Age or Re-tire-ment — Yes, tires do expire and it’s sooner than you think
Photographs by Charles E. Buban for the Daily Tribune One of the wear indicator bars that could be found between the tire grooves.
My family owns a 10-year-old hatchback which I bring, without fail, to a service center near our place whenever it's needed to undergo preventive maintenance. Aside from ensuring that a vehicle will last for many years, following a PMS or preventive maintenance schedule will also help keep drivers and their passengers safe while on the road.
I recently brought my car to a service center for its PMS, and through a service advisor's checklist, the routine checking, cleaning, replacing of car parts and oil were done.
And since the mileage of my car showed that it had already reached 183,000 kilometers, I was informed that following my car's PMS should always be a must.
The process only lasted half a day and when I was ready to settle my bill, I was approached by the service advisor to check the list of items that the mechanics said needed urgent attention. The service advisor particularly pointed out in the list that all the tires of my car had already expired and should be replaced immediately. I was a bit surprised, considering that my tires' grooves were still deep.
I went home keeping in mind that tires of my car needed changing. When I checked the manufacturing date on the tires' sidewall I saw that my tires were manufactured on the 21st week of 2016, which means they are now seven years old and way past their prime condition.
The tire's sidewall is where one could easily find a tire's "birth date." This number follows a standard format of the week and year, represented as a 4-digit number (WWYY or in the case of my car's tires, 2116).
According to a technician of a tire shop I went to, tires should be replaced after four or five years. Six years would be pushing it while seven would already be gambling on safety even if the grooves are still within the ideal depth.
Tires have indicator bars that are set at 2/32 of an inch (approximately 1.6mm). These indicators are found in the tire's grooves between tread markings around its circumference. If the tread is above the wear bars, the tires are still good. If it's flush, it's time to buy new tires.
