Ratman

I'm getting some new tyres fitted this morning and am thinking about something I never really considered before when buying tyres.
The Tyre identification number shows which factory the tyre was made and the week and year it was made.
As anyone in the manufacturing business knows these details can be important and they are required for uses in quality control and at the most drastic side of things, accident investigation.
Would you be happy, buying a new set of tyres only to find out later, one of those tyres was made 3 years before the rest of them (sitting on the shelf) and two were made in different factories?
I think it is an important thing to consider, as differences in the manufacturing process between plants and differences in the rubber compounds used over different time periods may cause an imbalance in tyre performance and life.

So what is your opinion on this, do any of you check the codes for consistency?

I am hoping that all four of the Bridestone RE002's I'm getting fitted this morning were all made in the same plant during the same week and year, if not I might just request that from the fitters and see what they say.

I know that realistically, these differences are not likely have an effect which we can gauge but consider formula one, I would bet that this is something closely inspected.

ADAM_ROB_UK

No i would not be happy.

Whenever i buy tyres (even fors the wifes pos) i make sure all tyres are from rhe same factory, same manufacturing date (no more than 6mths old) and are all 'matched'. I.e the coloured lines on the tread are a mirror image of each other across the axle

japcrap

No I don't check the codes for consistency. It isn't a formula one car.

BenRNBP

I do/did check the codes for my last set of tyres. With the S2000 often the fronts and rears will come from different depots due to the staggered sizing, but as long as each axle is a pair I'm happy.

not4s4l3

The 4 digit number showing the week of the year and the year the tyres were made (normally next to DOT) it is THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR at least for me when picking up a set of 'new' tyres.

This is what determines at the end of the day if your monies were well spend on a 'deal'.

For example 1214 means that they tyres were made on the 12th week of the year 2014.
Normally when you see tyres significantly reduced it is because they are old!

I've recently got a set of 4 winter tyres (Nokian WR A3) through mytyres.co.uk - which shipped from Germany; took 5 working days but was worth the wait as my tyres were made (2614 front & 3714 rear). I might got lucky though; as on this specific website they state that tyres will be sold 'as new' up to 2 years old.

Normally after 5 years, tyres will start deteriorating even if not on the car and just sitting at the warehouse. Some argue that tyres should be replaced regardless the wear after 5 years.

Of course, it really depends on the conditions the tyres were stored (i.e. closed/open space) and if protective silicone grease (Shin-Etsu) was applied to them to prevent them from drying. Believe it or not even the way the tyres were stacked during storage affects the wear and tear on them! In some cases when you have the rims you might prefer to hang them instead of stacking them up. Also, it is recommended to store them in a cool, dry place inside a plastic bag, removing as much air as possible.

http://www.continental-tyres.co.uk/w...summer_en.html


Hope this helps!

Mr-T

Just had some new tyres from Camskills and fitted to my civic. Never really check the dot marks. Didnt know they also show where they were manufactured. Guess it would be logical for a trail back if something went wrong.

BenRNBP

Since I read this thread https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/992...-was-the-tyres I pay the code more attention

not4s4l3

Not only to trail back if something went wrong but mostly to see how FRESH tyres you are buying..
So you can judge if you are indeed getting a good deal or if you are just paying for old, 'about to expire' tyres..

There you go:

https://www.dropbox....y4D7fjCNxa?dl=0

Ratman

Well, I was lucky, they were all made within a month of each other and at the same plant.
Shame it took the place an hour an twenty minutes to fit them!
This is something that I am definitely going to be doing in the future.

not4s4l3

1h + 20 minutes sounds they were slacking a bit, but sometimes it is good not to get things rushed.
(i.e. seen lugs being broken because mech rushed with the air-gun)
Especially if they were doing a proper job testing tyre after tyre for alignment it is not soooooooo bad 20 minute/tyre..

Glad that I was of some help!