Maintenance40
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Checking a tire lifeIf any tires that are over 6 years
based on the manufacturing date,
tire strength and performance
decline with age naturally (even if the
tires are not used like a spare tire).
Therefore, the tires should be
replaced by new ones including the
spare tire. You can find the manufac-
turing date on the tire sidewall (pos-
sibly only on the inside of the wheel),
which has DOT marking. DOT is seri-
al numbers on tires, which consist of
a combination of numbers and
English letters. You can check the
manufacturing date to the last four
position of the DOT.
DOT : XXXX XXXX OOOO
The front part of the DOT means a
plant code number, tire size and
tread pattern and the last four num-
bers indicate week and year manu-
factured.
For example:
DOT XXXX XXXX 1602 represents
that the tire was produced in the 16th
week of 2002.
WARNING
A tire more than 6 years old may
cause separation of the cord
layers inside the tire leading to
loss of vehicle or a serious
injury. Therefore, make sure to
check the manufacturing date
and replace the old tire in 6
years after the tire manufactur-
ing date.
WARNING
- Tire
temperature
The temperature grade for this
tire is established for a tire that
is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause heat
build-up and possible sudden
tires failure. This can cause loss
of vehicle control and serious
injury or death.
Opirus CAN 7-1.qxd 7/8/03 2:26 PM Page 40
