Tyre Year Code

Alfonzito

Hi all,

Anyone know how to read the code on tyre walls to determine when a tyre was manufactured. I am reading some stuff on the ninternet saying tyres should be "retired" after 5 years, regardless of their condition. I have sen some comments that also some comments that sometimes new tyres can have been "in stock " for up to three years, giving a lifespan on a bike of less than two more years.

I know that tyre compounds harden with age and had to cut an old tyre off a bike that I was doing some work on recently, because the tyre had absolutely no flexibility and couldn't get levers behind it and was afraid of buckling the rim. Ironically, that tyre had nearly no thread wear.

I am shopping for some Bridgestone BT45's for my bike, a BMW R80. Any pointers as to where there are good deals to be had on tyres.

Alfonzo

serious3

dead easy somewhere on the sidewall it will have a number stamped/moulded in along the likes of this 2313 or 0614
the first reads as 23rd week of 2013 and second reads 6th week of 2014 and so on!

Richard tea

Serious3 is bang on. It will also start with the letters DOT. I recently bought tyres and was worried about the the age of them. Thankfully they was manufactured this year

Alfonzito

Thanks for this info. Will have a look today. I have some small cracks in the side walls of current tyres and am going to change them, but wanted to be able to check both new and old tyres so that I know what I have got on. Alfo