Tires: Tire date Michelin trx 205/55 X 390, michelin trx, 4 digits

Question
I thought I could read tire dates but this Michelin TRX 205/55 X 390 has me stumped

Answer
Ralph,

DOT codes are a 10 to 12 digit number located near the letters "DOT".  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

Starting in the year 2000, the date coding used is 4 digits.  That means the highest number you should see for the year is 08.  Before 1999 the format was 3 digits.  1999 and 2000 are transition years, so you will find both 3 and 4 digits.

The full code only has to appear on one side and it is permissible to have a partial (no date code) on the other side.