When to Replace Your Tires: Key Signs
Author: Paul Justine Macapagal
When to replace your tires is a crucial question for every car owner. Your tires play a vital role in performance, handling, and safety. To make sure they are still up to par, it is crucial to have these tested periodically. If these aren’t inspected on a regular basis, your car’s performance will gradually decline as it gradually loses grip, making it harder to steer and brake. This leads us to the next question: When to Replace Your Tires: Key Signs. Here’s a brief checklist of things you should do to help you decide when it’s time for new tires.
Check Your Tire Tread
Since tires serve as your car’s link to the road, they are a crucial component of routine auto maintenance. To make sure they are still up to par, it is crucial to have these tested periodically. If these aren’t inspected on a regular basis, your car’s performance will gradually decline as it gradually loses grip, making it harder to steer and brake. This leads us to the next question: When should you replace your tires? Here’s a brief checklist of things you should do to assist you decide when it’s time for new tires.
To check if your tires are still roadworthy all you have to do is look at the wear indicator located along the grooves of the tire. The wear indicator can come in multiple forms but the function remains the same. These can come in the form of large or small chunks of rubber along the tire groove. Sometimes it can be small or large depending on the design of the tread.
Check Your Tire’s Production Year
Checking your tire’s production year is another way to find out if it’s time to replace it. A typical tire will last between three and six years with normal use. The production year of your tire is indicated on its sidewall and is typically represented by four numbers, though some manufacturers may add additional digits or letters. The last four digits are important because they tell you the year and the week that your tire was manufactured.
As a tire gets older its rubber compound begins to slowly deteriorate as it has undergone many heat cycles in its lifetime. Once the rubber compound gives out it could lead to the tread chunking and cracking indicating that your tire has been compromised. Once this happens this means that you know when to replace your tires
Check for Tire Damage
In addition to being risky, having a damaged tire can increase the expense of future repairs. Look for any indications of uneven wear or cracks in your tire. This can mean that there is a problem with your alignment or that your tire is about to come off. In any case, it indicates that it’s time to replace your tires. If any of those signs of damage shows, then you might want to change your tires immediately
Check for Unwanted Vibrations
Checking for undesired vibrations is another technique to tell whether your tires are about to die. These may show up while you’re driving and may get stronger the faster you go. Although there are several possible causes for these vibrations, uneven or unbalanced tires are most likely the culprit. An improperly balanced tire will wear out unevenly, resulting in one side having less tread than the other. In light of this, you should think about getting a new tire as soon as possible if the wear difference between them is more than the other.
Since tires serve as your car’s link to the road, they are a crucial component of routine auto maintenance. To make sure they are still up to par, it is crucial to have these tested periodically. If these aren’t inspected on a regular basis, your car’s performance will gradually decline as it gradually loses grip, making it harder to steer and brake. This leads us to the next question: When should you replace your tires? Here’s a brief checklist of things you should do to assist you decide when it’s time for new tires.
REFERENCES
AutoDeal. (n.d.). When is it time to replace your tires? AutoDeal. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://www.autodeal.com.ph/articles/car-features/when-it-time-replace-your-tires
Bridgestone Americas. (n.d.). Replacement guidance: When to replace your tires. Bridgestone Americas. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com/en/company/safety/choosing-tires/replacement-guidance
Sterling McCall Toyota. (n.d.). After how many miles do your car tires need to be replaced? Sterling McCall Toyota. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://www.sterlingmccalltoyota.com/after-how-many-miles-do-your-car-tires-need-to-be-replaced/