If you are in the market for new tires on your car,truck or SUV then you need to take a second to read this. When you go to a tire store to purchase new shoes for your car chances are that set of new tires could be many years old already! That’s right even though they are brand new for you they could have been sitting on the shelve at that auto store for 10 years!

Well what does that mean for you? I mean who cares how old they are if they haven’t been used yet, right? Well my misguided friend tires can harden and crack with age, so even they haven’t been used they could be very dangerous to put on your vehicle. So how can you be sure your potential new tires are really new?  Well Every tire carries a U.S. Dept. of Transportation serial number on the sidewall (EX: DOT M6 RV T1HR 499). The last 3 digits are a date code indicating the week and year the tire was made. (EX: the 49th week of 1999). That’s all, just ask the store clerk to see the DOT information on the tire and you are good to. So how old is to old for a tire? Well general rule of thumb is you shouldn’t buy a tire more than 3 years old. It also depends on how the tires are stored, if they are indoors and well maintained then you could go 4 or 5 years but if they are stored outside at all then no more than 3 years old is a great rule to live by when buying tires.

So go outside to your car and see how old your tires really are, you might surprised or upset. Either way you will know a cool insider tip and will look like a real smarty pants when you ask your in laws how old their tires are. Ok  well happy Tire shopping.

• Used cars under $10,000. What drives the best for less? The last few years the economy has been in the tank and the average person's budget has hit the floor,...
• Ford finally pulls the plug on Mercury If you didn’t already think Mercury was dead, well now it's official. Ford has finally given the languishing brand the...

• The Master List - 66 Ways to Save Money So, you think you know the best ways to save...
• Tips and Considerations to Buy a Hybrid Car Many people find themselves considering whether or not they should...