Do you have to change your tires? If yes, how often should you change the tires on your car? Well, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration generally advises that tires be replaced on cars every six years. But some factors might steer tire wear and tear, necessitating more regular tire replacement for drivers.
Your tires will wear out considerably more quickly than they would if you’ll drive more cautiously if you, brake and accelerate violently and drive more aggressively. Your tires can also experience additional wear and tear if you frequently travel on poorly maintained roadways.
How Often Should You Change Your Car Tires?
Unfortunately, unlike motor oil or air filters, tires don’t have predetermined intervals for replacement. Instead, how long they last are determined by how quickly they wear off, how far they’ve gone, and their age. When deciding when to change your tires, it’s critical to take into account all some factors:
1. Duration
Most auto specialists would advise you to replace your tires roughly every six years. Your tires might need to be changed sooner if you drive a lot. Similarly, you could get away for more years if you don’t drive frequently.
You can easily wager that your tires must be replaced six years after buying a new car. You’ll probably need to check the date stamped on used vehicles’ tires.
Find a four-digit number outside your tires to determine when they were made. This will provide the year and week when they were created.
2. Mileage
For tire replacement, it’s also a good idea to change your tires every 25,000–50,000 miles. The dashboard of the majority of cars allows you to view your overall mileage.
3. If Your Wheel Seems Off
Being conscious of how your vehicle feels while driving is another physical measure to determine whether it is time to replace your tire.
When driving, how does your steering wheel seem? Is it smooth, or does it jiggle or lean more to one side than the other? Think of getting your tires replaced if it exhibits any of the latter.
Reasons Why You Should Replace Your Tires?
Tires are not exceptional to the rule that no mechanical component lasts forever. Additionally, suppose you neglect routine upkeep like rotation, alignment, or air pressure. In that case, your vehicle’s lifespan may be shortened earlier than expected, possibly at an inconvenient moment in the form of a flat tire or blowout.
Whatever the reason, a set of tires will ultimately have to be changed, and failing to do so could put you at risk while driving.
1. Minimized Traction
The area of your car that touches the ground is about the equivalent of your arm. Contrary to popular belief, such contact points can function on dry roads without tread. Tires without treads can still touch the road, aside from minor heat-generating difficulties brought on by the cooling effect of tire treads.
Slick tires, on the other hand, make it difficult to operate your vehicle in the ice, rain, or snow. You must drain water since it cannot be compressed.
The water needs to be rerouted into channels by properly treaded tires as they travel over wet roads, allowing the rubber to make contact with the pavement. The deeper the tread, the better at this time since tread depth is crucial.
2. Poor Steering and Braking
You’ve probably noticed how sharp and responsive new tires make steering. Due to the tire’s rubber eroding over time, a tire loses its capacity to remain cool from the friction available on the road. Additionally, new tires’ smooth, solid rolling around corners inspires confidence.
As the tread wears, the tire’s capacity to cool will diminish. A hot and sticky tire can interfere with steering and braking, making it difficult to stop fast or turn sharply while driving.
3. More Prone to Puncture
When a tire’s tread wears down, its defense also does. There is barely any rubber between the air and the road within a tire that is slick or severely worn. A blowout could be brought on by road debris or even a tiny nail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Know When to Change My Tires?
Knowing the time to replace your tires is crucial. When it’s time, there are two easy ways to tell. Knowing the lifespan of the tires is the first step. You should change your tires if they are older than six years.
The tread depth is the second factor to consider when deciding whether or not to replace your tires. The 2/32 inch mark denotes the smallest safe tread depth. If your tires are worn out to that extent, you should replace them.
Can Tires Go Bad As Time Goes By?
Even though the tires have many treads left, you should replace them if they are six years old or older. The tire may deteriorate over time if exposed to the environment and other causes for an extended period.
It may be more common to experience blowouts or air leaks as your tire deteriorates. Brittleness, color fading, and tire cracking are all warning indicators that your tires are about to fail. You should change your tires immediately if you notice any of these signs.
What Will Happen If I Don’t Change My Car Tires?
The biggest risk of not changing your tires is decreased vehicle safety. Tire wear can lengthen braking distances and reduce traction in emergencies.
It could take longer to pull over and be trickier to avoid a car when it pulls out ahead of you. Although you may never experience an emergency, many individuals would rather avoid the aggravation of having to fix a tire.
On the other hand, the benefit of replacing old tires is that you’ll be able to stop more quickly in an emergency and have better handling to avoid such scenarios. Another benefit is that you won’t have to change a flat tire in the middle of the road and get dirty.
Conclusion
If you’ve been wondering how often you should change tires on your car, you’ve got all the answers. You’re wearing down the tread on your tires faster than a more cautious driver if you tend to drive fast and make sharp corners. You can save a lot of money by improving your driving habits, particularly by avoiding sharp turns.
You should work on your parking techniques if you try to drive safely yet frequently run into curbs when you park. Any rubbing on concrete or slamming into curbs increases the likelihood that your tire will fail or become damaged.