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I've been trying to determine the manufacture date of my tires (Comp T/A P275/40ZR17) since I bought the car in 2016. But there is no 4 digit date code anywhere to be found on the tires. Finally today I found this bit of info:
"A 3-digit DOT Date Code was used on tires manufactured before the year 2000. The first two digits still represent the week of manufacture, but the last digit refers to the previous year of the decade. For instance, ‘238’ would mean the tire was made in the 23rd week of the 8th year of a decade (likely 1998). However, this method could be ambiguous, so from 2000 onward, a 4-digit code has been used to eliminate confusion."
So, looking at the tire there is a DOT code but it ends in three digits not four. The three digit code indicates that my tires must have been made before the year 2000. Probably the 47th week of 1996. The tires do have a lot of cracking and definitely need to be replaced. But man! I had no idea that they were 28 years old!
You should make tire shopping a priority. Most all manufacturers offer ultra high performance tires in the P275/40ZR17 size you need, ranging in price about $125 to will over $200.00 per tire. I would recommend visiting Tire Racks website. I have bought tires from them for the last 25 years. The site shows in depth information on each tire, doing actual testing and posts consumer comments on each tire. Prices are very competitive, shipping is free and they have techs available to assist. A few years ago Tire Rack was acquired by Discount Tire. You have them order your tires or do your own ordering and have the tires dropped shipped to your local Discount Tire. Happy shopping!
@Joe C What is it about these tires that you like? I see that they are a closeout item with only 4 left.
price for starters. i bought a set a couple months ago, (shipped free) w/ tax for around $475 - mounting and balancing was $125, so $600 for a set of C4 tires is insane. they are (tire rack) rated within the top 5 in their category, and IMO, a pretty decent tire. besides, i needed tires....
The first two digits/letters are the specific factory that made the tire. For instance, BE is the BFGoodrich plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Plant codes have changed recently, and that plant's code is now 1BE.
Tire date code mystery solved
