It’s not just because they are the only part of your car that connects you to the road that tyres play such a big part of your motoring journey. Nor that they have such a huge impact on your car’s safety and performance.
They keep you, your passengers and your car safe and comfortable in all sorts of weathers and, as such, they need looking after.
We have featured the importance of looking after your tyres before in The Car Expert. It’s not just about keeping them inflated to their correct pressures – maintaining them and checking for signs of damage or wear are also vital during a tyre’s lifetime to ensure they give you maximum service for as long as possible.
But no matter how much care and attention your give your tyres, it’s a fact of motoring life that they will age. And that means not just tread wear but other degradation too, such as cracking, drying and slowly breaking down. Water, chemicals and even sunlight can have a drastic effect on a tyre’s well-being.
As the years go by, your tyres are continually subjected to these factors so it’s important to know how old your rubber is – especially if you have bought a used car. If a car is old but very low mileage, it’s quite possible for it to have the legal tread depth – even though the rest of the tyre has become dangerously worn.
Checking the age
It’s simple to find out the date of manufacture of your tyres by looking on the sidewall. That’s where you will also find information on the make, size and type of tyre.
Look for the letters ‘DOT’ which stand for ‘Department of Transportation’. Next to those letters will be a series of numbers, such as ‘37 22’. In this case the tyre was made in the 37th week of 2022 – September of that year. If it reads ’07 20’ it’s February (7th week) of 2020, and so on.
If you see only a three digit number, this means that the tyre was made before 2000 so it should be changed immediately. Tyres are generally considered to be at their best between five and eight years of age, so as soon as they have reached half a decade it’s especially important to keep an eye on them and replace them if necessary.
Looking after your tyres
Look after your tyres and they will look after you, giving you years of good service. Even though you can’t stop them eventually wearing out there are some simple ways to prolong their life.
These include:
- Keep them clean
- Ensure the treads are free of stones or other debris
- Check the air pressure every two weeks
- Park away from direct sunlight
- Avoid potholes and damaged road
- Drive safely, avoiding wheel-spins and fast cornering
