when should you buy new tires there's a lot of inaccurate "common sense" knowledge out there
that focuses only on tread depth, resulting in a lot of unsafe vehicles on the road so i looked
deeper into this topic and decided to create this video to help you decide if you need new tires .
for those interested i've included the links to my sources in the video description below.
the tread depth is not the only indicator to use to determine if a tire should be replaced.
there are actually three things to consider when making this decision. the tires condition,
age and your usage conditions. tires are often an overlooked part of car maintenance,
yet it is also one of the most important parts of a safe functioning vehicle. tires are the only
thing keeping your vehicle, you and your family connected to the road. can you imagine flying in
an airplane with one damaged wing? no. so why would you risk driving on unsafe tires that won't allow
you to steer, stop or accelerate properly or worse, could blow out unexpectedly. you can get
into an accident where people can get seriously injured. on the other hand even if you don't get
into an accident, a violent tire blowout can cause thousands of dollars of damage to your vehicle.
look at the damage done by a tire blowout on this SUV. it's not one of the worst but it's something
you want to avoid. find links to the full footage and the repair work done on this SUV in our video
description below. so when should you replace your tires? let's go over the three things to consider.
Frakking_Creations. showing you the good stuff on when to replace your tires.
before we begin, just note that this video has sections so if needed, use the chapters
function to skip to the section of interest. tire condition. the first thing to consider.
a general rule of thumb is to replace the tire if it is showing signs of degradation or damage.
the following conditions indicate that your tires should be replaced. prominent bulges,
cracks, cuts, signs of trauma, objects embedded in the side wall, excessive uneven wear, flat
spots, or when less than three mm or 4/32" of tread is remaining.
for any kind of damage, even if it is less severe, it is a warning that your tire could
be compromised and you should start inspecting it more often if you continue to drive with it.
if you are not sure just get it checked out by a tire professional to be sure.
don't agree or want to know why? let's take a deeper look. degradation and damage. a tire with
bulges, blisters, cuts or warping indicates that the internal structure of the tire has
been compromised and weakened. this could be caused by physical trauma of hitting potholes,
curbs or something sharp. driving with under or over inflated tires, or the tire itself
could just be worn from use and the elements. they need replacing even if the tread is in great condition.
cracks and dry rot show that the rubber in the tire is starting to degrade and weaken.
it can be caused by uv from sunlight, extreme cold or heat, ozone or solvents, harsh detergents
or other chemicals getting on the tires. check out these summer tires on a car parked outside over
only one winter. see how cracks have started to form around the whole circumference of the tire
between the tread and sidewall. time to replace these winter damaged tires.
if the tread wear on your tire is unusual or not even and the difference is drastic, it is probably
time to replace your tires. it could be a sign that the tires have been driven under inflated or over
inflated too long or that your vehicle needs wheel alignment work or the wheels need to be rebalanced.
flat spots from skidding on the tire or from storing a vehicle too long, thereby causing
the tire to deform permanently make a tire unbalanced and should be replaced as this
is unsafe and could cause damage to your vehicle. tires worn unevenly or tires that are unbalanced
could cause vibrations in the steering wheel when you are driving but this could also be caused by
poor alignment. time to bring your vehicle to a tire professional to get it figured out.
highway or high speed driving, driving with a heavy load or hitting any bumps or potholes on the road or
any emergency maneuvers you make while driving can cause a compromised tire to blow out unexpectedly.
if your tires are exhibiting any of the above tire conditions i talked about it could be time to get
new tires. plus, anytime there is sidewall damage or when the interior cords or metal belts are showing,
it's also time to replace. if you choose not to, at the very least start inspecting it regularly
and frequently. this is so that if there is a drastic change or things change for the worse,
you will catch it sooner and can get it taken care of before anything bad happens. if nothing is done
it is a ticking time bomb where you never know when it could blow out resulting in an accident.
tread depth a lot of people that have something to say about this will recommend the tire be replaced
at 1.6 mm or 2/32" of tread remaining. common advice to use
coins to test tread depth is also near this limit. in Canada, US, UK and other countries
this tread depth is the minimum requirement to meet legal safety standards for road use.
that's not saying that it is safe to do so. this limit is not supposed to be used to determine
when to change a tire since tires have become potentially dangerous long before this limit.
tires at this state of wear will have degraded performance for stopping, steering and accelerating.
this is especially true in wet or winter conditions. that's why it is recommended to change
tires when they reach 3 mm or 4/32" of wear. but, if you drive
in winter conditions the minimum increases to 4 mm or 5/32".
so even all season tires used in the winter with less than this amount of tread remaining should
be replaced for safe driving. this is recommended by both transport canada and nokian tires.
check out this tire rack video comparing tire depths and stopping distance required in wet conditions
traveling at 70 mph. it is eye opening to see how much more distance is required to stop.
i'll provide a link to the full video in our video description below for those interested in the full
test. how do you check for tread depth? all DOT_ regulated tires have wear bars or wear indicators
in the grooves of the tires. there are usually six indicators in each groove around the whole tire.
these indicators tell you there is 1.6 mm or 2/32" tread depth remaining
when the bar is the same height as the tread. these bars are only good for telling you once
you've reached the legal but unsafe limit so it's important to use something more accurate.
take the guesswork out and stop using coins or other hacks and buy a proper tire depth gauge.
a digital one like this is very accurate and worth it for your safety and definitely an important tool
for every car owner. besides, when using the coin method it only tells you when you're long overdue
for new tires. look for our video on how to check tire tread depth using this digital tread depth gauge.
tire age. the second thing to consider. if the tire passes the physical inspection
and is older than five years it is time to start inspecting it more regularly to monitor for any
degradation so you don't get a sudden tire failure one day. transport canada recommends that tires are
inspected at least once a month but you will have to do this more frequently if the tire is older
than five years. this is because no matter how good a tire looks or even if it has a lot of tread
remaining the rubber in the tire is starting to get old. this makes the old rubber compound harder,
less flexible and with less grip. this makes the tire more prone to cracks dry rot and failure from
hard impacts like hitting potholes, speed bumps or high stress from high speed or high load driving,
including emergency maneuvers. tire manufacturers recommend tires be replaced between five to six
years of age, but no matter what condition tires should never be used after 10 years of age.
and if you didn't know already this also applies to spare tires and tires that have been stored
and not used much. see how these two tires of the same age look so different yet they are both 7
years old and should be replaced. one has obvious signs of bulging, cuts and cracks, while the other
has more subtle cracks and a small bulge starting but otherwise looks good to use with lots of tread remaining.
both are not safe anymore. one has the potential for blowout while the other will have
reduced road performance for braking, steering and accelerating. especially in the wet or winter.
note that the newer looking tire comes from a vehicle parked indoors more often resulting in
less damage from UV and environment. how do you check the age of a tire? all DOT_ certified tires
have a date code printed on them. it's a four digit code indicating the date of manufacture.
the last two digits indicate the year and the first two digits indicate the week in the year.
usage conditions. the third thing to consider. we already know now, how tire condition and age plays
into deciding when a tire needs to be replaced. so how does usage play into this? things that you
do to your tires can speed up its degradation or put more stress on it, thereby causing an old or
compromised tire to fail sooner. parking outdoors in harsh UV or extreme cold or hot climate
exposure, driving aggressively or at high speeds, driving with heavy loads or on rough terrain,
hitting potholes, getting harsh chemicals or oils on the tires, driving with over or under-inflated
tires, not rotating tires and driving with alignment issues can all cause a tire to degrade
faster and potentially fail earlier than expected. so in deciding when to replace your tires you also
need to assess your usage conditions when taking into account the condition and age of a tire.
someone that gives you advice where they were able to drive on a tire with bulges or
large cracks for many months without issues does not necessarily translate or apply to
you. their usage and your usage conditions can vary a lot plus there are many other variables
that make the scenarios different. in general the harder you are going to push your tires
the sooner you should place them when they meet the replacement criteria i talked about already.
in the end it's always up to you when you decide to replace your tires. everyone's situation and
priorities are different so consider all the points i talked about and decide if it's time
to change your tires. until that time comes start checking your current tires regularly for signs
of damage degradation and excessive or uneven wear. make sure to inspect the tread and both side walls
as the inner side wall is equally important. to make your tires last longer make sure to check and
set the tire pressure according to your vehicle's requirements. rotate your tires regularly and make
sure your vehicle's wheel alignment is good. if you found this video useful please subscribe,
share with your friends and family and Like the video thanks for your support. ~Frakking_Creations