When you’re debating what tires to buy, it’s important to take the brand into consideration. When you select a well-known brand that you’ve done the proper research on, you can ensure that your investment is well worth it. Goodyear is one of the best-selling tire brands on the market, and they have been since their first tire went off of the production line back in 1898.
An Assortment Of Tires
Goodyear is a producer of many different tires. From their origin of bicycle wheels, they’ve moved rapidly to include both the consumer and commercial markets. Currently, they manufacture wheels for cars, trucks, motorcycles, SUVs, commercial trucks, farm equipment, airplanes, heavy machinery, and even race cars.
The company itself is based out of Akron, Ohio. However, due to their large stature, Goodyear produces wheels all around the globe. It has plants in several countries outside of the United States. These international locations include Brazil, Turkey, Poland, France, Canada, Luxembourg, Germany, England, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, India, Thailand, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Taiwan, and China. Altogether, it has over 48 manufacturing facilities throughout 21 countries around the globe.
More Than One Name
While you may notice that this is a highly popular brand that is sold at most leading tire retailers, that is not the only name that this brand markets its wheels under. You’ll also find the same tire under the brand names of Fulda, Dunlop, Sava, Kelly, and Debica. Some of these brands are only found in other countries, such as Debica, which is a Polish tire brand.
Determining Where A Tire Is Made
Each tire manufacturer uses a unique identifier to signify what plant the tire was manufactured at. By understanding how to read this unique identifier, you can trace any single tire back to its original manufacturer. You’ll want to start by locating the writing on the sidewall of your tire.
There will be a lot of numbers and letters. This is referred to as the Tire Identification Number or TIN for short. After the ‘DOT’ at the start of the TIN, you’ll see a two-digit combination of letters and or numbers. These indicate which facility and manufacturer produced that specific tire. The following plant codes can assist you in identifying which manufacturing facility a tire was produced at:
DA – Tonawanda, NY
PJ – Fayetteville, NC
MJ – Topeka, KS
M6 – Lawton, OK
MD – Gadsden, AL
MC – Danville, VA
MB – Akron, OH
Every tire produced is required by U.S. federal law to have standardized information on the sidewall. As you’ve discovered, the two-digit combination reveals the brand and the location of the manufacturing facility. However, it’s very important to understand what all the information means so that you can better understand your tire.
Each tire starts with the letters of ‘DOT’. Following these three letters, there will be 8 to 12 characters. Other than the brand and manufacturer’s location, these numbers reveal the tire size, the week and year of production, and the manufacturer’s specifications.
Understanding Your Tire’s TIN
The ‘DOT’ letters positioned at the start of the TIN indicate that the tire was manufactured to meet all of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. These standards are specific to the United States and ensure that each tire manufactured is safe for use. Wheels that are not manufactured to meet or exceed these safety standards are not authorized to be sold within the United States.
After the ‘DOT’ designation, you’ll notate the two-digit plant code that we reviewed above. Next will be the tire size and the manufacturer’s construction code. The other part of the TIN that you should make yourself familiar with is the last four digits. These digits notate the date of production for that specific tire. For example, a code of 0315 means that the tire was produced in the third week of the year 2015. It’s important to realize that the first two digits are not designated the production month. Rather, they’re designating the week in the production year, which runs from 01 to 52.