Do you know how old your tires are? Here's how to find out.

As fall approaches, you may be considering a new set of tires for the RV, car or truck. Your tires are the only thing between you and the road, so it's important to take proper care of them and replace them when needed. One tip I picked up a few years ago was how to tell the age your tires. This is very useful when evaluating your own tires or when shopping for tires.

Here is a quick video to show you how to check the age of your tire

How old are your tires? 
The answer may seem obvious. You should know how old they are so you know when to replace them. Right? While that answer may be correct, you might consider this other reason.

This is a story of an RV owner who went to buy new tires for his RV. Let's call him "Ed". In 2011, Ed was in need of some new tires for his RV. Being a savvy consumer, Ed shoped around and found a good deal at a local retailer.

Ed takes his Class C motorhome down to the store, waits for the tires to be mounted and installed, happily pays for the service, then drives home. When Ed gets home and parks his RV, he proudly inspects his brand new tires. But something is not right.

While admiring his 'new' tires, Ed realizes that his brand new tires are actually not brand new. In fact, the supposedly new tires he just got installed on his RV were actually manufactured in 1999, two years ago.

How did Ed know this? Well, Ed knew how to read the DOT markers on the side of the tires. Ed's only mistake was trusting the store and not inspecting the tires before they were mounted. Of course, Ed should not have to double check this. Unfortunately for Ed, this particular store probably had an overstock of truck tires that had been sitting in storage for a couple of years.

The moral of the story
Ed's story is not a horror story by any means. But it's like buying milk. Do you look at the expiration date on milk before you buy it? Most of us do. Well tires have a lifespan as well, usually a maximum of 10 years. When buying tires, verify that the tires were manufactured in the same year.

Needless to say, Ed will not make this mistake again. He will be sure to ask the store clerk to verify the date of manufacture on the tires before they are installed.

When were your tires made?
Each tire has a set of codes on the side that indicate the the week and year that they were made. The Department of Transportation requires these codes to be on all tires. Since 2000, the DOT codes include the week and year the tire was manufactured.

Here's a photo of a tire from my RV:

DOT markers on my RV tire which shows the week and year they were manufactured

On tires made after 2000, a 4 digit DOT marker indicates that week and year the tire was manufactured. My tire, for example, was manufactured in the 36th week of 2006. If you don't see this on your tire, then it may be printed on the other side of the tire. If you have only a 3 digit code, then it could mean that your tire was made prior to 2000.

Before 2000, it was assumed that all tires had a maximum lifespan of 10 years, so there was no need to print the two digit year. For these tires, a 3 digit DOT code is used. The first two digits indicated the week, and the last digit indicated the year within the current decade. You should probably not be driving your RV on tires made before 2000.

What is the lifespan of your tires?
Most would agree that you should not be driving on tires that are over ten years old. But follow the manufacturers guidelines. Many experts would say that, regardless of your tire's wear, you should replace them after 6-7 years. Whatever you do, it is a good idea to have your tires inspected regularly by a qualified tire shop. If they need to be replaced, play it safe and bite the bullet.

It looks like I'll be tire shopping next year.