Anyone In The Automotive Tire Industry?

[JM]

When buying new tires, should the buyer expect the DOT code to be dated 2017?

What is considered appropriate?

This would be for a vehicle that doesn't accumulate enough miles to wear out tires in the 7 years that you are supposed to replace them.

Thank you.

[gunzo]

Unless they appear to have been poorly stored, it wouldn't concern me if they were dated 2016. But considering it's getting late in the year, tires marked 2017 shouldbe easy enough to find & you're that much ahead.
With all kinds of internet sellers these days, a lot of new old stock is showing up. I've seen motorcycle tires that people have ordered from no name businesses that were new but with manufacturing dates 6-8 years old. So it's a very good idea to know the dates on a new set.

[JM]

Nov 22, 2017 14:25:20 GMT -5 gunzo said:

Unless they appear to have been poorly stored, it wouldn't concern me if they were dated 2016. But considering it's getting late in the year, tires marked 2017 shouldbe easy enough to find & you're that much ahead.
With all kinds of internet sellers these days, a lot of new old stock is showing up. I've seen motorcycle tires that people have ordered from no name businesses that were new but with manufacturing dates 6-8 years old. So it's a very good idea to know the dates on a new set.

Had a set of four delivered that are date coded to the first quarter of 2016.

In a few more months they will be two years old. Seller tells me that I shouldn't be concerned.

Tired of replacing auto, truck & motorcycle tires with plenty of tread left simply because 7 years has passed.

Thanks.

[Paden]

Some manufacturers say 6, some manufacturers say 10, most manufacturers don't specify. Most conversation regarding age based replacement is arbitrary and speculative, and/or coming from third parties mostly interested in selling tires. I don't ever worry about or look at date of manufacture. The primary factors of longevity are conditions of use/storage, and quality of manufacture. I currently have winter and summer tires on one rig which are by the same manufacturer and are going on 10 years old. They're daily drivers and have a gazillion miles on them. They show zero symptoms of oxidation or any other sort of degradation, and tread will last another two years. On another rig I have less expensive tires and tread wear will be the primary determining factor in their replacement. They're going to wear out in less than 8 years. If your rubber starts to dry out, crack, etc. it's time to replace them. Otherwise...