In the past, I talked about when it’s time to replace your tires. Now I want to talk about what kind of tires you can purchase to replace the bad ones. In this article, I’m not talking about the cheapest tires you can find. However, the cheapest tire is still better than used tires. I’m also not talking about the most expensive tire. They both serve a purpose, but we don’t need to walk around in the most expensive clothes just because of the name written on the clothes.
In this first image, there are three values molded into every passenger tire manufactured for the USA. The first is treadwear, this value is about how long the tire will last. The government requires the manufacturer to put the tire on a machine and wear it out. This number is the same for all manufacturers. So, if you have a Goodyear with a rating of 450 and a Mastercraft at 600 then Mastercraft will last longer. Traction and temperature are rated by letters: A being the best and C being the lowest.
The tire that is best for you depends on your driving. The average number of miles driven on a vehicle is about 12,000 miles a year. Most tires, as a rule of thumb, last about 5 years before dry rotting starts to develop. If you only go to church and the grocery store and drive about 2000 miles a year, you don’t need an expensive 60,000-mile warranty tire cause it will dry rot before you can use it all. On the other hand, if you are a soccer mom or a commuter and you drive 20,000 miles a year, you should consider an 80,000-mile tire. You will use it up before its dry rot sets in.
This image shows the DOT number that is put on all tires. The first number is manufacturer-specific. I’m only talking about the last 4 numbers. The first 2 numbers are the week that the tire was made in this example, it is the 7th week. The last 2 indicate the year it was made. So, this tire was made in the 7th week of 2023.
So, if you must buy a used tire, or wonder how old that new one is before you buy it, then this is how you can tell. So, hopefully, this information helps you out when deciding to purchase. Try to match the mileage warranty with how many miles you may drive in 5 years. The tire’s brand name is just a personal preference. Use the 3 values in the first image to compare tires because the unit of measurement is the same for all brands. Come see us at White’s Automotive Center if you have any questions and remember you can also submit these questions at https://www.wtvm.com/page/auto-expert/.
