
22
BFGOODRICH TIRE
or sealant liquids, or the use of tire dressing containing petroleum 
distillates, are excluded from warranty coverage.
Tire Repairs
Whenever a Repair Is Needed, Immediately See Your 
BFGOODRICH
® Tire Retailer or, If One Is Not Readily 
Available, Another Qualified Tire Professional
If any BFGOODRICH® tire sustains a puncture, have the tire 
demounted and thoroughly inspected by a qualified tire professional 
for possible damage that may have occurred. A tread area puncture 
in any BFGOODRICH
® passenger or light truck tire can be repaired 
if the puncture hole is not more than 1/4” in diameter, not more than 
one radial cable per casing ply is damaged, and the tire has not been 
damaged further by the puncturing object or by running underinflated. 
Tire punctures consistent with these guidelines can be repaired by 
following the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association’s recommended 
repair procedures.
Repairs of all tires must be of the combined-plug-and-inside-patch 
type. Your BFGOODRICH tires must be removed from the wheel for 
inspection prior to repair. Plug-type repairs made on a tire that remains 
mounted on a wheel are improper and can result in an accident. A tire 
should be removed from the rim and inspected prior to repair. Any tire 
repair done without removing the tire from the rim is improper and can 
result in an accident. An improperly repaired tire may cause further 
damage to the tire by either leaking air or allowing air, moisture, and 
contaminants to enter the structure of the tire. An improperly repaired 
tire can fail suddenly at a later date and result in an accident. Never \
repair a tire with less than 2/32nds of an inch of tread remaining. At this 
tread depth, the tire is worn out and must be replaced. 

23
BFGOODRICH TIRE
Storage
Tires contain materials to protect their outer surfaces from ozone 
and weather checking. As the tire rolls and flexes, those materials 
continually migrate to the surface, replenishing this protection 
throughout the normal use of the tire. Consequently, when tires sit 
outdoors, unused for long periods of time (a month or more), their 
surfaces become dry and more susceptible to ozone and weather 
checking, and the casing becomes susceptible to flat spotting. For 
this reason, tires should always be stored in a cool, dry, clean, indoor 
environment. If storage is for one month or more, eliminate the weight 
from the tires by raising the vehicle or by removing the tires from the \
vehicle. Failure to store tires in accordance with these instructions 
could result in damage to your tires or premature aging of the tires 
and sudden tire failure. When tires are stored, be sure they are placed \
away from sources of heat and ozone such as hot pipes and electric 
generators. Be sure that surfaces on which tires are stored are clean 
and free from grease, gasoline or other substances which could 
deteriorate  the rubber. Tires exposed to these materials during storage 
or driving could be subject to sudden failure.
One reason why your spare tire should be included in the tire rotation 
schedule is that temperatures in a vehicle’s closed trunk, especially 
in sunny geographical areas, can become high enough so that, over 
a sustained period, they can cause small cracks or other changes to 
the properties of a tire stored in the trunk. An accumulation of such 
changes can weaken the tire and, especially if the tire is not kept 
properly inflated, make it unsafe to use when it is needed.
Proper Tire Mounting
Tire mounting can be dangerous and must be done by professionally 
trained persons using proper tools and procedures as specified by the 
U.S. Tire  Manufacturers Association.
Your tires should be mounted on wheels that are the correct size 
and type and are in good, clean condition. Wheels that are bent, 
chipped, rusted (steel wheels) or corroded (alloy wheels) may cause 
tire damage. The inside of the tire must be free from foreign material.  

24
BFGOODRICH TIRE
Have your tire retailer check the wheels before mounting new tires. 
Mismatched tires and rims can explode during mounting. Also, 
mismatched tires and rims can result in dangerous tire failure on 
the road. If a tire is mounted by error on the wrong-sized rim, do not 
remount it on the proper rim – scrap it. It may have been damaged 
internally (which is not externally visible) by having been dangerously 
stretched and could fail on the highway, resulting in an accident.
Old valves may leak. When new tubeless tires are mounted, have 
new valves  of the correct type installed. Tubeless tires must be 
mounted only on wheels designed for tubeless tires, i.e., wheels that 
have safety humps or ledges. Always utilize valve caps capable of 
containing the tire’s inflation, should the valve core leak. The valve 
cap is the primary seal against air loss. Each tire and wheel assembly 
should be balanced to ensure proper tire and vehicle performance and 
to maintain tire warranty coverage. Tires and wheel assemblies that 
are not balanced may cause steering difficulties, a bumpy ride, and 
irregular tire wear.
Temporary Type Spare Tires
When using any temporary type spare tire, be sure to follow the vehicle \
manufacturer’s instructions.
Reading the Dot
DOT XXXX XXXX XXX (prior to August 2000)
DOT XXXX XXXX XXXX (after July 2000)
The Dot
The “DOT” symbol certifies tire manufacturer’s compliance with 
U.S. Department of Transportation tire safety standards. Next to 
the symbol is the tire identification or “serial number.” The first two 
characters identify the plant where the tire was manufactured. The 
next two characters reflect the tire size. The following one to four 
digits may be used at the tire manufacturer’s option as a descriptive 
code. The last three characters are numbers identifying the week and 
year of manufacture. (Example: “O25” means second week of the  

25
BFGOODRICH TIRE
year of decade, e.g.: 1995, 1985, etc.) For the 1990-1999 decade 
BFGOODRICH® brand tires are marked with a triangle pointing to the 
last three numeric characters. Tires produced after July 2000 have an 
additional digit to identify a given decade. For example, 2800 means 
the tire was produced during the 28th week of 2000; 0201 during the 
2nd week of 2001. If the last digits of your DOT number contain three 
numeric characters and are not marked with a triangle, consult a 
qualified tire professional to determine the year of manufacture.
Service Life and Safety for Passenger Car and Light 
Truck Tires Including Spare Tires
Tires are composed of various types of material and rubber 
compounds having performance properties essential to the proper 
functioning of the tire itself. These component properties evolve over 
time. For each tire, this evolution depends upon many factors such 
as weather, storage conditions, and conditions of use (load, speed, 
inflation pressure, maintenance etc.) to which the tire is subjected 
throughout its life. This service-related evolution varies widely so that 
accurately predicting the serviceable life of any specific tire in advance 
is not possible. That is why, in addition to regular inspections and 
inflation pressure maintenance  by consumers, it is recommended that 
passenger car and light truck tires, including spare tires be inspected \
regularly by a qualified tire specialist, such as a BFGoodrich tire 
retailer, who will assess the tire’s suitability for continued service. 
Tires which have been in use for 5 years or more should continue to 
be inspected by a specialist at least annually. Consumers are strongly 
encouraged to be aware not only of their tires’ visual condition and 
inflation pressure but also of any change in dynamic performance such 
as increased air loss, noise or vibration, which could be an indication \
that the tires need to be removed from service to prevent tire failure. \
It 
is impossible to predict when tires should be replaced based on their 
calendar age alone. However, the older a tire, the greater the chance 
that it will need to be replaced due to the service-related evolution or 
other conditions found upon inspection or detected during use. While 
most tires will need replacement before they achieve 10 years, it is 
recommended that any tires in service 10 years or more from the date 
of manufacture, including spare tires, be replaced with new tires as 
a precaution even if such tires appear serviceable and even if they  

26
BFGOODRICH TIRE
have not reached the legal wear limit. For tires that were on an origina\
l 
equipment vehicle (i.e., acquired by the consumer on a new vehicle), 
follow the vehicle manufacturer’s tire replacement recommendations, 
when specified (but not to exceed 10 years). The date when a tire 
was manufactured is located on the sidewall of each tire. Consumers 
should locate the Department of Transportation or “DOT” code on the 
tire. The code begins with “DOT” and ends with the week and year of 
manufacture. For example, a DOT code ending with “2214” indicates  
a tire made in the 22nd week of 2014.
Remember . . . to Avoid Damage to Your Tires and 
Possible Accident:
• INSPECT TIRES AT LEAST MONTHLY, AND IMMEDIATELY 
AFTER STRIKING ANY ROAD HAZARD.
•
 CHECK TIRE PRESSURE AT LEAST ONCE EACH MONTH 
WHEN TIRES ARE COLD AND BEFORE EVERY LONG TRIP.
•
 NEVER UNDERINFLATE OR OVERINFLATE A TIRE.
•
 NEVER OVERLOAD YOUR VEHICLE AND TIRES.
•
 ALWAYS OBEY LEGAL SPEED LIMITS AND DRIVE AT A SPEED 
THAT IS REASONABLE UNDER THE ROAD AND WEATHER 
CONDITIONS.
•
 AVOID DRIVING OVER POTHOLES, OBSTACLES, CURBS OR 
EDGES OF PAVEMENT.
•
 AVOID EXCESSIVE WHEEL SPINNING.
•
 IF YOU SEE ANY DAMAGE TO A TIRE, REPLACE THE TIRE 
WITH A PROPERLY INFLATED SPARE AND VISIT A QUALIFIED 
TIRE PROFESSIONAL AT ONCE.
•
 KEEP TIRES AND WHEELS PROPERLY ALIGNED, BALANCED, 
AND ROTATED.
•
 HAVE MOUNTING AND REPAIRS DONE BY A TIRE 
PROFESSIONAL.
•
 IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT YOUR 
BFGOODRICH TIRE RETAILER.
FAILURE TO FOLLOW ANY OF THE RECOMMENDED  

BRIDGESTONE / FIRESTONE
28
Original Equipment Passenger and Light Truck 
Tires Including RFT Tires with Run-Flat 
Technology
Tire Care Basics
Tire Inflation Pressure 
Tires can lose 1 psi (pound per square inch) per month under  
normal conditions. Additionally, tires can lose 1 psi for every 10° F 
temperature drop. 

BRIDGESTONE / FIRESTONE
29
Just a look won’t do it. One of these tires is actually 10 psi under-
inflated. Your eyes can deceive you, so rely on a good tire gauge for   
an accurate reading.
30 psi 20 psi
Look for the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure listed on 
the sticker usually located on the driver’s-side door edge or door 
jamb area. Example: 

BRIDGESTONE / FIRESTONE
30
This chart shows you how underinflation can create an overload 
on tires. Check your tire pressure every month to make sure it’s up to 
specification, especially before long trips or carrying extra weight.
Lower pressure increases heat. Infrared photography of tires tested at 
high speed. Damaging heat increases as inflation pressure drops.
Air Pressure—Monthly Check 
For accuracy, check your inflation pressure with a tire gauge 
when tires are cold.
Driving heats up tires and makes the reading incorrect.a.
 Remove tire valve cap.