When to Replace Tires for Your Car
When to Replace Tires for Your Car
Posted on May 2, 2021
Modern car reviews are packed with exciting details of powerful engines, advanced technology, and streamlined designs which set the pulse racing. The tires often gain much less attention, with most drivers barely knowing what kind is fitted to their car.
But despite being so overlooked, tires are a vital part of a car's safety and performance. Worn tires reduce handling, making the car less efficient and less easy to drive, and can even pose real dangers when control is badly affected. Clearly, keeping your tires in good condition is essential, but how do you know when a tire replacement is necessary?
When to Replace a Car's Tires
The two main factors which decide when it's time to replace tires are tire wear and tire age. Tire wear is a direct result of how hard the tires have needed to work keeping the car firmly gripping the pavement. Difficult conditions, poor road surfaces, incorrect inflation, and aggressive driving will all make a tire wear out more quickly. What's more, poor wheel alignment, badly tuned suspension and other mechanical issues can also speed up the wearing process.
When checking your tires for wear, the first thing to look for is the depth of the tread or the grooves set into the rubber which creates the grip. The minimum depth in Canada is 1.6mm, although most experts recommend replacing tires before the grooves have got too near this depth.
However, there are other, more obvious signs that a tire replacement is necessary. Any bulges in the rubber mean that the structure of the tire has a weak spot, and this could quickly lead to a dangerous blow-out. Also, any cracks split or bubbles on the surface are indications that the tires are becoming dangerously weak.
The Effects of Tire Age
However, even tires that are treated carefully and show no signs of wear need replacing from time to time. The compounds that the tires are made from degrading slowly over several years, becoming weaker and less able to generate traction. Although different brands of tires last for different amounts of time, it's recommended that the tires on passenger vehicles are changed roughly every six years to guard against this loss of performance.
If you're unsure whether your car's tires are still up to their important task, book an appointment at our service department, and our technicians will carry out a thorough inspection to set your mind at rest.