Used tires. Can they be safe?
Buying used car tires with an unknown history is like playing roulette - you can never be sure that you will find a faulty tire that will break while driving. Tire manufacturers at the factory thoroughly inspect and even x-ray new rubber before putting it up for sale to check for internal defects. People, workshops or shops offering used tires do not have the proper tools to check their quality, so they do not have the technical ability to properly test them outside the factory. The condition of the inner layers of the tire cannot be seen with the naked eye!
Where can you get good, undamaged tires in the secondary market if drivers pay little attention to the condition of their tires, and they are almost 60 percent? of them do not regularly check the level of pressure in the rubber bands? How is incorrect pressure related to faulty tires? Very big. Under-inflated tires not only have poorer traction, but also heat up to dangerous temperatures while driving, causing them to weaken and fail. The place of used tires is in recycling plants, not in the secondary market.
However, for all their technical complexity, tires are prone to damage, misuse or unprofessional maintenance. These are not clothes that can be bought in clothes that subsequent owners can inherit without much risk.
It is enough to hit a hole in the road or a curb at high speed or the low pressure driving mentioned above, so that the inner layers of the tire are irreparably damaged. Then there is an excessive overload and overheating of the sidewalls of the tires - during long trips in this condition, irreversible damage to the carcass and breaker occurs in the tires. These are the layers that reinforce and maintain the tire's shape. In the worst case, especially when driving on hot asphalt, tires can burst while driving. How can a used car dealer know tire history and condition? Are sellers' assurances that they are in "good condition" enough to guarantee the safety of our families?
Let's be honest - there are no safe places to buy used tires. Their safe operation will not be ensured by workshops, stock exchanges or online sellers. Due to technological limitations, they are not able to detect any internal damage, and when driving on such tires, they can even explode! I appeal to drivers – even new budget-class tires will be a much better choice than used ones,” says Piotr Sarnecki, CEO of the Polish Tire Industry Association (PZPO). – Workshop when installing a used tire that the customer comes with, as a so-called. a professional, takes full responsibility, often even criminal, for the consequences of the failure of this tire, adds Sarnecki.
By eye, we are able to assess the external condition and tread depth of used tires, but even an impeccable appearance, the absence of scuffs, cracks and swelling does not guarantee a safe trip, and after inflation, it also does not guarantee tightness.
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You can also expose yourself to corruption by using random services of dubious quality. When unprofessional removal of tires from the rim, for example, using maintenance-free machines, it is very easy to damage the tire bead and break its wire, not to mention scratch the rim or damage the nipples. The driver will not even notice this when the car is standing still. However, such rubber does not properly adhere to the rim and, for example, at a bend in the road where the load on the tire increases, it may break or slip off the rim, resulting in an uncontrolled skid.
Used tires are only apparent savings - they will last much less than new ones bought from specialty stores and workshops, but there is a high probability that we will put ourselves and others at risk on the road.
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