Tire Replacement Interval How-To’s

It can be hard to tell when the proper time is for tire replacement. You might not think much about them during your busy schedule and everyday activities. However, if you don’t replace them in time, you could experience a blow-out or worse, a car accident. No one wants that, so it is critical to know whether your tires are worn-out or not, especially when you buy a used car.

A Simple Test

As a non-mechanic, knowing exactly when to replace your tires is difficult. However, there is an easy way that could tell that your tires need replacing. This technique is known as The Penny Tread Test. There are only few easy steps to follow in this technique:

1. Place a penny into the tread of your tire
2. Check to see if you can see all of Lincoln’s head. If you do, you need to replace your tires as soon as possible.
3. If you can see Lincoln’s hair above his forehead then you will probably want to replace the tires sometime soon.

Other Ways

There are a few other things you should do too, check the tread as suggested above but in several places of each tire and if any of them indicate that you need to replace your tires do so. Also, check for even wear especially on the inner edges of the tires and front end to back end. Finally, it is always a good idea to check for any unknown damage, nail holes or other punctures, bulges in the rubber, or even cuts.  Make checking your tires for damage a regular part of your automotive maintenance and if any damage is found, repair or replace the tire immediately even if it has been operating fine since the unknown date of the damage, you don’t want to take chances.

How Often Should You Check?

Checking your tires wear at least once a month and before and after travel will help you determine whether you need to:

1. Buy new tires
2. Have your wheels balanced
3. Have your wheels aligned
4. Change your driving habits

Things to Avoid

Keeping the tire properly inflated is one of the important things to remember. Basically, tires wear-out easily due to the following circumstances:

• Over-inflation; Wrong tire-rim combination
• Low pressure; Overloading; Undersize tire
• Poor Alignment
• Hard driving; Worn chassis parts
• Wheel imbalance or worn shocks
• Under-inflation (which also wastes fuel)
• Brake malfunction
• Hard braking
• Chemical Attack (driving through destructive chemicals)

Knowing these things will surely keep you safe and away from danger because of the fact that tires can make a huge difference in your vehicle’s handling performance. Not only that! It will also help you to keep up with your busy schedules and everyday activities because regular maintenance ensures your tires will not fail you in a critical moment. Hence, we could say that knowing when your tires are worn-out will give you an advantage in making your car well-conditioned.