Expired tyres?
Yes. Indeed – car tyres do expire.
Tyres are made of rubber and rubber degrades with age and temperature whether used or not.
Apparently, only a handful of Nigerians were aware of the fact that vehicle tyres come with expiry dates.
And according to Federal Road Safety Corps [FRSC}, expired tyres account for a large number of road accidents nationwide.
So, how can one tell if one’s tyres have attained their expiry dates?
First, vehicle tyres have a 4-year validity period from their Date of Manufacture (DOM) (though some Safety groups in some countries recommends 6 years). However, considering our peculiar rough driving terrains, and our temperate climate, it makes a whole lot of sense to agree with the FRSC recommended 4 years.
After the period of validity, the tyres risk getting burst while in use, especially when running in hot weather.
So, to find out if your tyres are expired – first, look on the sidewall, or the surface of the tyre, you would find a stamp that looks thus: (3006).
There is an asterisk at the beginning and at the end of this number (although some tyres don’t have asterisks).
The last four numbers identify the date of manufacture of the tyre to the nearest week. That is, the first two digits represent the week of manufacture, while the last two digits represents the year of manufacture.
So, in this case (* 3006*), the tyre was manufactured on the 30th week in 2006.
Thus, the expiry date would be the 30th week of 2010 ( that is, 4 years from date of manufacture)
So with this knowledge, and for safety purpose, it is important for us to regularly check on our vehicle tyres.
Like the saying goes – its better safe than sorry.
