Consumer Reports suggests tyre stems should be date coded

ERJ staff report (DS)

Washington DC -- The US Consumer Reports organisation blog has proposed date coding on tyre stems.

Following a recall incident in 2008, one manufacturer, Dill Air Control Products, started putting date codes on their products. Consumer Reports said, "We welcome Dill's new feature, but there is one problem we discovered after buying sample valve stems. The code is nearly illegible. Under the most optimum light conditions, I could barely read it."

The blog continues, "As it stands, the code is more useful to the mechanic or retailer before a new valve stem is used. It's a commendable step in the right direction, but we wish Dill could make the code more legible. As General Manager of Dill Air Controls Brian Rigney puts it, "[the code] should be a requirement for all tyre valve stems for traceability, and we have encouraged competitors to do so, but most have not made the improvement." "

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Blog from Consumer Reports