Why Tires Fail Copyright AA1Car Tires are undoubtedly the most critical safety component on a vehicle. Where the rubber meets the road affects traction,handling,steering,stability and braking. Because of this,a sudden tire failure can have serious consequences especially if it occurs at highway speeds in a vehicle with a high center of gravity. It's amazing that tires hold up as well as they do considering their vulnerability to road hazards. Many tires today are easily capable of going 60,000 to 80,000 miles or more -- provided they are properly installed,maintained,aligned and inspected regularly. If they do not,recommend upgrading to a tire with a higher load rating. The load rating is a two digit code that is just ahead of the tire's speed rating on the tire sidewall Creader CRP123. If the tire says P205/65R15 86H,the 86 is the tire rating code and the H is the speed rating code. Load index ratings for passenger car/light truck tires range from 71 up to 110. The higher the number,the more weight the tire can carry: Sample Load Index Ratings: 71 = 761 lbs launch crp129. (345 kg) 75 = 653 lbs. (387 kg) 80 = 992 lbs. (450 kg) 85 = 1135 lbs. (515 kg) 90 = 1323 lbs. (600 kg) 95 = 1521 lbs. (690 kg) 100 = 1764 lbs.The first two digits are the week of the year (01 = the first week of January). The third digit (for tires made before 2000) is the year (1 = 1991). For most tires made after 2000,the third and fourth digits are the year (04 = 2004). In the photo below,the date code is 0806. That means this tire was manufactured during the eighth week of 2006. tire date code Click photo to see larger image of date code Check the date code on your tires,and if they are more than six years old you should probably replace them,especially if you do any high speed driving during hot weather or heavily load your vehicle. If your tires are more than 10 years old,they are a blowout waiting to happen. Don't take unnecessary chances. Replace them now! What about used tires? If you cannot afford to buy a new set of tires,see Used Tires for information on what to watch out for when buying used tires.
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