Interesting note at the bottom of my latest order with tirerack. Not quite sure what I think of this.
"Note: As a complimentary service to you, the Tire Identification Codes for the tires you purchased will be automatically registered with the Department of Transportation (DOT)."
What does that even mean?
ZOMFG!!!!! Uncle sam knows I put star spec knock-offs on my minivan...he probably thinks Im a huge nerd...Im so embarrassed
TSB and Recalls? that's why I register my tires. Just put Michelin X drives on the minivan, registered them with both the manufacturer and DOT.
Federal law requires that DOT tire numbers be registered in case of a recall. That's more fallout from the Explorer/Firestone debacle a few years ago, along with the tire pressure monitoring systems.
It is so they can match tread patterns to crime scenes and track you using road-side infrared scanners. You should wrap your tires in tinfoil to prevent them from sending data to the CIA.
Kinda figured it was something like that Curmudgeon, just don't recall seeing it before on other tire orders I've placed with them. May well have been there for years and I only noticed it this morning.
I'm used to registering my tires or what not with the manufacturer for warranty purposes. Just not so often with federal agencies.
Okay, I'll play devil's advocate.
Classic Mini tires are TINY, and options are limited to say the least. The majority seem to be imported from the UK, and are specifically marketed as "not DOT approved".
Will it raise a little red flag somewhere if TireRack registers non-approved tires on a vehicle I have tags on and use on the road?
What if you put tires on a vehicle that are not speed rated to that vehicle? I am betting that all warranties / recalls would be void.
Why I purchase tires by size and not by vehicle type at Tire Rack.
Good question and I have no idea how that works.
When I worked at the Mercedes indie shop, we were putting a car together for a guy who was shipping it back to the Fatherland. For that reason, everything had to be 'E spec'; headlights, tires etc. so it could be registered in Germany. Some stuff is already 'dual' approval, for instance on a taillight lens there's an 'E13' in a circle meaning it meets Euro specs and will also have a number indicating it meets US DOT as well.
I was able to find everything except tires, they could not be shipped through US Customs unless there was all this paprwork filled out saying the car would not be driven on US roads, since they had no DOT numbers, the paperwork and extra shipping cost were pretty high. The flip side of the coin: the car could not be unloaded and driven in Germany with DOT tires. 
I understand there is some sort of exemption to this for cars belonging to US military, dunno for sure.
We finally did this: shipped the wheels to the owner who had E spec tires mounted. We shipped the car with a set of worn out DOT tires on raggedy rims. When the car got to Germany, the owner went to the docks, swapped the wheels and tires, went through whatever inspection they had over there and was then able to drive it away.
JohnInKansas wrote: Okay, I'll play devil's advocate. Classic Mini tires are TINY, and options are limited to say the least. The majority seem to be imported from the UK, and are specifically marketed as "not DOT approved". Will it raise a little red flag somewhere if TireRack registers non-approved tires on a vehicle I have tags on and use on the road?
You really think Fed DOT cares? Thats an area that your state DOT cares about, would be up to them for enforcement.
However, there could be trouble for the people who market and sell them depending on a few factors. (customs, advertising wording, how the product is represented, etc..)
It's sad and quite a commentary on our times that we even have to worry about something like this.
That is why I only buy non-DOT slicks from Tirerack. Ok, thats not really why but... for the sake of this thread, It totally is.
pinchvalve wrote:
According to prior threads, so am I. 
carguy123 wrote: It's sad and quite a commentary on our times that we even have to worry about something like this.
I don't think there's ever been a period of time in American history where something like this didn't cause some folk to worry.
why does big brother look like steven segal?
AngryCorvair wrote: why does big brother look like steven segal?
Because Big Brother is Above The Law.
Big Brother is also Out for Justice.
Paranoia! Curmudgeon's answer makes perfect sense. Tire Rack isn't going to rat you out for putting inappropriate tires on your car. Although I did once have our Tire Rack rep save my bacon, I ordered some replacement tires for my 1966 Caddy based on what was on the car. He called me to confirm the order and asked what they were going on - and then pointed out that they were not going to be strong enough. So we changed the order.
The only reason Tire Rack asks you for the car details is so they can point 95% of people to the correct tires. Yes, there are whack jobs like us who can say "yes, those 255/40-17 tires WILL fit my 2002 Miata" but we're a very small minority.
Tire registration doesn't involve vehicle information. Merely customer name, address and the DOT number on the tires purchased. That's it.
<-- has been registering tires for 8+ years.
So you can put away the tin foil, crawl out of your fortified bunker and put away your HAM radio.
Its just so DOT / NHTSA can notify you if there is a problem with the tires (happens more than you would think)
Meaning.. they can be sure that you get mailed a letter if your tires are unsafe.
Take off the tinfoil
is there a way to opt out? i'm not a fan of "complimentary services" like this...
Actually, the impetus falls to the dealer to register the tires. I'm required to register evey tire I sell; we have a auto-fill program so when I fill out the paperwork in the POS it asks for the dot numbers and auto registers every day based on those numbers. It doesn't tie it to the customers vehicle, but it does tie it to the purchaser for future recall or nhtsa issues.
This hardly seems new. Even in the early-mid 90s we were collecting this on every tire sold.
robert
pinchvalve wrote:
We know where your tires are
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