secret to buying tires

Owning a car is expensive. It's not just expensive to purchase a car, it's expensive to maintain the vehicle. From oil changes to tune ups, to brakes and struts, the price tag can shock you. One of the more expensive maintenance purchases for cars are new tires.

It doesn't matter if you have a tiny car that looks like it could fit into your pocket or a Ford F-150–tires are going to cost a good portion of your paycheck. For that reason alone, people want to make sure they're getting the best tires that will last them as long as possible.

But what if mechanics were keeping a secret about tires that may impact how long your tires last? Secret may be a stretch but not every mechanic is straightforward so some may use this well known trade information to unload stock that might need to be reduced. Like supermarkets put food that expires soon towards the front and the newer food towards the back, some tire shops may be doing the same with tires and one mechanic is spilling all the details.

A mechanic uploaded a video, which was then shared by Glam Home Design, explaining how to tell when your tires are old before you drive away from getting a brand new set of tires installed. In the video, the man points out that every tire has to have DOT (Department of Transportation) printed on it. Follow the line of printed information until you reach an oval with numbers printed inside. That oval is where the manufacture date is found.

The man explains that the numbers in the oval represent the week and year the tire was made, and since tires are only good for 6-10 years, according to the mechanic, it's best to make sure the tires being installed are new. Now, the date is only printed on one side of the tires so the man shares that you need to specifically ask for the person changing your tires to put the date on the outside. People were shocked by this information while some took his advice and checked the dates on their tires.

"I bought brand new tires. Got home and checked the dates on them. All were over 2 yrs old. I called them up and they put brand new tires on the next day. Crooked a**holes. This is a well known franchise. So look before they put them on," one person writes.

"This is great! Went in for new tires yesterday and one of the 3 was made in 2019. When I told the assistant manager that I didn’t want a 4 year old tire he said ‘I don’t blame you’ and ordered 4 new ones (still, he said he could sell the 4 he was going to put on my car). While I have to wait another several days for my new tires, at least I wont have 1 that’s bad to begin with," another person exposes their mechanic shop.

One person contested the information sharing that they didn't see what the big deal was if the tires were unused, so another commenter filled them in on why the date matters, writing, "If the tire is kept indoors, it can last 10 years without any degradation. The number one degrader of rubber is UV light, followed by ozone, both of which can be eliminated if the tire is kept inside. The only other antagonist is oxygen. But degradation of a tire due to normal oxygen levels indoors would take over 20,000 years so there’s no need to worry. Unfortunately, most tire shops keep their tires in an outside hangar, with direct sunlight (and thus UV light) hitting the tires occasionally, indirect sunlight hitting it all the time, ozone and humidity at higher levels, and hot temperatures help it break down. As a result, never buy a tire more than 1 year old if it’s been stored in a hangar, and never buy a tire PERIOD if it was stored outside in direct sunlight with zero elemental protection."

The more you know. Now, go check your tires and remember this little trick when it's time to get new ones so you're getting all of your money's worth. In this economy information like this can be extremely helpful.