baumgrenze
Well-known member
I've begun the process of finding new tires for our 2012 Leaf. I have seen allegations that the OEM tires are 'not as good as' replacement Ecopias.
I looked at the 4 tires on our car. Two are OEM tires and two are replacements. All have the a DOT number that starts the same, EL 8K JBC and is followed by a 4-digit number where the first 2 digits are the week in the year (01 through 52) and the last 2 digits are the year, e.g., 16 = 2016.
The EL codes for BRIDGESTONE HIKONE PLANT, HIKONE, SHIGA 522-02 JAPAN
The 8K codes for the tire size. The JBC codes for the tire brand name.
Can any readers of this post provide a link that says with fact based authority that the DOT allows the same number to apply to tires made to significantly different specifications? My first preference would be a statement from the DOT.
It is my understanding that DOT numbers were developed to avoid just such a problem.
May I suggest that anyone comparing tires include the DOT number?
thanks
baumgrenze
I looked at the 4 tires on our car. Two are OEM tires and two are replacements. All have the a DOT number that starts the same, EL 8K JBC and is followed by a 4-digit number where the first 2 digits are the week in the year (01 through 52) and the last 2 digits are the year, e.g., 16 = 2016.
The EL codes for BRIDGESTONE HIKONE PLANT, HIKONE, SHIGA 522-02 JAPAN
The 8K codes for the tire size. The JBC codes for the tire brand name.
Can any readers of this post provide a link that says with fact based authority that the DOT allows the same number to apply to tires made to significantly different specifications? My first preference would be a statement from the DOT.
It is my understanding that DOT numbers were developed to avoid just such a problem.
May I suggest that anyone comparing tires include the DOT number?
thanks
baumgrenze