How to tell if you need new tires | OK Carz

Man and women looking a tires in a tire shop

When should you replace your tires? 

There are few components of a vehicle that are unimportant, but if you were going to rank them from most to least important, your tires would be near the top. As the only aspect of the vehicle that is in direct contact with the road, having tires that are well-maintained can be the difference between arriving to your destination safely, and ending up in a ditch. Even if you take care of your tires, you will need to replace them at some point.  

The rule of thumb for tire replacements is that you should consider new tires around 40-60,000 miles. Depending on how much you drive, this would likely equate to getting new tires every five years. If your tires are well-maintained, you may be able to go longer between tire replacements, but once you hit five years on the same set of tires, it is suggested that you take your vehicle in for a yearly professional inspection.  

[Related: Easy and Quick Vehicle Maintenance]

How to maintain your tire’s longevity

Person using a penny to check their tire treads While time and age are two ways of determining if you need to change your tires, another way is easy to do when you’re checking your air pressure. Simply take a penny and insert it into the treads of your tire so that the top of the President is facing downwards. If Lincoln’s head isn’t submerged, the tread of your tires has worn down too far, and the tires should be replaced.  

To increase the time needed between tire replacements, tire care is important. Make sure that your tires are properly inflated, and rotate them about every six months or 6-8,000 miles. This can help tires wear evenly, and means you won’t have various levels of wear and tear. If you’re considering buying a used car, make sure to inspect the tires before purchasing, and try to find out when they were last changed. To learn more about vehicle maintenance you can do yourself, visit the OkCarz blog, which provides plenty of information about a variety of topics.  

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