Tire Date Codes: Read the Manufacture Week and Year Without Guessing an Expiry Date
A modern DOT tire date code gives a manufacture week and year, not an expiry date. Read the last four digits, keep the full identifier in your record, and separate manufacture from purchase and installation. This U.S.-focused guide explains how to make a useful note without guessing whether a tire is safe from its age alone. Contents 1. Read the last four digits, not a guessed calendar date 2. Make a record without guessing at hidden digits 3. Manufacture, purchase and installation are separate dates 4. A date code does not certify a tire as safe 5. Use the note to ask a better service question 6. Frequently asked questions 7. Source and related tire care 1. Read the last four digits, not a guessed calendar date For a modern U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number, NHTSA explains that the final four digits identify the manufacture week and year. Its example 0308 means the third week of 2008. The full marking may appear on only one side, so a partial view is not enough. For a practice exa...