The 'E' Type Forum

I have been 'babysitting' a 1962 FHC over the winter for its owner who rarely drives it. I am trying to help him identify the age of the tyres on the car. I have succeeded with the rears (Michelins, 1999) but am struggling to identify the fronts. They are tubeless Avon Radial Steel 185 R15, but I cannot find any date code, DOT number or similar at all. I suspect the tyres are pretty old (older than the rears). Can anybody tell me what I should be looking for please? Many thanks.

If the rears are that old, and you think that the fronts are even older, then tiptoe to the nearest tyre outlet and get them replaced. 10 years is the recommended maximum life of a tyre, and with a car as heavy as the E Type, and with fairly high performance, I certainly wouldn't risk driving on those tyres.

I've read about several cases of accidents, and a couple of fatalities, where classic cars are used with old, but perfect looking, tyres.

You could even get a matching set as well!

Mark

I know that, but as the car has covered barely 300 miles in 11 years according to the MOTs I don't think any high speed motoring is on the cards in the foreseeable future...! I am just interested to date the actual tyres for the owner, and I cannot find any of the various markings or codes that are usually present. I wonder when the system of date-marking was introduced? Does anyone know?

Generally you will find the 4 digit week and year code on the sidewall somewhere....1498 is week 14 1998.

I bought an Escort Twincam a couple of years ago, and I dated the (Dunlop) tyres to 1978...so the coding system has been going for a while!

I can't imagine that Avon wouldn't comply with such things.

Try here, a link in the Forum KB: http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html

Any tyre more than six years old should be carefully examined for cracks and deterioration whilst any tyre over 10 years old should be changed as a matter of course even if it has only covered 100 miles and even though you do not intend any "high speed motoring". An old tyre can de laminate at 30mph!

I have literally scoured every part of the sidewalls on hands and knees and cannot find any code as described on the various internet sites. Maybe it's on the inner sidewall. Anyway, the next step will be to advise the owner to get new tyres fitted so he can start using the car again.

MarkE wrote:Generally you will find the 4 digit week and year code on the sidewall somewhere....1498 is week 14 1998.

The code for the 14th week of 1998 would have been "148". Only three digits at that time and you always needed to guess the decade.

It was only after about the year 2000 that the four-digit code was introduced. The code may only be on one sidewall and on more modern tires, it's normally preceded by the letters "DOT" in an oval mold mark.

Tire date codes were already being used in the mid 70s in my experience.