MM

Manager's special: "half off on selected tires, this week only"

Are you looking for tires and that manager's special look particularly appealing? Well, this 20/20 special looks at tire sales in the US, and how the tires we buy may be never used previously, but yet over 6 years old since manufactured.  Elsewhere, tires more than 6 years of age are considered unreliable and subject to highway blowout.   i.e., tires have a shelf-life.  However, in the US, the legislation has not caught up with tire manufacturers and they do as they please. 

You can also look at the tires on your car (the date is written on the inner wall of the tire) and use your judgement to change them after seeing this special.

Endure the 30 second commercial.  The video is worthed.

video - Aged Tires: A Driving Hazard?  //abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897

The following information was taken from the site Tire Age Code - Determining The Age Of Your Tires Could Save Your Life!

To determine the age of a tire, we are actually looking for the DOT #. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that Tire Identification Code be a combination of eleven or twelve letters and numbers that identify the manufacturing location, tire size, manufacturer's code, and week and year the tire was manufactured. The month and year are usually the last in this set of numbers and is usually in a raised rectangle. You are looking for the last 3 or 4 numbers in this sequence. If your tire was made since 2000 it will have a 00 for 2000, 01 for 2001, 02 for 2002, etc. all the way to 08 for 2008. The last 4 numbers may be 2102 which would mean the tire was made the 21 week of the year of 2002. If your tire was made prior to 2000 it will have just one number after the week of the year. For instance, it may have 3 numbers (348). This would mean the tire was made the 34th week of the year in 1998. This is very important because you do not want to go buy a brand new tire that has been on display in a tire showroom for 7-8 years. It does happen so I hear. Also, be careful if you have a flat tire and are using your spare tire. Use this tire temporarily until you can get a new tire replaced--DO NOT drive on your spare for extended periods because this tire may be older.