Q: Are these tires THAT old?, Like 1976? Options

[914rrr]

I was looking over the 165/80/15 Kuhmo tires on my 75 1.8. Could they possibly be that old, or am I reading the date code wrong?

Correction: 165R 15 86T M+S, matching set of 4 tires.

[JeffBowlsby]

“ Since the year 2000, all vehicle tires sold in the United States use a four-digit code to describe the week and year they rolled off the assembly line. These four digits are the last in a string of characters, called the tire identification number, that begins with DOT for Department of Transportation and is stamped into the tire's sidewall. The first two digits correspond to the week (01 to 52) and the second two to the year (starting with 00, which translates to 2000).
If you find only a portion of the code, but your tire appears to be missing the four-digit number, don't panic: some tire manufacturers only stamp it on one side, so you may have to check the back, especially on non-directional tires.
Prior to 2000, tires used three-digit date codes, with the first two standing for the week of the year, while the last number identified the year within the decade (but not the decade itself).
The assumption here was that tires should be replaced well within 10 years of manufacture. For example, if 317 was at the end of the tire identification number and the year was 1999, the idea is that the tires were made in the 31st week of 1997 (and not 1987, 1977, or earlier). This is the context behind how the fourth digit appearing today adds clarity.”

Check the other side of the tire?