While getting it fixed, my inlaws told me to check the date code on the other tire. When I asked the guy at the tire place, he brought us to our tire to show us where the date code was and what it means. Apparently, the Department of Transportation can fine you if your tires are more than 5 years old. Plus, it is a good policy to not have tires more than five years old because of “dry rot” which may have been the cause of our blow out. Apparently our tires were eleven years old! They must have been the original tires that came with the camper because the date on them were from 2002 which is the same year as the camper. We thought the tires were newer because there was so much tread on them!
I think this would be an important thing for everyone who owns a vehicle to know! When you find the four numbers on your tires, the first two numbers are the week the tire was manufactured and the last two numbers are the year it was manufactures. So, if the tire has the four numbers 3512, it means was was made in the 35th week of 2012. Here is a good link that explains it more: Determining the Age of a Tire.
I guess I wear out my tires faster than five years so it has never been an issue before. Now that we are retired, we drive our main car and the other car and truck mostly sit in the driveway unless we use them for a specific purpose.
Doesn’t this make you want to run out and look at all your tires now! Or maybe you knew this already and are thinking I’m crazy. Either way, I’m glad I found out about this.
Image: 'contact patch'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34580986@N03/8535529960
Found on flickrcc.net
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