QuestionI am trying to find out if E4 0231796, MEANS MY TIRE WAS MADE IN 1996, WHEN I JUST BOUGHT THEM LAST MONTH, November 2009 THEY ARE RUNWAY EURO 916 TIRES THEN IT HAS sp 575 01, DOES THIS HELP ANY? The tire place I bought my tires from said it isn't there job to tell customers the year of the tires.
AnswerDarlene,
You have not yet found the DOT Code. What you found was the "E mark" which means the tire is certified for European usage.
Here's how to tell how old the tires are:
First locate the letters "DOT" on the sidewall of the tire. Nearby will be the DOT code. DOT codes are 10 to 12 digits long. BTW the digits can be numbers or letters.
The first 2 digits are a code for the manufacturing plant.
The next 2 digits are a code for the tire size.
The next 3 or 4 digits are a code for the type of tire.
The last 3 or 4 digits are the date code. The format is week/week/year/year or week/week/year. These are always numbers.
Starting in the year 2000, the date coding used was 4 digits. That means the largest number you should see for the year is 09. Before 1999 the format was 3 digits. 1999 and 2000 are transition years, so you will find both 3 and 4 digits.
The date code only has to be on one side – and it is permissible for there to be a partial DOT code, so long as one side has the complete code.
Oh, and BTW, it IS the tire shop's job to tell you when the tires were made, (unless you live somewhere other than the US) - and ..... well sort of. They are required by law to either record the sale of these tires with the DOT code with the US government or through one of the tire manufacturers)- OR - they are required to give you a card so you can file it. That card will have the DOT codes written on it. In either case, they are required by law to inform you. You should not have to look for them.
But don't bother going back. It is plain that these folks are not really interested in your business - other than selling you a tire.
