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Fuzzy logic on car tire danger

By: Drivers.com staff

Date: Monday, 01. September 2008

A July 24, 2008, ABC TV report by John Stossel revealed that aging tires, even if they're never used, can dry out and become dangerous. Worse still, Stossel revealed, the tires you buy "new" at your local auto store may be several years old when you get them, and it's hard to get that information.

Stossel's expose of this aspect of the auto industry was a bit of a shocker, since a number of crashes and even deaths had been attributed to aging tires. However, even more shocking was a follow-up story about a month later on NBC Action News showing that not a lot had changed Stossel's story was broadcast.

Both stories related that tires can begin to dry out and become dangerous after about 5 to 6 years on the shelf. However, it is, apparently, not uncommon for tires to remain on dealer's shelves for a number of years before being sold.

Incredibly, although the age of the tire appears on the sidewall, it is in the form of a little understood code that even employees don't know about. For example, each tire has a DOT code number embossed on it and the last 3 or 4 digits of that code indicate the age, but who would know that 414 means the 41 st week of 1994, or that 4202 means 42 nd week of 2002.

Worse still, sometimes that code is displayed on the inside of the tire, and only getting on the ground with a flashlight or a mirror would reveal the age!

ABC�s 20/20 investigators found tires 6 yrs and older at major stores such as Sears. A 7-year-old tire was found on sale at Wallmart and a 9-year-old tire on the shelf at a Goodyear store.

The NBC Acton News follow up story dated August 20 found not much change at tire stores. They took in an 11-year-old tire asked employees at tire stores to check it for leaks and �safety concerns.�

Only one recognized the tire as aged and a safety concern.

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All Comments (4)

Showing 1 - 4 comments

Valeria,

< What the finders found >Time to re-tireMost staets's laws say that tires are legally worn out when they have 2/32 or less tread depth remaining. All tires sold in North America have wear bars in the grooves between the tread that are, you guessed it, 2/32 tall. So when the wear bars are even with your tread, it's definitely time to replace those tires.Realistically speaking, once a tire drops below 4/32 it can no longer effectively displace water on a wet road, and and a resulting loss of control becomes a real danger. If you live somewhere where it snows, consider replacing your tires when they reach approximately 6/32 of remaining tread depth.Figuring it outOK, great. So the tread is taller than the wear bars. How do I figure out just how much tread is actually left? Well, you could go out and buy a . They aren't that expensive and give a nice accurate reading. However, says you probably have all the tools you need to measure your tires' tread right in your pocket.Dig in there and pull out a penny and a quarter. Now you're set.Take a penny and place Abe head down into the grooves of the tire. As long as part of his head is covered by the tread, you've got more than 2/32 remaining. Repeat in several areas to be sure.Grab a quarter and put George head down into the grooves. Repeat in several areas. As long as part of his head is always covered by the tread, you've got more than 4/32 of tread remaining. And he cannot tell a lie.Now take that penny again, flip it over, and put the Lincoln Memorial upside down into the groove. If the top of the memorial is always covered by the tread after trying several locations across the tire, you have more than 6/32 of tread remaining.And people say the penny is worthless!

Jim,

Good point, Jonathan.

http://www.drivers.com

Gerrid,

I saw the 20/20 show on ABC. It was very shocking. You just can't trust anyone these days.

Best,
Gerrid T. Smith
Florida Injury Lawyer Information

Jonathan,

Mmmm... well why would we expect retailers and car mechanics to look out for our safety.... after all, they only care about their corporate profits and lowering costs.


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