Where is the Tyre Manufacture Date

Over the last 10 years or so, there’s been a lot of publicity surrounding the age of tyres sold within the Australian market.

This attention was warranted, as many opportunistic tyre retailers turned importers, adopted the practice of importing & reselling used “summer” and “all season” tyres. In theory, these tyres were perfectly legal as they had sufficient tread depth however, on closer inspection the tyres age often exceeded ten (10) years from production. The age of these used tyres combined with an unknown past and exposure to extreme climate change, made for a potentially dangerous situation.

Fortunately, this practice has been largely stamped out, however tyre age is still critically important.

We’re often asked about the production date of new tyres, people are often shocked to find out that their tyre may be a few years old before they receive the tyres.

Well, it’s not uncommon for your new tyres to range from a handful of months old to several years of age before you buy them! All tyres are produced in batches, and with the variety of tyre sizes, brands and patterns available, low volume tyres may be stored for several years before being sold. Not to mention that all tyres are now produced off-shore, meaning the import process alone can take anywhere from 1-3 months. Generally, buying a tyre that is up to 4 years old presents no problems with safety, grip, handling or performance, providing they are stored appropriately. This means storing in a cool, dry environment out of direct sunlight and away from electric motors, chemicals or other materials that can degrade the rubber.

While there is no legislation in Australia governing tyre age, many of the world’s leading manufacturers have released bulletin’s surrounding tyre age and safety. The consistent theme in these bulletins is that while there’s no technical data supporting a specific age for removal, it’s recommended that all tyres manufactured more than ten (10) years prior be removed from service and replaced, this includes your spare tyre! Even if your tyres appear visually fine and have not reached the minimum legal tread depth, it’s still recommended that you replace them with fresh rubber.

Why you ask? Well, tyres are made of various materials including textile, steel and rubber compounds of which the properties of these elements evolve over time.  Exposure to environmental elements and constant loading conditions can impact the bonding strength of these elements and as the rubber age’s cracks will begin to appear on the tyre surface. This can occur even if the tyre has never hit the road!

Tyresales provides a full replacement warranty against manufacturing defects for a period of 1 year from purchase, irrespective of tyre age.

So how can you find the tyre manufacturing date? Well thankfully all tyres sold for road use in Australia must be Department of Transport (DOT) approved and will contain a Tyre Identification Number (TIN). This number is stamped into the tyre sidewall, generally on one side only. So if you can’t find it at first glance, just look on the opposite side!

The TIN is a series of numbers and letters that identify where the tyre was produced, the tyre size and specification and finally the last four digits (for tyres produced after the year 2000) will identify the week and year of manufacture.

For example a TIN of 2910 means the tyre was produced on the twenty-ninth (29) week of 2010.

So, if the tyres on your car, 4x4, campervan, motorhome or trailer are 10 or more years old or just require changing, we can help!

Simply grab the tyre size from the sidewall of your tyres and enter it below to display an extensive range of options to suit your budget and needs.