Originally Posted By: CapriRacer
Originally Posted By: bretfraz
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The rest of the codes are a little obscure. They showed "M6HL FNWR". Tire plant codes are in two character format.
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These codes are NOT obscure, but you have to know how to read them:
The first 2 digits are a code for the manufacturing plant. In this case, M6 = Goodyear's Lawton plant.
The next 2 digits are a code for the tire size. In this case, HL = 235/75R15 following RMA's coding structure.
There are other coding structures - some standardized, some not. However, if asked by NHTSA, the tire manufacturer has to demonstrate there is a structure. Needless to say, many tire manufacturers use the RMA structure.
The next 3 or 4 digits are a code for the type of tire. In this case, FNWR = a particular version of Goodyear Wrangler, but the only ones who would be able to decipher that is Goodyear, but they could tell you quite a bit about the tire if they wanted to.
The last 3 or 4 digits are the date code. The format is week/week/year/year or week/week/year. These are always numbers.
Starting in the year 2000, the date coding used was 4 digits. That means the largest number you should see for the year is 09. Before 1999 the format was 3 digits. 1999 and 2000 are transition years, so you will find both 3 and 4 digits.
The date code only has to be on one side – and it is permissible for there to be a partial DOT code, so long as one side has the complete code.
And Bert got it exactly right: 0209 means the 2nd week of 2009.
Hope this helps.
So the first/last 4 codes on a tire's DOT are assigned by RMA/DOT and the middle 4 are maker specific?
So B9VM CPAX 1606 means:
B9 - Michelin's Lexington, SC plant
VM - 215/55R16
then CPAX means it's some Michelin model, but I do notice Michelin always has an X in the 8th digit and 1606 means the tire is made in the 16th week of 2006?
