I found a set of Michelin Tires for the Dodge 2500 that have excellent tread left and according to the own had 5k miles on them when he took them off.

my question(s):
How can you tell what date these tires were put inservice or made?

does small spider vain type cracks indicate they should not be on the road?

Is this common with Michelins?

they are lt265/70 r 17 load range e 10 plys.

Thanks in advance

 

Small superfical cracks generally indicate have been exposed to sunlight for some time, and have little to do with performance. There is a stamping near where seats on rim (somewhere) with the last 4 digits indicating year and week (day) of production. It seems to vary for eachmanufacture for some reason. JMHO

 

The DOT number after year 2000 is a four digit code. First two digits are the week, second two is the year. 2002 is the 20th week of 02. Prior to 2000 it was a 3 digit code. Again, the first two are the week, the last is the last digit of the year. 209 could be the 20th week of 1999 or 1989. They will be the last group of numbers in the DOT code and will probably only be stamped on one side.

 

After reading all the forum about cracks in Michelin Tires I went to Discount Tire and they gave me a new set of four out the door for 170.00

There was 12/32 nds on the ties and they were ade 2606. 26th week of 2006!

 

170 a tire? Or 170 for four?

 

HUH ? You got a brand new set of 265/70/17 Michelins for $170 !!

 

Hi All

I'm Broadus with the Michelin Tire Tech Team. GAmes is right about reading the DOT of the tire.

There are no dates stamped on the sidewall of a tire(s) to tell when the tire(s) were put into service. Regarding cracking, I would recommend having the tires inspected by a participating tire retailer to determine the condition of the tire(s). Tires contain waxes and emollients to protect their outer surfaces from ozone and weather cracking. As the tire rolls and flexes, the waxes and emollients continually migrate to the surface, replenishing this protection throughout the normal use of the tire. Consequently, when tires sit unused (especially in outside weather conditions) for long periods of time, their surfaces become dry and more susceptible to ozone and weather cracking. Tire dressings which contain petroleum products or alcohol will actually attack the rubber and cause further damage. This can be seen by comparing the outer sidewall of a tire to the protected inboard sidewall.

Broadus
Michelin Tire Tech Team