Do you know how old your tyres are? If your tyres are more than six years old, they’re not recommended for use.

Tyres degrade and deteriorate over time and distance driven. Modern tyres should last between 60,000-80,000 miles, but you still need to check the general condition, tread depth, inflation and age of your tyres to ensure they are road-safe.

Chemical compounds on the tyre’s surface will evaporate over time, making it more vulnerable to the elements. Oxidisation and rusting can also occur in the steel belts and inside of a tyre due to moisture in the compressed air. This can lead to tyre failure and loss of flexibility – even causing cracks and compromising the integrity of the tyre.

It’s not always possible to tell the condition of your tyre just by looking, but tyres that are over five years old are more susceptible to this kind of ageing and erosion, and when put under the pressure of an extended drive or overheating, they can spontaneously blow out or even delaminate (the separation of different layers of the tyre). Obviously, this is dangerous in any circumstance, and to avoid this, most manufacturers recommend that you change any tyres over five or six years.

The British Rubber Manufacturers Association (BRMA) states that all tyres should be replaced ten years from the date of manufacture, and that unused tyres should not be used if they are over six years old.

And don’t forget about your spare tyre, sitting there in your boot or under the chassis! This is your lifeline in case of a flat or accident, so make sure it’s just as up to date as your day-to-day tyres.

Finding out the age of your tyres is easy – simply look for the four digits at the end of the code found on the side of your tyres. These numbers represent the week and year your tyre was made, for example 4010 would mean they were manufactured in the 40th week of 2010.

Before the year 2000, this code was made up of three digits, with the first two numbers representing the week and the last number representing the year, for example 209 would mean the 20th week in 1999.

When buying tyres, check for the age code or ask for recently manufactured tyres. At Grippy we offer highly competitive prices on online tyres, and top-quality service in our Grippy-approved fitting stations. Feel free to ask us about your tyres or any other concerns you have – our experienced staff will be happy to help.