How to know when to change car tires

Most car owners know that tires don't last forever and that old tires can be dangerous to drive. When you have a flat or torn tire, you know that it needs to be replaced, but not everything is always so clear. There are several other signs that mean you should change your tires for optimal safety and handling, including:

• Damage
• Tread wear
• Performance issues
• Age
• seasonal needs

Each of these problems has its own difficulties, described below.

Factor 1: Damage

Some tire damage is obvious because it causes the tire to deflate; if the tire shop tells you it can't be safely repaired, you'll have to replace it. But some tire damage does not lead to a puncture, but requires a tire replacement:

A visible "bubble" in the tire, usually on the sidewall but sometimes also in the tread area, means that the tire has suffered severe internal damage; it is not safe to ride and needs to be replaced.

A deep cut, which you'll probably only notice if it's on the sidewall, can be deep enough to make the tire unsafe; ask your mechanic.

If you see an object stuck in the tire tread, what to do depends on how likely it is that the object has penetrated through. For example, a small stone can get stuck in the tread, which is not a big deal. But a sharp object like a nail or a screw is another matter. If you see a penetrating object like this:

• Do not drive further than necessary before repairing a tire; leaving it "sealed in the air" probably won't work for long.

• Avoid using canned flat seal products, which can cause long-term problems.

• You can try to repair a small puncture yourself (after removing the object), which is fairly easy to do with kits available from an auto parts store. Follow manufacturer's instructions and check air pressure regularly after repair.

• Mechanics and tire shops can repair some punctures, but some punctures cause structural damage and cannot be repaired. If you cannot repair it, you will need to replace the tire.

Factor 2: Performance

The type of "performance" that means the tire needs to be replaced is one of two different problems: the tire needs air at least once a week, or there is vibration in the ride or steering wheel (or there is a hum or buzz). coming from the bus).

Checking the air in your tires regularly is important for both safety and fuel economy. If these checks show that one of your tires is flat (check your owner's manual for recommended pressure) after a week or less, your tire may need to be replaced. Leaks can also be caused by cracked or dented tires, so have a qualified mechanic check the source of the leak.

Vibration while driving or at the steering wheel can be caused by worn tires, but wheel balancing is a more common cause. For example, a balancing weight could fall. A hum, hum, or squeal that seems to be coming from your tires could also indicate a balance problem. Tire shops can easily check this balance, and rebalancing a wheel is much cheaper than changing a tire, so do your research before settling on a replacement.

Factor 3: export protector

Tires should be replaced when their tread is too worn, but how much is too worn? The answer is twofold: firstly, if the wear is severely uneven (i.e. much more on one side than the other, or only in some places on the tire), you will probably need to replace the tire, but just as important, you will need to adjust the wheels at the same time because poor alignment is the cause of the most uneven wear and you will want to avoid the same problem with a new tire.

But if the wear is fairly even across the tread (or a little more on the outer edge, which is fine too), you need to measure the tread depth. Here's how to do it using two fairly common "tools": pennies and nickels.

Step 1: Take out a penny. First, take the coin and rotate it so that Lincoln's head is facing you.

Step 2: Put a penny in a tire. Place the edge of a coin in one of the deep grooves in the tire tread with the top of the Lincoln's head facing the tire.

• The penny must enter the groove far enough so that at least a small part of Lincoln's head is hidden in the groove. The top of his head is 2mm (2mm) from the edge, so if you can see his whole head, the tread is 2mm or less.

Step 3: Find a nickel. If the groove is larger than 2mm (i.e. part of the Lincoln head is hidden), break off the coin and do the same, this time with the Jefferson head. The top of his head is 4mm from the edge of the nickel, so if you can see his entire head, you have 4mm or less of tread. See table below.

Step 4: Flip the penny. Finally, if you have more than 4mm of tread, go back to the dime, but flip it over.

• Do the same as before, but now you are using the distance from the edge of the coin to the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial, which is 6mm. If you have a full 6mm of tread (i.e. the groove to or behind the bottom of the Memorial), you're probably fine; if you have less, estimate how much (remember you know you have more than 4mm) and then look at the chart.

The decision to change a tire may depend on where you live and what you expect. Just 2 millimeters means it's time for a new tire, while more than 5 millimeters is enough for most cars - everything in between depends on whether you expect the tire to perform well in the rain (meaning that you need 4 millimeters) or on snow (5 millimeters). or better). It's your car and your choice.

Factor 4: Age

While most tires wear out or get damaged, some manage to live to "old age". If your tires are ten or more years old, they definitely need to be replaced, and six years is a safer maximum age. In very hot climates, tires can age even faster.

You can check out one age-related issue: if a network of spider web-like cracks is visible on the sidewalls, the tire is experiencing “dry rot” and needs to be replaced.

Factor 5: Season

In very cold or snowy climates, many drivers prefer to keep two sets of tires, one for the winter and one for the rest of the year. Modern winter tires are vastly improved over the previous generation, providing significantly better grip on snow and frosty pavement than summer or even "all-season" tires. However, cold weather performance comes at a cost in wear (and thus cost), fuel economy and sometimes noise, so it can be beneficial to have two sets. If you're in a snow belt and have room to store a second set of tires, this might be worth looking into.

Things to remember when changing a tire

If one or more tires need to be replaced, there are three other factors to consider:

• Whether to change other tires at the same time
• Whether to achieve alignment
• How to drive with a new tire

It is generally recommended to replace tires in pairs (both front or both rear), unless the other tire is fairly new and the replacement is due to unusual damage. It is also a very bad idea to have mismatched (by size or model) tires from side to side, as different handling characteristics can be dangerous in an emergency.

• FunctionsA: If you are replacing two tires and your car uses the same size tires front and rear (some don't fit), then it's best to install the new tires on the front of the front wheel drive car and the rear of the car. rear wheel drive vehicle.

It is best to align the wheels when changing tires, except in the following cases:

• It's been less than two years since your last alignment
• Your old tires showed no unusual signs of wear.
• You haven't been in any crashes or hit hard on bumps since the last leveling.

• You don't change anything else (such as tire size)

• A warning: If you are changing one or more tires, remember that new tires are sometimes coated with substances that make them slippery for a while; drive especially carefully for the first 50 or 100 miles.

If your tires are wearing unevenly or one tire is wearing faster than the other, be sure to contact a professional mechanic like AvtoTachki who will inspect your tires to find out and fix the problem. Riding on worn tires can be dangerous because they don't provide enough traction.