Welcome back to the Tire Mom blog. If you’re just joining us, be sure to read yesterday’s post so you’ll know just what kind of adventure you’re joining here.
Before we embark on a replay of my 50-state journey as Tire Mom With a Mission, let me introduce you to some essential facts. If you never read another word of my blog (although I hope you do!), please read these.
- Most people judge a car’s safety by the crash test rating, or the number of airbags the vehicle has, or the car’s ability to sense an object and stop quickly. However, none of those features matter if your car is no longer driving on all 4 tires.
- Just looking at the condition of your tires won’t give you the complete picture of their reliability.
- Look on the sidewall of your tire for the letters DOT. Follow the numbers and letters until you get to an oval which I’ll be calling the Tire Halo.
- Within the Tire Halo, you’ll find the TIN (Tire Identification Number) which indicates the manufacturing year.
- But don’t stop there. Of the 4 numbers inside that halo, the first 2 indicate the WEEK the tire was manufactured. The other 2 indicate the year.
- If your tires are more than 6 years old, no matter how many miles they have on them, you are at risk! The older a tire gets, the higher the danger of sudden and unexpected tread separation. https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/how-old-and-dangerous-are-your-tires.html
Before we actually get started, do something for me – and for you and everyone else on the road. Go to your car (in fact, all of your vehicles) and check the tires for the Tire Halo. Even if you only drive that sedan once a week so that it has a mere 10,000 miles on it, CHECK THOSE TIRES. Even if you can’t see any visible wear, CHECK THOSE TIRES. If you think I’m passionate about this, you’re right.
You could be saving someone’s life. Including your own.
If you’d like to leave a comment, please do! Tell us what you discovered when you went in for a close look. And then … let’s roll.
Stay Safe,
Diana Hubner, the Tire Mom
