Your Car Tires Might Have RFID Tracking Tags - Here's Why That's Important

Some time ago, Michelin partnered with Beontag, an RFID manufacturer, to add embedded UHF tags to tires in both commercial and passenger vehicles. The main aim is stronger tire traceability, improving tracking across production, transport, mounting, and recycling. In simple terms, it's a digital ID that helps follow a tire from the factory to the road, and through its end of life. In turn, that can help ensure compliance with federal regulations, but there's more to it than that.

For example, Mercedes-Benz has also partnered with Michelin to develop marked tires — many car manufacturers do this, actually — which ensures you're getting high-performance tires built specifically for the model of vehicle you own. Another way to look at it is that electric vehicles use special tires, different from traditional gas vehicles. By placing RFID tags inside tires, they can be traced precisely, ensuring they are indeed fitted for the car in question at the time of manufacture. Think of it as a verified form of identification.

Michelin isn't the only tire manufacturer to incorporate RFID technologies. Goodyear, Bridgestone, Continental, Pirelli, and several others embed the technology in their products. Michelin estimates that over 100 million tires are already equipped with RFID-enabled tags. You may have some on your vehicle right now.

The technology is important because it helps the necessary parties track not just the lifecycles of tires, but also their conditions. Mechanics can use them to keep a record of air pressure, see if the tires have been retreaded or recycled, or even ensure the right components were used during manufacturing.

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification, which allows a wireless, non-contact tag or chip to be embedded inside a product which an RFID reader can "read," pulling the data stored. The chip has a built-in antenna and can be read from several feet away with a compatible scanner. The tech is used in the supply chain of retail, pharmaceuticals, and even jewelry products to assist with tracking and identification. They can be on shoes, clothes, vehicles, embedded into product packaging, and even human beings. RFID may also be used for contactless payments with chips embedded in credit cards and other devices.

In tires, it's not likely tags could be used to track your location or spy on you by some shadowy cabal. They simply provide information — valuable information — about the tires when scanned. Michelin explains the RFID used in tires relies on the RAIN frequency, which is passive, meaning battery-free, and operates on an ultra high frequency in the 860 MHz to 930 MHz range. That way, the tags can be read easily even when the tires are moving or rolling. The technology is also "permanent" and "locked after writing," ensuring robust traceability and protecting against counterfeiting.

The Flipper Zero is a great example of the tech in use, as it can scan RFID tags in the wild. You can use one to scan a microchipped pet, like the vet does. Or, clone a keyfob or access card to get through RFID security locks. RFID tags are basically a digital identification tool — and it's the same for vehicle tires. Besides, if you are worried, while not totally effective, you can use aluminum foil to block some RFID signals, though it's probably best to use an RFID shield or protector.