"The 60-day warranty tells us that the device will explode on the 61st day"

Arthur Bloch (American writer)

A joke is a joke, but with modern production volumes, when quantity is often paid much more attention than quality, a product warranty is one of critical factors which the buyer is guided by when choosing.

A form with a seal inspires the consumer with confidence that he will not only be able to return the product if necessary or repair it free of charge, but also hope for the declared characteristics for a certain period of time.

How does this information relate to car tires?

The fact is that the buyer of tires, purchasing goods in the store, of course, receives a guarantee. BUT!

The main thing here is not to confuse the store warranty with the factory one. And when buying on the market, by the way, there can be no talk of any guarantee. But this does not eliminate the need to know the date of manufacture of the tire. Why is this necessary if the outside of the rubber looks great?

This is the main question. Back to factory warranty. Now global tire manufacturers give a guarantee for their products for 5 years.

Do you understand what this means? During this period, you can count on the declared characteristics of the product (traction, durability, deformation, softness, hardness, etc.). After the warranty period has ended, under the influence of the atmospheric environment, the rubber gradually breaks down and loses its operational properties, because of which you purchased tires.

It should also be taken into account that the 5-year warranty a priori assumes the correct storage of tires (in special bags, away from sunlight). And can you be sure when buying new tires in a store or market that they are really new?

And will they “keep” performance for all 5 years?

Of course, if the seller offers you "new" tires, but at the same time honestly admits that in fact they are already 2 years old and he is ready to drop the price - this is one thing. But buying 2-year tires for the price of freshly released tires is fundamentally the wrong decision.

This is where knowing how to find out the date of manufacture of tires comes in handy. Pay attention to the picture at the beginning of the article.

As you can see, the arrow points to 4 numbers in an oval. This is a code that is quite easy to decipher. In our case, the tire was manufactured in the 1st week of 2003. That is, in this code, the first two digits are the week, the second are the year.

Old tires have a three-digit code. But it is also easy to hack if desired. The first two digits in it are still the week. And the last one... However, let's look at an example.

*109* - the tire was produced in the 10th week of 1989.

* 109 * (i.e., with a space, which can also be a triangle) - the tire was produced in the 10th week of 1999.

That's all. Nothing complicated, right? But now you will be much more confident talking to the seller and will be able to reduce the price.

P.S. Of course, we now have a classic case when theory is at odds with practice. In fact, buying really NEW tires in the store is almost impossible. In any case, they are stored in a warehouse for some time (first of the manufacturing plant, and then of the seller). Therefore, do not be too strict with the shops.

Regardless of the purpose, type of tire and who made the tire, the appropriate marking must be clearly marked on its sidewall (in accordance with the regulatory documentation and UNECE Regulation N 30 (GOST R 41.30-99) for passenger cars and light truck tires). Consider tire marking using the example of two tires: ( Korean production) And ( Russian production). We specifically use the original image and tire sidewall diagram for your convenience. Further in the text there will also be photos of other models and brands.

Let's take a closer look at tire markings.

Tire size

Tire size is a designation in accordance with a regulatory document. For example: 175/70R13, 195R15, 195R15С, 175-13, 6.45-13, 155/6, 15-13, 6.45-14.5LT, 225/60 R15, where

• 175, 195, 155, 225 - tire profile width in millimeters,
• 6.45 and 6.15 - profile width in inches;
• 13, 14, 14.5 and 15 - landing diameter tires or outside diameter rims in inches;
• 70, 60 - tire series in percent (ratio of tread width and tire sidewall height; height divided by width and multiplied by 100%. Calculated as follows: take for example the size 195/60R15, where the sidewall height is taken as x... x/ 195 * 100 \u003d 60, that is, in this case, the actual height of the sidewall of the tire is 117 millimeters);
• if there are no lines and numbers behind the designation of the profile width (195R15), then this means that the tire series is more than 80;
• R stands for radial tyre,
• For diagonal tires the letter D is not put (6,45-13);
• letter C identifies light tire cargo (light truck), produced by manufacturers CIS countries,
• and LT (Light Truck) - the same, but by manufacturers from the rest of the world;

For more details, the topic Tire size" is revealed in the video articles section. The material called " " contains a detailed story about the sizes cars(those whose tires have a tread width designation in millimeters). The second movie called "" contains information about tires, whose parameters are written in inches.

Trademark (brand), model name, country of production

Trademark (brand) of the tire manufacturer - name or trademark manufacturer. For example, OMSKSHINA (OMSKSHINA), AMTEL-SIBERIA, GOODYEAR, NOKIAN, etc. There may also be a corresponding logo. We have posted a few images for clarity.

Model name - trade (commercial, company) name, for example, M-234 "Taganka", K-183 "Barguzin", S-135 "Malachite", Ya-559, etc. The tire model (name of the tire model) is a conditional verbal , a numerical, alphabetic or combined tire designation referring to one tire or to a group of tires united by common design features.

Country of manufacture - the country of origin of the tire. This marking indicates to us the country where the plant that manufactured the tire is located. For example, Made in Russia, Made in Japan, etc.

Speed ​​and load indices

The bearing capacity index (INS) is a conventional numerical designation of the maximum load for which the tire is designed, for example, 96, 82, but in general it can be numbers from 0 to 130;

Speed ​​category (KS) - symbol in capital Latin letters of the maximum speed for which the tire is designed (these are all letters of the Latin alphabet, with the exception of the letters I, O, X, which can be confused with numbers);

As a rule, the bearing capacity index and the speed category are marked on the tire side by side, for example, 96T. The double bearing capacity index is indicated in cases where the tire can be installed in pairs on one side of the axle. In this case, the first digit means the "load index" on the tire for a single tyre, and the second for a double tyre. For more information about the speed and load indices, see our video help "" and "".

Other tire markings

	For tires produced in the CIS countries - the designation of the regulatory document - GOST or THAT manufacturer. Car tires must comply with the interstate standard GOST 4754-97(on tires, the year of approval of the standard is not marked).
	Designation example specifications: TU2521-036-00148984-98. Here 2521 - tire code according to the All-Russian classifier of industrial products, 036 - serial number of development, 00148984 - code of the enterprise-developer (according to the All-Russian classifier of enterprises), 98 - the last two digits of the year of approval.
On tires of foreign production, the designation normative documents do not label.
	Designation Radial placed optionally on radial tires Oh. For more information about the concept of radial tires, see our video.
	Designation Reinforced, the so-called reinforced tires or tires with increased bearing capacity. More about reinforced tires see our video.
	Designation XL (Extra load) used for marking tires with increased margin of safety. This instruction informs that the standard bearing capacity index has been increased by 4 (four) units. For more information about reinforced tires, see our video.
	Designation regroovable used for tires that have the possibility of deepening the tread pattern by cutting.
	Designation Tubeless used for demon tube tires. However, tires produced by manufacturers of the CIS countries may not have such a designation (it is roughened), but instead they are stamped with indelible paint CHAMBER, if according to the conditions of production tubeless tire taken to the chamber.
	Designation Tube type used for tube tires. Recently, they are quite rare.
	Designation M+S, M.S, M&S(Mud + Snow, translated as "mud + snow") is used to winter tires. Often this marking means all-weather tires.
	Designation Snowflake(SnowFlake, translated as "snowflake"; sometimes the icon is explained as "three mountain peaks and a snowflake"). The designation is used primarily for winter tires. It was originally introduced in North America in the mid 80s. However, later the marking began to appear on almost all types of tires, including summer ones. At the end of the 20th century, in order to regulate this designation, a test was introduced and legalized: the tire on which the manufacturer wants to install this marking must first pass the test. In addition to the "applicant" participates in the tests Tire Uniroyal Tiger. On special car challenger tires are installed alternately and base tires. Then the coefficient of grip of the tire with the supporting surface is calculated. If tires claiming to be labeled Snowflake it (coefficient) is 10% higher than that of Uniryal Tigar, then a permit for this designation is issued.
	Designation All season used for all season tires.
	Designation Steel or steel-belted used for tires with steel cord in the breaker.
	Designation PSI(by the first letters Pounds per Square Inch - pounds per square inch) is used on tires marked C or LT, corresponding test pressure index during load and speed tests.
	TWI, ▲ or bibendum on Michelin tires. There must be at least 6 such designations on each side of the tire in the upper part of the shoulder area of ​​the tread. Abbreviation: Tread Wear Indication literally translates as "tread wear indicator". These designations indicate the location of the wear indicators on the bottom of the tread grooves. The indicators are made in the form of protrusions with a size corresponding to the residual depth of the tread pattern for different types tires, upon reaching which their operation must be terminated (see "Rules of the road").
	Nokian Tires uses a different method for determining residual tread depth.
	Date of manufacture, consisting of three (for tires manufactured before 2001) or four digits, of which the first two indicate the week, and the next - the last or last two digits of the year of manufacture, for example: 108, where 10 is the week and 8 is 1998; 1001, where 10 is the week and 01 is the year 2001.
	Factory (serial) number, is placed on tires of manufacturers of the CIS countries.
	National conformity mark for mandatory certification, for example, Russian HX15, where HX15 is the Code of the Certification Body. It is allowed not to put this mark directly on the tires, but only on the accompanying documentation.
	Tire type approval mark according to UNECE Regulation No. 30. Uniform provisions concerning the approval of tires for passenger cars and their trailers, where the figure in the circle is the code of the country which has granted the approval and the figures outside the circle are the approval number.
	DOT designation(U.S. Department of Transportation) consisting of an alphabetic or alphanumeric code assigned by the U.S. Department of Transportation to a particular tire manufacturer, the encoded address of the manufacturer and its head office, the tire size code, and confirmation that this tire tested, certified in accordance with the requirements of the federal safety standard PMVSS No. 109, for example, DOT MKR4 AJOR.
	If this or that tire, regardless of the place of production, is intended for the North American market (USA and Canada), then in addition to the mandatory marking provided above, it must bear additional marking: (in pounds and kgf), And maximum pressure in the tire (in pounds per square inch). For example, MAX.LOAD 515 kg (1135 lbs) 300 kpa (44 psi) MAX.PRESS.
	Of these, in the breaker and frame. For example, TREAD: 4 PLIES (2 PLIES RAYON+2 PLIES STEEL) SIDEWALL: 2 PLIES RAYON.
	In addition, you must specify indices: wear resistance, grip and temperature. For example, TREADWEAR 260, TRACTION A, TEMPERATURE A.
	Balancing mark- circle yellow color with a diameter of 5-10 mm, indicating an easy place in determining the static imbalance of the tire. When inserting into the tire of the inner tube, the valve of the inner tube must be aligned with the light part of the inner tube.

Designations of tires and wheels and their characteristics for each specific brand, and sometimes modifications of the car are indicated in the "Manual" for its operation, published by the manufacturer of the car, and you should not deviate from these standards, since they contain the nominal indicators of stability, controllability, and cross-country ability of the car in the entire range of its speeds. Only the tire tread pattern is not stipulated, which each owner chooses independently (except for assembly at the car factory), based on specific operating conditions, season, driving style, as well as their financial capabilities. However, in any case, the tires used must strictly comply with the parameters specified by the car manufacturer: geometric dimensions, load, maximum speed and tire pressure.

It should be noted here that the marking on the sidewall of the tire bearing capacity index means maximum load on the bus. It is normalized for car tires load economical, i.e. that load and the corresponding maximum speed And tire pressure that provide the greatest driving comfort. This load is usually less than the maximum by 10%.

Recently, we have noticed that buyers have become more and more interested in the year of manufacture of the tire.

Is this parameter really important?

Let's try to figure it out.

Tire release date - is it worth looking for the "freshest" ones?

IN last years we notice that demanding customers are increasingly interested in the year of manufacture of the purchased wheels. Is this parameter really important?

Let's try to find out.

We are forced to note that many customers themselves often do not understand why they need the freshest tires, because we are not talking about hot cakes. There is a lot of conflicting and unfounded information on this subject on the Internet, therefore, in order to try to understand this issue, we use the most objective and authoritative expert opinion from Michelin.

TIRES ARE NOT BANANAS!

Apparently, even in this leading corporation, they could not help but respond to the growing problem, and the Philippine division launched a special explanatory campaign "Tires are not bananas!" People fear that over time tires "age". Three independent studies conducted in South Korea, Germany and Saudi Arabia prove that under storage conditions of +40 degrees Celsius for 20 years, the condition of tires will be similar to a mileage of 40,000 km. A year of active operation is approximately equal to ten years of storage in a warehouse.

Numerous tests have revealed that when the tire is stored for three years, there is virtually no difference with the newly produced ones. Braking, acceleration and rearrangement on conditionally "old" tires are identical to conditionally "new", and the resource and impact resistance are also no different. So calling all the shops in the city in search of "fresh" is pointless.

By the way, domestic GOST also speaks unambiguously - within five years from the date of production, tires can be safely sold. With proper storage, the wheels do not lose their properties for more than five years, because they are resistant to temperature extremes.

But in the pursuit of the "freshest" tires, many buyers miss the fact that it is much more important for their well-being of tires, their life, and trouble-free driving to monitor pressure, uniform wear, and avoid overloads during operation. After all, even a seemingly insignificant deviation of 0.3 atm. in one direction or another can reduce the life of the tire by a quarter, and overloading can even lead to fatal damage to the cord or inner layer.

Another point that some tire shop customers don't take into account is that tires are pre-produced at the factory. For example, in the spring of 2018, you ask the seller in the store to pick up tires with a production date of exactly 2018. But the release of the summer assortment begins in the fall of 2017, and the required size of the desired year may not be in stock in principle!

2) During operation, pay more attention to the condition of the wheels, damage, and pressure, which must correspond to the recommended values.

3) Keep in mind: three summer tires in terms of performance, they are virtually identical to those produced quite recently. And let's add from ourselves: in our experience, in studded wheels that have lain for a couple of years in a warehouse, the stud holds better. The reason for this is diffusion, although it does not reach noticeable values, but it is objectively possible to lose spikes and is noticeably reduced. As such, research on this topic has hardly been conducted, but practice shows that this is exactly the case.

Under ideal conditions, tires can be stored in warehouses or in stores for no more than five years before the date of sale, according to the current GOST in Russia. The key word in this sentence is “under ideal conditions”, that is, at an appropriate air temperature and in correct position. And the life of tires, in the same ideal conditions, can be as much as ten years.

But this is all according to GOSTs. And in real life right conditions storage is not always observed, respectively, when buying a set of tires for a car, the question arises - how to find out when the tire was released and whether it was stored under normal conditions.

As for the conditions, this can only be determined by eye - are there any signs of deformation, if it was lying in the sun, then microcracks may appear, the rubber burns out.

The date of production can be very easily determined if you carefully study all the inscriptions on the tire. In fact, the seller is obliged to write out for tires warranty card, which will indicate serial number tire and its date of manufacture. In case of any problems with the tire, you can return it, and the seller will understand from his records that the purchase was made in his store.

According to American standards, all those manufacturers who supply their products to the United States encrypt information about the production date in a very simple way:

• on the court there is a small oval with a four-digit number. This number indicates the date of production, but not in the usual way, such as 05/01/14, but simply indicates the week and year.

It turns out a designation of this type 3612 or 2513 and so on. The first two digits are the week number, you can simply divide 36 by 4 and you get 9 - that is, the rubber was released in September 12.

If you need to know a more accurate date, then take a calendar and calculate in which month the thirty-sixth week. In the second case, we get 25/4 - approximately June of the thirteenth year.

If you come across a tire that has a three-digit code, then you definitely don’t need to buy it, because it was produced back in the last millennium, that is, before 2001. The first two digits are the week, the last digit is the year. That is - 248 - June 1998. True, if the tire was released, for example, in 1988 or 1978, then it will be difficult to determine this. Unless, of course, we assume that you have come across such a tire.

It is imperative to know the date of tire production in order not to buy last year's collection at the price of a new one, because many manufacturers produce new treads every year, and not very conscientious sellers can offer copies that were not sold out last year as new ones.

If you take rubber from your hands, then also take a look at the date. For Russian roads the maximum age of rubber is no more than six years, and some manufacturers, such as Continental, give a guarantee of only 4 years.

Not many car owners know important information about the date of manufacture of their wheels, but in vain. This is information from the category - MUST KNOW! Indeed, in our world, nothing is eternal and the new very quickly becomes old. As you understand, tires also have a warranty period (even if they have not been driven on it), and the older the wheel, the cheaper it is (this is a kind of axiom). Today I want to talk to you about this. interesting question. Believe me, if you know how to determine the date (year, month, week) of rubber release, you can save a lot of money. As usual text version + helpful video...

It's very simple - the older the rubber, the cheaper it SHOULD cost. Let's say last year's tires, should lose about 5 - 10% in price than this year's products. In Europe and the US, this is how it is. Tires that didn't sell last year, let alone two or three years ago, are sold at a significant discount. Kind of a discount!

However, in our country, not everything is so simple. Ask yourself the question - "how many of us know how to determine the age of rubber?" Maybe it has been lying in the warehouses of Russia, Europe or the USA for several years, standing on the shelves under the rays of the sun, without proper conditions. Our unscrupulous sellers take advantage of the "darkness" of our customers and sell them last year's or even two or three year old tires at the price of new ones. It also happens that rubber, which has lain in warehouses for 4-5 years, was purchased in the USA or Europe for "mere pennies", and here they are given out as new, just produced rubber and sold "for rubles"! Business is nothing personal.

New tire warranty

It should be noted that now rubber is mainly made from rubber resins, with the addition of various - natural or synthetic materials. Which are not eternal. Even under the influence of sunlight (ultraviolet), it can gradually break down.

Even if you do not use the tires, the manufacturer gives them a guarantee of about 3 - 5 years! That is new tires lies in a warehouse (they are not operated), but guarantee period its use is declining. It just spoils - no matter how trite it may sound.

Thus, sellers should give discounts on such stale goods, and significant ones! You cannot sell a 2-3 year old wheel and a new one at the same price.

What's wrong with last year's tire?

Everything is simple. If it was not sold, then it must be placed in specialized warehouse, as expected (read the article -), in dry, ventilated areas. To avoid deformation or . Mandatory requirements:

• Ventilated rooms
• Humidity, it should not be excessive so that the tires are not covered with moisture. Otherwise, the metal power frame (which is inside) will begin to rust and collapse.
• Based on the second point, it is also worth remembering that it is IMPOSSIBLE to “wrap” in unventilated bags! Inside there will be a greenhouse effect, again, moisture and temperature - WILL rot and collapse!
• Preferably near zero in winter, maximum "-5, -10" in winter, if you store " summer tires". It does not tolerate extremely negative temperatures. If you store "winter", it is desirable that the temperature does not rise above "+20" degrees, it does not tolerate too much high performance(e.g. +40, +50 and above)
• There should be no access to the sun, ultraviolet is destructive to tires (even if you do not use them)

Ideally, all this should be observed. BUT, as a rule, sellers do not create such conditions. When properly stored, they take up a lot of space, warehouses must be specialized and large, and they need to be stored for years! And for sellers, especially private traders, every meter counts and therefore the wheels pile on top of each other (sometimes just in heaps). And this is no longer good. The wheel can be deformed if there is a large load on top or simply crack due to temperature changes.

YES, and the manufacturers themselves say that summer tire has a service life of about 8-10 years, winter 4-5 - not to be confused with a guarantee (this is MICHELIN data), and every year it worsens its properties by about 5-10%. And at the age of 4-5, “microcracks” of aging can generally appear. Of course, a lot depends on proper storage. Thus, the older the wheel, the less fully you can exploit it!

If you lay it out on your fingers, it turns out like with milk, there is today's - obviously fresh, but there is a three-day one - it may be possible to drink (ride), but it's not a fact that it hasn't turned sour.

How to determine the production date yourself?

Now the fun part

According to DOT (Department Of Transportation) - an organization that certifies products. Date of manufacture of rubber, applied to side surface, to a clearly defined part. Usually it is an oval. Since the early 2000s, the designation of the year has 4 digits. The first two digits are the week of the year, and the second two are the year itself.

As you can see in the picture, the tires were made at 23 weeks, 12g. To be precise, this is May - June 2012. This designation is mandatory for all manufacturers that produce DOT-certified tires.

These are made for 23 weeks, 2017

Until the 2000s, the designation on rubber was slightly different, there were only three numbers. The first two digits denoted the week number, and the last digit denoted the year.

Happens especially on YOUKOHAMA products. Three letters “YYY” are applied in front, that is, YYY4814, we do not take the letter designation into account, we need exactly the numbers, in this moment It's 48 weeks 14.

Buy tires correctly and if last year's tires, then ask for a discount. I heard that there were cases when a buyer contacted Rospotrebnadzor and exchanged last year's tires for new ones.

No date on rubber

This sometimes happens, many confuse the date (as I wrote above, these are numbers) with letter designation, often this is just information about where the tire was made.

For example - « NWAD JAAR » , they can also be in ovals, but this is the manufacturer's designation. In this case, it is THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. (S.A.) (PTY) LTD. City: UITENHAGE Country: SOUTH AFRICA

However, next to this abbreviation, there may be an empty oval. Here it should have been a week and a year of production. BUT why aren't there?

Often everything is trite and simple - they are applied not by printing in the wheel cord, but by ordinary paints, they are simply erased. Either they are not applied with a strong seal, over time this designation may also go away. The OU or production dates may appear elsewhere, although this is contrary to the DOT.

But there is also counterfeit! It is difficult to fake tires, not many do it, but sometimes it occurs (especially from a neighboring country). And I would not buy wheels for myself, without specifying the production time. YES, and even if they are painted, who prevents them from being erased and writing new ones. Therefore, serious manufacturers apply a stamp that lasts the entire service life.

Especially for those who perceive the video better, I shot a short video.

I think my article will be useful to you, in conclusion I want to say that a fresh tire is a guarantee of the safety of you and your loved ones. After all, if it falls apart or bursts at speed, it will not seem to anyone. And so look at the production date - THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT! Especially in the car markets, last year's (sometimes 2-3 year old) tires are very often sold there at the price of new ones!

Sincerely your AUTO BLOGGER, read our website, subscribe to updates on social networks.