire.com