Tire basics: sidewalls, pressure, and DOT age
Use this hub to answer four connected tire questions in the right order: identify what the sidewall markings mean, find the vehicle’s recommended pressure, decode the DOT manufacturing date, and put tire age in context. The guides preserve their existing URLs and citations; the decoder handles the date calculation without replacing an inspection.
How do I read a tire sidewall?
Decode size, load, speed, construction, and the other markings without treating the sidewall maximum as the car's target pressure.
OpenWhat tire pressure should I run?
Find the vehicle placard, understand cold pressure, and separate the vehicle recommendation from the tire's maximum rating.
OpenHow old is this tire?
Locate the DOT date code, read its week and year, and understand why age is one input in a replacement decision.
OpenDecode a DOT date code
Enter the final four digits of a DOT code for an immediate manufacturing-week and age calculation, with limitations shown.
OpenNeed inflation hardware after checking the correct pressure? See the ranked tire inflators and the DriveScored methodology.