Recently puchased tires for another vehicle of mine (not the Vette) and they look a little funky, Can someone decipher the following mfg date? Thanks

DOT HYM3 501

 

5th week of 2001, Bridgestone, Okla, City
U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number

 

Thanks for the reply and link, 2KFRC5, you confirmed my suspicions. Going back to the "ole" tire store to find out why they sold me 5 year old tires while at the same time they try to convince you that after your tires are more than 5 years old they are materially suspect.

 

Usually inside tire for directional tread tires, 4 digit number, 1st two #s, the week of maufacture, 2nd two #s, the year of manufacture. 0501 - Manufactured 5th week of 2001. Tires that are 5 to 7 years old should be replaced if used on a car no matter how good they look according to Pat Goss of Motorweek. You can't see all the wear on the tire. Not sure what the time is for tires sitting on a shelf for 5 years. Definitely take them back. Tell them you want new tires, not old tires sold as new.

 

Q. How can I decipher the code on the sales invoice to assure myself that the tires were manufactured recently?

A. The U.S. DOT Tire Identification Number is located on at least one side of every DOT approved tire. This number begins with the letters "DOT" which indicates that the tire meets all U.S. federal standards. The next two numbers or letters are the plant code where the tire was manufactured, and the last four numbers represent the week and year the tire was built. For example, the numbers 3106 indicates that the tire was built sometime during the 31st week of 2006. The other numbers are marketing codes used at the manufacturer's discretion. This information is used to contact consumers if a tire defect requires a recall sometime in the future.

Note: Don't always trust the DOT numbers which you might find recorded on your tire store receipt, that is, if the tire store even bothered to take the time to list them in the first place. The reason I say this, is that although it's required by law, some tire shops are either too lazy to input the actual numbers from each one of your tires, or their tire tech had simply forgotten to have recorded them prior to mounting them on your vehicle. I've caught many tire shops utilizing a generic DOT number that they keep handy near their cash register(s).

 

The above is sage advice. My receipt shows tires were made 20th week of 2006 when in reality DOT code on tire says 5th week of 2001. Went back to store today. Asked why these "new" tires looked so crappy. After a few mumbles, I asked why they were 5 years and 8 months "new". A slam-dunk after that. Tires are being replaced tomorrow.