Tire age??

[Urch]

I have some Ohtsu tires made in Japan and wondering how old they are. Been on the truck at least 5 years but could be much longer. Starting to crack a bit. Can a guy get year off side of tire? It is not my DD. If that matters but dont drive it too much, and not in winter. Do the numbers suggest made in '14?

 

[IndyDon]

right after the DOT number in the oval is the major info on that tire. I believe the date is done by week and year, 3614 meaning the 36th week of 2014.

 

[Blue2500CC]

Usually the date code is a four digit number in an oval (by itself) like the first pic. I haven’t seen any additional letters or numbers before. But maybe it varies some depending on the manufacture.

If there isn’t any other four digit numbers stamped in, it could be they were made the 36th week of ‘14.

 

[madweazl]

This has a little info to help locate it but I'd guess that the 36th week of 2014 is likely correct.

 

[wgreggking]

Don't see too much sidewall cracking, pic 1? , heat not cold is the enemy, and keep properly inflated.

 

[Rado]

All good advive above ! Found this on Tire Rack
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=11

 

[Urch]

There is some cracking between the tread. Is five years old too old for a tire if its cracking? And thanks for info.

 

[0rion]

They're only required to put it on one side of the tire so it may be on the inside. The POS firestones on my truck are all on the inside.

 

[Rado]

There is some cracking between the tread. Is five years old too old for a tire if its cracking? And thanks for info.

IMO if it is starting to crack it is time to get new tires ! Tires are cheaper then a Hospital or Funeral Bill !

 

[buddy guy]

i've always been told sidewall cracking- replace. between tread cracking.... is it all away around the tire or just in spots? if a vehicle its outside a lot uv is going to affect the tires, they have oil in them and the surface of the tire starts to dry out so often some cracks between treads can simply be surface tracks. ask rv owners about surface cracks! 5 years should not be too much for a 4 wheel vehicle tire. 7 years max would be my number on a 4 wheel vehicle. on my motorbike, it was 5 years. obviously losing 1 tire on a bike is going to be more catastrophic an event!

any tire shop you can trust not to just want to sell you rubber for the sake of it should be able to tell you if its surface cracks or more extensive. but sidewall? don't mess with it for sure. (talking about cracking, not a bit of checking which is different)

 

[Rado]

i've always been told sidewall cracking- replace. between tread cracking.... is it all away around the tire or just in spots? if a vehicle its outside a lot uv is going to affect the tires, they have oil in them and the surface of the tire starts to dry out so often some cracks between treads can simply be surface tracks. ask rv owners about surface cracks! 5 years should not be too much for a 4 wheel vehicle tire. 7 years max would be my number on a 4 wheel vehicle. on my motorbike, it was 5 years. obviously losing 1 tire on a bike is going to be more catastrophic an event!

any tire shop you can trust not to just want to sell you rubber for the sake of it should be able to tell you if its surface cracks or more extensive. but sidewall? don't mess with it for sure. (talking about cracking, not a bit of checking which is different)

VERY good points you made ! Yea I agree depends on if a light crack or deep !

 

[wgreggking]

Here in the UV and heat capital, Some cracking is normal Ive seen it on 2-3 year tires. Especially those that sit. If you are worried replace them, one less thing to keep you up at night.

 

[buddy guy]

i ran for 2 out of 3 years of my cooper tires lives with cracks all around the tires on all of them. a solid line between the 1st and 2nd tread on both the inner and outer sides. truck was always parked outside, winter and summer. i sold the truck with them. one of the tires had developed a slow leak so according to what i read online that was a sign a crack had started to get deeper. i was in the process of looking into replacements and trying to get a warranty replacement given how much cracking there was on tires with only 12,000 miles and 3 years. i had just kept an eye on the cracks once i noticed them to see if they were getting wider which would have been a good indicator of separation but never did appear to be the case.

people have different comfort levels. mine is ok with the chance of one tire blowout giving me a heads up to replace all. i think the odds are pretty slim more than one will blow out at the same time, but..that's me. i'm not trying to do you

 

[madweazl]

The only RV owners keeping tires 5+ years are the ones begging for a blowout (or it's never used). If it has cracks, it's time get some new tires on an RV/trailer.

 

[IndyDon]

I never heard of the brand you have, but when it comes to cheap brand tires. I work on tractor trailers. If I see any sign of a possible blow out. Like cracking tread in a lot of spots. I replace them. I have seen many aftermaths of tire blow outs. Probably my favorite blow out, was the one the tread went into the brake drum. Made for a great day for getting tread out of a brake drum. When looking at tires. Go for a known brand. It seems like you plan on owning that truck for its life. So cheap brand vs name brand will balance out as long you don't have a crappy road incident.

 

[Blue2500CC]

They're only required to put it on one side of the tire so it may be on the inside. The POS firestones on my truck are all on the inside.

Never fails it seems it’s always on the inside!!!

Darn Murphy’s Law!!!

 

[Old Fart]

They're only required to put it on one side of the tire so it may be on the inside. The POS firestones on my truck are all on the inside.

Exactly what I was thinking. Have a look at the other side, bet you find the 4 digit code.