Enough tread, but too old: winter tyres replaced after ten years
At the October change, the tread still looked good. The DOT code and fine cracks in the sidewall told a different story.
- Estate, 2015
- Tyre change
- 45 minutes
What was noticed
A routine change to winter tyres from our tyre storage. The tread depth was about 5 mm, so still above the 4 mm minimum we recommend for winter tyres.
What we found
The DOT code on the sidewall ended in 1416: made in week 14 of 2016. The sidewall showed fine cracks, a sign that the rubber compound has hardened. Hardened winter tyres grip less well on cold, wet roads and on snow, even when the tread is still deep enough.
What we did
- Called the customer, explained what we found and quoted two tyres to choose from
- Fitted and balanced new winter tyres with the Alpine symbol
- Set the pressures and relearned the tyre pressure monitoring system
- Disposed of the old tyres properly
Result
A fresh set for the next few winters. We noted the DOT code of the new tyres in the storage record, so their age is checked at every change.
The last four digits of the DOT code are the week and year of manufacture. 1416 means week 14 of 2016.