Tire DOT date codes: reading the week stamp before you mount 'new' tires

Rubber has a birthday, and it is molded into the sidewall. The DOT serial ends in four digits: week, then year, so a 3525 stamp means week 35 of 2025. Check it when the set arrives, because tread rubber starts aging at the curing press, not at checkout.

The service window is shorter than most truck owners assume. Several truck makers recommend replacement six years from the manufacture date regardless of tread depth, and most brands cap sidewall life around ten years, spare included. Two warehouse years burn part of that window before the first mile.

Online orders deserve the sidewall check most. Popular truck sizes and load ranges ship fresh; odd sizes and closeout tread designs can sit. A discounted all-terrain from old stock may still be a fair deal - that depends on the stamp. Ask the seller for manufacture dates when a price looks unusual.

Build a delivery routine at the wheel shop. Check the stamp on all four sidewalls before mounting; mixed production weeks are normal, mixed years are worth a call. Photograph each sidewall before the installer torques a lug, because mounted sets are hard to return.

Age also sets warranty math. Treadwear coverage usually runs from the purchase date with a receipt and from the sidewall date without one, so keep the invoice. Check the spare under the bed on the same visit - it ages on the identical schedule with zero wear.

Check the stamp no matter how current the tread design looks; a page like the Falken Wildpeak A/T4W keeps size, seller stock, and return terms together so the question is easy to settle. The same check applies to any long-running family, including the Toyo Open Country A/T III, so confirm the return window covers a delivery-day inspection. Compare more options in the wheel and tire clearance department.

Before checkout: ask for manufacture dates, confirm the return window, weigh closeout prices against remaining sidewall life with the load range guide, and read the seller return policies guide so a bad stamp becomes a return, not an argument.