There is no way to tell exactly how long a tire lasts. The lifespan and mileage of a tire depends on a combination of factors: its design, the driver’s habits, climate, road conditions and the care that’s put into the tires. Tires make a huge difference in the way the vehicle handles. Worn-out tires have less grip in turns and on wet surfaces, which means the vehicle is more likely to slide or hydroplane in the rain. All-wheel drive and vehicle stability control systems become less effective when tires are bald. So with this being said, when is it a good time to replace your tires? Here we give you a breakdown of how to check your tires and how to know when it’s time to replace the rubber.
Checking Your Tires
- Tread Wear Bars – All tires sold in the United States today have what are called tread wear bars. These are small raised bars of rubber in the grooves of your tire. Look at the tread pattern and you’ll see these bars running between the tread blocks. As your tires wear, these bars will become flush with the tire’s tread. When this happens, it’s time to replace your tires.
- Penny Test – Take a penny and place Lincoln’s head in one of the grooves of the tire tread. If you can see all of Lincoln’s head, it’s time to replace the tire. If the penny goes in enough that the tire tread is at least as deep as Lincoln’s forehead, your tires are generally considered safe and do not need replacing.
The tire tread depth is measured in 32nds of an inch. New tires have from 9/32″ to 11/32″ of tread material. Worn tires are considered unsafe when the tread is worn down to 2/32″ (1.5 mm). It’s safe to always check your tire tread every few months to a year.
Lifespan of New tires
In an average car, tires last roughly 35,000 to 60,000 miles. Of course there are many reasons why tires can wear sooner. New Image Towing has seen tires that were completely worn out at 20,000 miles. It depends on the car, tire quality, size, driving habits, regular tire rotations, and other factors.
Even if the tread is in good condition, the tire material degrades over time. NHTSA recommends replacing tires that are more than 6-10 years old, regardless of wear. How can you tell how old the tire is? Check the DOT or Tire Identification Number. On the tires produced after the year 2000, the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number indicate the week and the year the tire was manufactured. From there you can get an idea on how old the tires are.
Flat Tire? Blown Tire? NEED A TOW?
New Image Towing is available to provide you with roadside assistance in any situation or vehicle emergency. We offer a wide array of services to all of our motorist customers, including car towing and emergency roadside service. New Image Towing provides emergency towing to the metro Atlanta area, and our “on-call” fleet of tow trucks and service vehicles guarantee a prompt response. When roadside conditions or physical impairment prevent you from changing your own tire or doing what is needed to fix your vehicle, our emergency roadside assistance gets you back on the road quickly.
New Image Towing provides light-duty towing of automobiles that are disabled. This may involve recovering an automobile damaged in an accident, returning one to a drivable surface in a mishap or inclement weather, or towing or transporting one via flatbed to a repair shop or other location.
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