These numbers are on the sidewalls of your tires | Chapel Hill Sheena

Government agents send coded messages

No, it's not the CIA sending secret messages to agents on the ground. It's not the code for the lock on the door of some top-secret government office. It's just that the Department of Transportation (DOT) really wants you to drive safely. So much so that they provide vital information that tells you when it's time to get new tires, right at your fingertips. You just have to decrypt it.

We're not talking about tread wear, here. A quarter test (place a quarter in your tire tread with Washington's head facing towards the tire, if the tread doesn't reach his head you need new tires) will take care of that.

We are talking about the age of your tire. Even if you only drive on weekends. Even if that quarter gets to George's snoz, your tires wear out over time.

How long does a tire last? About five years. How do you know how old your tires are? That's where the code comes in.

How to read your tire's DOT code

It packs a lot of information. It will tell you where the tire was made, what size it is, and who made it. But the information you want is the last four digits. They tell you the week and year it was done.

Start by looking for the letters "DOT" on the sidewall. This is followed by a two-digit factory code indicating where the tire was made. You will then see a two-digit size code. This is sometimes followed by three digits, which manufacturers use in the event of a recall.

You want to focus on the last four digits that tell you when it was done. For example, if the last four digits are "1520", your tire was manufactured in week 15 - or around April 10 - 2020. Once we're past Week 15 (April 10) 2025, you'll want new tires, no matter how thick the tread may be.

Do you really need to worry about the age of your tire? It depends.

The average American drives about 16,000 miles a year. On average, tires these days run about 60,000,XNUMX miles. So the average American wears out their treads in less than four years and never has to worry about this code. A quarterly test will show them that their tread has worn too much.

But we are not all average. Some of us drive a lot and may need tires that can give us 80,000 miles or more of tread life.

Some of us don't drive much at all. We want to look at the last four digits of this DOT code. And if the last two digits are five years less than the current year, we want to think about new tires.

Is it time for new tires? We will check for you

And some of us don't want to check tire tread or decipher that DOT number. But we certainly want to know if our tires are safe. If you have any doubts about the age, tread or performance of your tires, just stop by and ask us to check them for you.

Our experts will be happy to take a look at your tires and tell you how much life they have left. We won't charge you even a quarter. And when it's time to get new tyres, our Best Price Guarantee ensures you get the best price for the exact tires you need.

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