How Old Are My Tyres?

To help identify the age of your tyres, each one is imprinted with a coded date which tells you when that tyre was manufactured.

The four-digit codes are usually located in a window on the tyre sidewall. The first two digits of the code represent the week of production during the year (from 1 to 52) while the second two digits represent the year of manufacture.

In this example, the manufacture date code is 1413 – where 14 denotes the week of manufacture and 13 represents the year, meaning this tyre was made in the 14th week of 2013.

If your tyres are printed with only a 3-digit number, it means your tyres were manufactured before 2000 and should be replaced asap. If your tyres are older than 5 years old, you should consider replacing them.

Tyre ageing is commonly identified by small cracks, known as crazing, which appear in the tyre sidewall. This is brought about when UV light oxidises the rubber causing it to dry out. While tyres contain anti-oxidising chemicals which significantly slow down the rate of ageing, this wax-like substance is only released when the tyre is in motion. Therefore, if the tyre is not used frequently or is stored away ineffectively, they will age more quickly rendering them unroadworthy when returned to use. Low mileage, older cars tend to be most at risk from premature ageing – as drivers assume the tyres are still in good condition if they have plenty of tread.