Tires…it’s an investment for your vehicle and a rather important investment. A lot of people don’t think tires are that important until it’s too late. They try to squeeze every inch of life out of the tire to save a couple of dollars. Let’s say your tire costs $150.00 and you wear the tire down to the last 10%, you only have $15.00 worth of tire left. With only 10% left, you have a higher risk of hydroplaning. Is an accident caused by hydroplaning worth $15.00? No.
As you can see in this example, the tread bar indicators are made into all tires. These four bars are in a line, and when they become even with the tread, it’s time for a new tire. At this point, the tire becomes less efficient at treading water and your risk of hydroplaning is severe. So, as you get closer to these tread bars, you need to start shopping for tires.
In this example, we have a tire that had a broken belt which caused the tire to deform and caused this one spot to wear out. You can see the steel cords are exposed. This tire caused severe vibrations before reaching this level of wear. This other example is a tire that has been on a vehicle that was out of alignment. As you see, one side has good tread and the other side is worn out. This tire causes a pulling problem. Even if you align the vehicle properly, it will still pull until you replace the tire.
Finally, people always ask about used tires. Used tires have a place, but I never recommend them. In this next example, you see the cracks in the tread…this is called dry rot. This happens when the tire gets old and has been dried out by the sunlight. This rubber is brittle and has cracks. It is no longer able to hold the belts in place properly. This tire has a very high risk of a broken belt causing sudden catastrophic failure. Also, used tires range from $40.00 to $75.00 each, and most only last 6 months to a year. In comparison, a new tire may average around $150.00 and can last 5 or 6 years.
So…with a little planning and attention to your tires, you can start saving for a new set. That way you are never caught by surprise with worn-out tires. You also have the money saved to buy new instead of used.
