Tips for checking tyre expiry date

When buying new tyres for your vehicle, some vehicle owners may go for cheaper versions. However, this comes with a price that can be avoided.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in this piece provides some quick tips that could help one in getting the best from vehicle tyres.

It is important to note that every tyre has an expiry date after which it is supposed to be replaced, lest it risks a blow-out!

The average lifespan of a tyre from the date of manufacture is four years, but it depends on the make and brand.

The manufacturing date is written on the tyre as four digits! It is unfortunately not spelt out as simply as in your cookie wrapper but it is there.

The first two digits represent the week, while the last two is the year of manufacture. Ensure you verify that the four digits stand alone, not added to any alphabet.

Some manufacturers place the asterisk sign (*) before and after the four digits, while others simply circle it. For instance, 0304 means that the tyre was manufactured on the 3rd week in the year 2004. The tyre will therefore expire on the 3rd week of 2008.

Experts and road users often argue that tyres have an average of four year lifespan before they expire and that depends on how often you use them and the route you take, rough or smooth surface.