How long do tires last?
If you have a collectible car, the tires may look new, yet
be falling apart inside. The culprit is
dry rot, which destroys tires from within.
Dry rot causes the rubber to break down, become weak, and eventually
fail. Usually without warning.
Dry rot is the visible manifestation of the natural process
of rubber breaking down. It’s
accelerated by a number of factors including:
- Ozone exposure;
- Exposure to bright sun and heat;
- UV exposure;
- Use of certain tire dressings and chemicals;
- Underinflation.
Dry rot is a bigger problem in the south because it’s hotter
and the sun is brighter. It’s a problem
at high altitude because the sun is more intense and there is more UV exposure.
Some people say tires need to be replaced every five years
in the tropics. Others say tires should
be replaced every ten years, wherever they are.
Then there are those who say you don’t need to do anything unless you
can see dry rot attacking the tires. I
think that last opinion is probably closest to the truth, because I see cars
that are stored indoors all the time, and the tires look perfect after ten
years, but other cars that are parked outside in the sun every day show dry rot
damage in three years.
That leads to a question – how do you know the age of a
tire?
Tires that were made after January 1, 2000 have a code
stamped on the inner sidewall that begins with DOT and ends with four digits
molded into the tire. The four digits
indicate the week (1-52) and the year (00 for 2000) that the tire was made.
Here’s an example
This tire was made in week 43 of 2002.
1 comment:
Thanks, John... thanks to your blog, I'm going to know how old the tires are I help my sister buy TODAY!!
Thanks, John!
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