How to Read Trailer Date on Tires and How Long is Trailer Tire Life

Updated 10/17/2016 | Published 10/16/2016

Question:

Im trying to figure out the manufacture date on tires I just bought. they are stamped DOT OUBL WR1012 . Does this mean week 10 of 2012 . If so that means the tires are already 4 years old before I even put them on. Everything Ive read about trailer tires says the rubber in them is only good for 4 or 5 years and you should change them out regardless what the tread looks like. My point being is if I decide to sell my dump trailer in a year, the buyer looks at tires and says these tires are 5 years old and should be replaced. Yes I do keep my receipts so I could show the buyer. I understand that they havent been out in the sun and weather but the buyer probably wont and that creates a problem. It just seems like that is an excessive back date for production. WE NEED AMERICAN MADE TIRES. Thanking You PS: You have a very good store

asked by: Randy P

Expert Reply:

First, the DOT sate code on a tire is 4 numbers. The first 2 are the week and the last 2 are the year. So for example if it was 1014 that means that tire was made in the 10th week of 2014.

Your tires are about 4 years old. Typically 6 years is the max we recommend running a trailer tire so you still do have a couple more years. It's not always possible, but if you can check the number of the tires before you buy them you will be best off. We go through tires so quickly here that the ones we sell are typically only a few months old.

expert reply by: Jameson C