How To Know When It's Time To Replace Your Tires

Understanding your car tires can be a vital part to the safety of you and your passengers. We want to provide you with some tips to help you buy the best tires for your off road vehicles.

1. Tires are designed with treads so that they can provide traction when you drive, the treads are particularly useful for giving you grip even on wet roads, without the appropriate tread depth of above 1/16th of an inch, the tires no longer do their job.

2. Keep an eye on the wear bars. These are located between the treads are are vertical bars. Observe closely the tread pattern for your tires. Tread wear bars are a requirement for ties sold in the US and many other countries. Wear bars are little bridges that can be seen in between the tires treads. As you use the tires more you will see the tread wear bars become more prominent between the treads or spreading across the tire. The more worn the tire becomes the more level these bars will come alongside the tread. When they become truly level it means you need to get a new tire.

3. The 'penny test' can be useful if you are unsure whether your tires are worn, simply put a Lincoln penny in between the tires tread, do this at the center of the tire. If any of Lincolns head or the penny above his head can be viewed your tires need replacing. Even if all you can see is his hair, you still need new tires. However if the tread is deep enough that the penny sinks far enough in to cover his head and hair completely, the tires treads are still thick enough to work properly.

4. Buy a tread depth gage. You may not have access to a Lincoln penny, especially if you are not a US resident. If you cannot find a Lincoln penny and you are unsure about the wear bars, you can buy a tread depth gage that will measure the tread of your tire for you. These are easy to use and do not cost much, you can find them in most auto part dealerships.

5. Understand the law. Although the safety aspects of driving on worn tires are clear, not everybody will take note so therefore in many states it is illegal to drive on tires that are greatly worn. When the tire tread is below 1/16 inches in those states that enforce such laws, it is illegal to drive on that tire. This law is the same in the UK, in which a tire that has a tread less than 1.6mm thick across 3/4 of the tire, has to legally be replaced.

6. Notice any wear patterns. If the tires are being worn in a strange way it could mean the wheels are not aligned correctly or that you need to swap over your tires. When the tires on your vehicle wear down in an odd pattern you should take your car to be serviced. Make sure you have your suspension and wheel alignment checked by a professional and also have your tires changed or rotated if the wear patterns are irregular. Issues with the cars wheel alignment or damaged suspension can cut the lifespan of your tires significantly. You should swap your tires around to avoid irregular wear. Take the rear tires and swap them with the front ones.

7. Aim to get new tires after 6 years. 6 years is the time frame set out by the NHTSA, while 10 years is the maximum amount of time they state you should use the same tires. Read the manual for your specific car to discover any unique maintenance advice.