QuestionQUESTION: I have read your many responses on this topic but am still not sure about the answer. I have been having trouble with some tires I bought at a local off brand tire store. I went to another shop and they told me the DOT numbers were not right and when they put them through their data base it came up mostly blank. I have checked both sides and the only number I can get is this DOT BL 37 07 (this is on one side) DOT BL (this is on the other side). They thought this may be an illegal tire brought in from Mexico or something like that. What say you? Where could I find out?
ANSWER: Ed,
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. These are always numbers.
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.
So that's the base from which to work. There are a few rare exceptions to the above rule, where only the first 2 digits (the plant code) and the last 4 digits (the date code) are specified - and this might be one of them. But to be sure I need more information.
What is the size, make, and model of the tire? In what country was it produced? (That should be written on the sidewall somewhere) Is there anything else different or unusual about the tire?
BTW, be sure to include all the letters in the tire size - and be sure to look on both sides of the tire.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: I can not find the country where it was made.
The make and model is KONA CLT
Size LT235 85R 16 Also nearby it says 112/116Q
As far as unusual. The reason I went was I was getting abnormal wear so I
went the alignment done. We rotated the tires and once again one of the front ones started to wear on the outside. I took it back to the shop that did the alignment and they checked it and said it was fine. They then ran the DOT numbers and said there was something wrong (they guessed that I was sold tires that did not meet US standards) Thanks
AnswerEd,
Somewhere on the tire it is going to tell you where the tire is made. It might be one only one side - but it's there.
The 112/116Q is the service description and for an LT235/85R16 this service description makes perfect sense.
BL = CORPORATION FIANCIARA DEL VALLE S.A. in Cali, Columbia. So it is quite possible these tires are illegal. I would remove them immediately. But before you do so, make sure you've looked at both sides of the tire.
And lastly, Tire do not wear unevenly by themselves. Uneven wear is always caused by misalignment, but some tires are more susceptible than others. So "Alignment is fine" isn't good enough. My experience says that the alignment MUST be in the inner half of the tolerance to ensure good tire wear.
