Buying Tires? Don't Be Fooled - Here's How To Tell How Old A Tire Really Is

Buying tires can be nerve-racking. You don't want to pay too much for them, but by the same token, you don't want to make a costly mistake either. You don't have to worry about it much when you're buying a new car. Ah, but if you're buying a used car and the previous owner is telling you he just put this brand new set of stickers on it for you, how can you tell if he's being honest? Thankfully, there's only one place you have to look to be sure.

The side of the tire casing can tell you a lot. In addition to the standard fare like the manufacturer name and the maximum air pressure, you can find a series of digits called the tire identification number (some people call this the tire serial number). You can usually find it embossed close to the inside of the rubber closest to the rim of the wheel. It will tell you a couple of things you need to know before you buy.

According to the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA), all tires manufactured since the year 2000 must include a set of digits that allows people to determine the tire's age. Those digits are the last four digits of the identification number.

The first two digits (of those last four) represent the week of the year that the tire was produced. The last two digits in that sequence represent the year. So if you find the tire identification number and see the last four digits of "5107," you know that the tire was produced in week 51 (the week of Christmas) in the year 07 (2007, in this case).

If you can't find any tire identification number on the tires, or you the last 4 characters aren't numbers, you know that the tires must have been manufactured before the year 2000. And if you can't find the tire identification number, ask the seller to show it to you. Most reputable used car dealers will know exactly where it is.

It's important to be an informed consumer when spending significant sums of money. Knowing how old a set of tires really is can take some of the worry out of buying used tires or even buying a used car.

If you're looking for a quality set of tires for your car or truck, you can't do better than Cooper. Cooper Tires are the premier brand of tires on the American road and http://www.coopertiresfacts.com is the one place that can tell you everything you need to know before you buy. Regardless of how you drive, you can find everything you need to know about Cooper Tires online at Cooper Tires Facts. Drive Safely.