What is written on your Tyre
Date of Manufacture printed on the sidewall
The tyre producers imprint a date of manufacture on the sidewall i.e. the number would read 1411 which translates to 14th week of 2011. Most manufacturers’ honour warrantees on their products for up to five years from date of manufacture.
Regardless of how much tread is left, I is recommended that tyres be replaced at around the age of 5 - 7 years.
The fact is that rubber ages and breaks down. Oxidants, ultra violet light and other factors cause tyres to deteriorate in ways that we cannot see with the naked eye.
Reading Tyre Codes
Passenger tyres i.e. 205/55R16 91V
|
205 |
55 |
R |
16 |
91 |
V |
|
Tyre Section width in millimeter |
Aspect Ration (%) |
Tyre Structure (inches) |
Rim Diameter (inches) |
Load Index |
Speed Symbol |
Tread depth
It has long been known that a decrease in tyre tread depth can lead to the deterioration of tyre performance during cornering, and straight line braking in the wet. A tyre is unable to deal with the same volume of water on the road at lower tread depths, which means that it is unable to maintain traction and braking forces on the road as effectively as it should.
The older the tyre gets the harder the rubber becomes which causes the tyre to have less grip on the road and to perish faster.