ALT-6 Automotive Maintenance when to Replace Tires
There are many different ideas as to when your tires are considered worn and need replacing.
I have been a certified tire sales person and installer for the past 10.5yrs, and have had to opportunity to be trained by the best in the industry. During each tire seminar I have attended, and there have been many, we have been trained by the top in the industry.. Michelin, BF Goodrich (owned by Michelin), and Bridgestone. Having been trained by them in the classroom, it is usually off to the road test, with once again the best of the best, The Skip Barber racing team.
Not knowing how to change my own tire before I started, I assure you, I can do it in my sleep now. I will share with you my information regarding tire wear, and replacement.
A brand new tire is comes with a certain amount of tread life which is measured in "32nds", a tire also contains a small piece of rubber that goes across each groove in the tire, that is called a "wear bar" the wear bar sits at 2/32nds of the tire. Once you reach this point, your tire is considered "legally worn".
Now there are various types of tire wear, here are a few, and examples to explain each.
1) Normal wear... This means that that the tire has worn evenly across the face of the tire ( across the tread)
2) Inside or outside wear... There is more wear on either the inside or the outside tread of the tire, this is usually do to a wheel alignment issue, the face of the tire is not sitting evenly flat with the road, causing undo and uneven tire wear.
3) The center of the tire is worn more than the shoulders.... This is caused by over inflation... I a tire is over inflated (more air than recommended) than the tire once again does not make an even flat contact with the road, it makes contact with the most inflated part, which would be the center.
4) Under inflated tires... Both outside shoulders are worn more than the center.... This is caused by under inflated tires, meaning less air than specified by the manufacturer. The tire is not making a flat even contact with the road surface, more pressure is put on the tire area closest to the rim.
5) Heat ring.... This is a ring on the side of your tire, if you have one, you will know what it looks like, this is caused by driving a tire while it is flat, because of the lack of air in the tire, more friction is caused between the rim and the road, thus heating up the tire, and causing a ring... If you see this on your tire, change the tire immediately.
6) A bubble or bulge in the sidewall... This is usually caused by some kind of impact, which has caused the nylon fibers to break in the tire, which means, there is nothing there but rubber and air, the potential for blowout is huge, if you see a bulge or bubble, replace that tire immediately.
Now a few tips for buying new tires.
1) If you are unsure of your tire size, here are a few ways to find out what your vehicle needs... Look on the side of the tire, it will have three sets of numbers and at least two sets of letters, here is an example... P185/65/R14 H. If you cannot find it on the side of your tire, check your owners manual, on the inside of any one of your doors, or the glove compartment door. It is a regulation that it must be on a placard somewhere in your vehicle.
2) If your tire has a size followed by an S, T, H, V ,Z, W.. These are all the speed ratings of your tire, you may not think they are important, but they are...S,T are standard speed ratings... H,V,Z,W.. These are all higher performance levels, H being the lowest of the group. If you have a speed rated tire, do not drop from rating to rating... These tires are put on there for the best handling, steering, and safety features of your vehicle, by changing them you compromise what your vehicle was intended to do...
3) Tire size, many people come into a shop looking for the cheapest tire they can find, cheap is not alway best.... Consider what your vehicle does for you, transports not only yourself, but your family, and other people entrusted in your care, do you want to compromise safety cause the tires you bought were cheap. There is a reason why the manufacturer put the tire size on your vehicle that they did, they put it on for safety, for ride quality. They are the people that designed the vehicle, they would probably know better than anybody else... I would say... Don't compromise for cheap...
4) Tire placement. This is a hard fact for many people to grasp... When buying two tires, always place the two best on the vehicle in the front, and the two new on the back.... Now you may argue, but my vehicle is front wheel drive... So is mine, but after watching the numerous police and safety videos, and having done the tests myself, I will give you my insight.... Keep in mind where all the weight of your vehicle is centered... In the front, which would mean the back of the vehicle is the lightest, which is why many people put sand bags or various other weighted objects in the back of the vehicle during the winter... Now imagine this, the roads are slippery either due to rain or ice, you come around a corner, and your vehicles back end turns the corner before you, because you have no traction in the back to keep your back tires on the road, cause you put your two new tires on the front.... Now imagine that same corner, with your two new tires on the back, your front turns the corner before your back, isn't that a relief not to be facing on coming traffic facing the wrong way... There are many arguments for this point, and I have heard alot, trust me....
5) Buying used tires.... This one i think should be a no brainer... If someone else took them off their car and replaced them with new ones, why would you take their used ones to replace yours? There is a reason why they took them off their vehicle...
These are just my insights, some people may not agree, but making my living from this industry, has taught me alot...
