Deterioration of tyres:

For every tyre, it can be stated that after about 10 years its lifetime is at an end, even if it still looks flawless, or was not much used. The reason for this lies in the deterioration of the rubber mixture which loses some of its properties in the course of time. High temperatures and sunlight speed up the ageing process. Particularly in southern countries in summer, it is therefore reasonable to protect the tyres of cars and caravans which are parked for a longer time, by covering them. After a drive on the motorway with high velocities, you should make a warmth check. If the tyre is still okay, it will be hand-hot at most. If it feels overheated, you should by all means find the reason for this fact. Either the tyre pressure is too low, or a creeping destruction of the belt or the substructure is indicated. Observe the following rule: use tyres that are more than 10 years old only if they have been in permanent use. Caravan tyres and tyres which have not been in permanent use, should be replaced after 6 to 8 years.
Use spare tyres which are more than 6 years old in emergency cases only.
The age of a tyre can be found on its flank in the form of an encoded date of manufacture. Example: "0702" = "07" means 7th week, "02" means 2002. Up to 31.12.1999, there was a triangle behind the third digit, e.g. "8<" for the production year 1998.