My tires do not have a date code, I think they were removed.  As I said, I
should be considering replacing them in the near future.  Question is, on
stock 14 inch rims, if I go with the RA08's will the spare 195 fit in my
also stock clamshell, or will I need to go to 185's, the original stock
size.

Alan Felder
Austin TX
82 Diesel Westy

On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 7:04 AM, Shawn MacDonald <Shawn@superiorscaffold.com
> wrote:

> I don't disagree with Dennis, but the number one enemy is sunlight (UV).
> Ultra Violet light breaks rubber down quickly. Simple RV tire covers
> will greatly increase the life of your tires.
>
> Tires aren't meant to last forever either... 10 years is the maximum
> lifespan.
>
> There's a date code burned into an oval in the side wall. On tires made
> after 2000 it's the last four digits.
>
> The first two numbers are the month of manufacture (01 to 52) and the
> last two are the year. So a tire with DOT U2LL LMLR 5107 on the sidewall
> was made in the 51st week of 2007.
>
> This is especially handy to know when buying "New" tires. Just because
> it has a sticker on it doesn't mean it's not 5 years old. Think about
> that rack of new tires at your local service center. It's been sitting
> there for years.
>
> BTW Tires made before 2000 use 3 digits and are too old to use now
> anyway.
>
>
> Shawn
> 1987 Syncro GL
> 1977 Tin Top Westy
> 1965 Beetle
>
>
>
>