Wear gloves in case you need to brush away any mud or debris from the tires so you can read them.
DOT stands for Department of Transportation and the code provides information about when and where the tire was made and its size. The DOT code is sometimes called a Tire Identification Number (TIN).
This 4-digit marking at the end of the DOT code applies to tires manufactured in or after the year 2000. Read the full code to learn where your tire was manufactured, what its top recommended speed is, and more.
For example, if you see 347, that means the tires were made in the 34th week of a year ending in 7, like 1997, 1987, or 1977. In the 90s, some tire manufacturers included a triangle after the DOT code to indicate that the manufacturing year was during the 1990s. It’s very rare to come across tires made before 2000.
If you lost your receipt, the tire is likely under warranty for 5 years from the week of manufacture indicated on the DOT code. Contact the manufacturer for warranty details and to learn how to file a claim without a receipt. [6] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source For example, if you got new tires that were 1 year old, your warranty would cover them for 6 years. Without your receipt, you’d get 4 years of coverage since they’re already 1 year old.
Replace your tires sooner if the tread wears down too far or there is other damage. Check on your spare tires, too. Even if you haven’t used one, replace any spare tires that are 6-10 years old.
Measure the tread of your tires monthly, too. If the tread is 1/16 inch (1. 59 mm) deep or less, the tires are considered unsafe to drive on. To test the tread quickly, insert a penny head-down into your tire’s tread. If the tire is even with the top of Abraham Lincoln’s head, the tread is too worn down and the tires are unsafe. [9] X Research source
