The wear and tear of a car’s tires is a natural process that we cannot stop. Replacing them can be a significant expense. When should you buy new tires?
Your vehicle’s tires have a significant impact on your safety while traveling. They are an important element of the vehicle, which first separates us from the ground – any irregularities in their work can have a tragic effect. Excessive tire wear, improper fit or damage to tires can lead to situations that threaten the safety and even life of road users.
It is important to remember to regularly check the condition of our tires, not only when the new season arrives, which requires the change of tires from summer to winter or vice versa. What are the signs that should draw our attention and encourage us to invest in new tires?
Like many other components of a vehicle, tires degrade over time, losing their original performance characteristics. It’s generally accepted that you shouldn’t use tires that are more than 10 years old. However, some people recommend that they should be changed as soon as 7 years have passed since the day they were manufactured.
How do we know how old the tires on our vehicle are? The date of manufacture should be located on the side of the tire in a series of numbers that begins with the letters DOT. The age of tires is one of the most common reasons that force us to buy new components of this kind. Excessively worn tires can be damaged by the route traveled, changing weather conditions, strong sunlight or improper storage.
Another important element that affects the quality of your tires is the tread. Regularly checking its condition is one of the basic tasks of the driver or owner of the vehicle. According to Polish law the minimum depth of tread allowed on the road is 1.6 mm. However, you should think about replacing your tyres much earlier than this and not wait until the depth has fallen to the minimum allowed.
Old, worn tires have many defects, which include problems with water drainage. These defects can result in longer braking distances and a greater chance of skidding
You may also encounter a situation where the tires on your vehicle do not wear evenly. This could be due to inadequate wheel alignment, misalignment, or differences in the work performed by the front and rear tires. It is therefore very important to check the condition of all four wheels when checking tread depth.
If we can’t replace the tires with new tires at the moment, we can swap the tires to extend the life of the set. However this is a solution that should be treated only as a temporary solution to the problem. It is worth remembering that such action will not always be possible. If the tread depth exceeds the minimum acceptable value, the tire absolutely qualifies only for replacement.
Sidewall damage is one of the most common causes of tire replacement. The more serious defects usually occur when a tyre hits an obstacle, such as a kerb or a pothole. The bulges and other significant changes to the structure of the tire that occur as a result of mechanical trauma will only make it suitable for replacement. Continuing to drive with such damage could lead to dangerous driving situations, tire blowouts, or handling problems.
If you notice any kind of change on your tires that is not a bulge or does not significantly alter the structure of the tire, you do not have to worry too much. Over time, the tire may develop some dings or small cracks, but this does not always mean that you have to replace your tires. To be sure, we can go to an appropriate garage, where a specialist will be able to advise us on what further steps we should take
Every owner of a motor vehicle must regularly check the condition of its tires. Excessive age, inadequate tread depth or various types of damage can lead to dangerous incidents on the road. Inadequate tires reduce the vehicle’s grip on the ground, can have a negative effect on braking and cause many other undesirable situations. For these reasons, it is a good idea to keep your tires up to date so that you can participate safely on the road.
