3 Signs You Need New Tires

Replacing tires regularly is important to your safety as a driver, but this task can be easy to overlook if you aren’t sure exactly what to look for! Don’t wait until you experience a flat or blowout to realize you need new tires. Look for these three signs to help you determine whether it’s time to change them out.

3 Signs You Need New Tires:

The Tread is Fading

One of the easiest ways to look at your tires and see without further clarification that they need replacing is to look at the tread. If you look at your tires and see they are smooth rather than consisting of deep ridges (tread), you need new tires.

Without tread, you won’t have traction, which is the tire’s ability to grip the road. That means your bald tires are prone to tire failure even in good driving conditions. In bad weather, however, you’ll be under increased risk for hydroplaning or sliding on ice and snow. You need tread to turn, brake, and to drive safely in general.

The legal requirement is that your tires must be at 2/32” to drive on public roads. They are considered bald at 0/32”. You can test your tread depth with a tread depth gauge. If you don’t have one of those handy, try using a penny by placing it in your tread with Lincoln’s head facing down – if you can see all of Lincoln’s head – you need new tires!

The Tires are Old

On average, tires can last about 6-10 years. After such time, the rubber starts to get old and brittle and deteriorate. It loses its flexibility, and its vulnerability will increase. That’s when you begin to see damage similar to that in the picture below, where the inner wires are visible. Tires that look like this should never be driven, as they pose a risk to your safety and that of other drivers sharing the road with you.

Check the age of your tires by looking at the date code on the tire. By the rim, you’ll see a four-digit number. The first two digits will represent the week the tire was made, and the second two will signify the year. For example, 0419 would mean the tires were manufactured in the fourth week of 2019. When your tires are five or six years old, start having them inspected annually to keep up with their maintenance.

Air is Leaking Out

You’ll realize this is an issue when you have to keep putting more air into your tires between uses. It can become a hazard to keep driving on your tires while filling the air between trips because the cause is likely not something to ignore. Determine the cause of the leak before you decide whether the tires are still usable. A weak seal between the tire and rim is one of the most common causes for this issue, and it can cause a blowout if not handled properly. If solutions that involve patching or “Fix-a-Flat” aren’t helping, this is a likely sign that you need new tires.

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