Service Shop Tires

When to Buy New Tires?

Before you begin the process of browsing for new tires, you have to know if you need them first! Here are a few tips and tricks you can use to determine if its time for new tires.

1. Age

   Confirming your tires' expiration date is the first step in determining their remaining lifespan. Usually, a set of tires will last you about six years. It's possible for tires to last much longer than that, but according to Car & Driver, its unwise to push your rubber past the 10-year mark. This is because rubber degrades over time due to environmental conditions, this means that tires that look like they are in good shape may in fact be hiding some structural damage. No matter how well your car is stored or maintained, a 10-year-old tire is too old even if it has barely seen any miles. If you can't remember when you got your current tires or if they came with your used vehicle, you can determine the manufacturer's expected lifespan by looking up the make and model on the manufacturer website or on a tire store's website. You can also find the 16-digit tire ID number printed on the sidewall. The first three digits, DOT, represent the U.S. Department of Transportation. The last four digits reveal the tire’s age by showing the week and the last two digits of the year in which it was manufactured (for example, “1117” would mean the 11th week of 2017).

2. Penny Test

   One easy way to determine if your tire's treads have worn down is the penny test. Grab a penny and hold it against your tire in-between the treads with Abraham Lincoln's head toward the tire. If the top of his head is visible, your tires are too worn and its time to start shopping! This test is effective because National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines say that tires should be replaced when the tread reaches 2/32 of an inch, and a penny is an easy and memorable way to check. Keep in mind, of course, that tread wear is only one element of overall tire condition.

3. Tire Thread Indicators

   Most tires have tread wear indicators embedded into the rubber near the outside edge of the tire. When the tread is worn down, the indicator will be easily visible as well as make an annoying noise on the road to prompt checking them. Don't ignore the noise, get new tires!

4. Uneven Tread Wear

   If you notice your tire treads are wearing down unevenly, that too means its time for a replacement. For example, if the tread wear indicators peek through some spots but not all the way around, or if you happen to see areas where the tire surface isn't consistent with the overall wear, you need new tires. Uneven tread wear happens for a few reasons, and most of them are fairly easy to fix. Commit to treating your tires with care and making sure they are properly inflated at all times. Get your car's alignment and suspension checked too, especially if you are noticing handling problems or lots of vibration.

5. Visible Damage

   A puncture from a nail or other road debris can potentially be repaired, but damage to a tire's sidewall usually means it will need to be replaced. Make it a habit to check your tires' sidewalls for damage, including blusters, cuts, bulges, and cracking. Bulges and blisters indicate internal structural damage in the tire, this can result in a blowout or tread separation while driving. Cracking, cuts, and other surface damage can be from tire degradation or damage from road debris; in either case, the tire's structural integrity has been compromised, and said tire should be replaced.

6. Vibration

   This last tip can help you catch a problem with your tires before it gets out of hand, its also good advice in general. Listen closely to how your car sounds on the road. If something is off, get it checked out. Excessive vibration can be caused by damage in one of your tires, and it can indicate one of your wheels is bent or misaligned, which will cause premature wear of your tires. Vibration can also be a sign of issues in the suspension which can also cause tires to wear prematurely alongside other problems.

Your tires are your connection to the road, they play an important role in your vehicle's ability to keep you safe. In summary, your tires need to be replaced if they are worn, damage beyond repair, or just old. The symptoms of bad tires are simple to diagnose, and committing to proper maintenance will reduce the chances of your old, worn-out tires giving up on you. Trying to squeeze a few more miles out of them may seem like a good idea to save some money, but the consequences of a tread separation or blowout just aren't worth it!

Buying New Tires - Step-by-step Guide

Now that you know you need new tires, how do you actually go about buying them? Not to worry! We have you covered with this handy step-by-step guide!

1. Determine if You Need New Tires

   As stated above, you first need to figure out if you even need new tires first. Use the tips and advice above to evaluate the condition of your vehicle's tires or to determine if they are too old. If there is damage or they are too old, its time to replace them!

2. Choose the Right Tire Type

   There is more to getting new tires than finding a set that fits and throwing them onto your vehicle. You need to consider your car's minimum requirements, your driving style, your expectations for tire life, the weather you do most of your driving in, and the surfaces you are driving on. Your tires do more than carry the weight of your vehicle. They need to be able to give you traction when you are moving, allow your car to steer with confidence, and have max grip when you brake. They also need to do all of that in wet or dry conditions, without making a lot of noise or adversely affecting your fuel economy.

   Types of Tires:

   All-Season Tires

   The vast majority of vehicles today come already equipped with all-season tires, which are designed to provide acceptable all-around capability throughout the year and in all types of weather conditions. This means a reasonable ride with respectable handling, good wet-weather group, quiet running, and some capability in snow. Most drivers can leave these tires on in winter and expect them to deliver all the traction they need on snowy and icy roads. That being said, most all-season tires are only marginal in snow; dedicated winter tires, aka snow tires, provide much better traction in snow.

   There are now two main sub-categories of all-season tires: high-performance and grand touring. High-performance all-season tires provide sharper handling than "standard" all-season tires. They grip the road more confidently and feel more sporty to drive—usually at the cost of some winter-weather traction. These tires are intended for sportier cars and more-aggressive drivers. Grand touring all-season tires have the lower-profile look of high-performance all-season tires but ride better at the price of some handling ability.

   Winter Tires

   Previously called 'snow tires', winter tires are designed to provide maximum traction in snow and slippery conditions. The traction provided by winter tires cannot be matched by other categories of tire. Even all-wheel-drive vehicles on all-season tires won't match the stopping and turning capability of a similar two-wheel drive vehicle with winter tires.

   Summer Tires

   'Summer Tires' isn't a fully accurate term, a better one to use would be 'Three-Season Rubber' as these tires are meant to deliver dry and wet-weather traction in moderate or warm weather. They help to sharpen steering response, increase cornering traction by a considerable amount, and help stop the vehicles they are equipped on in much less distance. This performance comes at a cost however: most summer tires only work well in temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit and above. When outside temps fall to or below freezing, the tires can feel skittish and behave inconsistently; losing a large portion of their grip to the point that they act like they are on a wet or even icy road.

3. Tire Size, Speed Rating, and Tread-Wear

   Most people will choose to replace their current, worn tires with ones that are equivalent in size and capability. To get the most accurate fit you will need to determine your vehicle's tire size and speed rating. You will also want to consider how much mileage you will get (tread wear) from the tires you are thinking about purchasing. Much of this information can be found on the sidewalls of the tires that are currently on your vehicle. Its also available in your vehicle's owner's manual, online, or at a tire dealer. Cross-check these sources to ensure you have accurate information.

   Tire Size

   The size of car and light truck tires is usually expressed in a short series of numbers and letters that read like this (as seen in the above illustration): 245/40-R18. The first number indicates the width of the tire at its widest point in millimeters. The number after the slash is what's called the aspect ratio, which indicates how tall the sidewall is as a percentage of the width. The higher the number, the taller the sidewall. The squat tires fitted to sports cars and muscle cars, called low-profile tires, have aspect ratios of 30–40. Family sedans and SUVs are in the 45-60 range or taller. The final number in the series is the diameter of the wheel in inches that the tire must mount to. The "R" indicates it's a radial tire, which virtually all of today's tires are.

   Speed Rating

   Tires also carry a speed rating, which indicates not only how fast they can safely go for an extended period of time, but also the overall performance potential of the tires. Tires for high-performance cars have a higher speed rating than those for mainstream family sedans and SUVs. The speed rating of the original tires that came on your car were matched to the maximum speed the car could attain—plus a significant built-in safety margin. This speed rating is expressed as a letter in the alpha-numeric code that immediately follows the tire size. Letters range from L to Y, and cover maximum speed ranges from 75 mph to more than 186 mph.

   Tread-Wear Info

   The are two pieces of data that will help you estimate how many miles you can expect from a set of tires: the tread-wear rating and the tire mileage warranty. The tread wear rating is listed as a number on the tire sidewall after the word "treadwear". The higher this number, the more likely the tire will last longer. But the tests that are used to determine treadwear aren't precise, so there is a lot of variability in this number. A better way to gauge potential tire life, and to compare the expected longevity of different tires you might be considering, is to look at the manufacturers' tread-life warranties.

   Run-Flat Tires

   Numerous automakers fit their cars with run-flat tires from the factory. These tires are capable of driving for short distances at low speeds even after a puncture has left them without air, allowing you to reach home or a repair facility without needing to change a flat on the side of the road. If your vehicle came on run-flats you have the option of replacing them with conventional tires and carrying a spare (but beware that some cars fitted with run-flats actually do not have a trunk compartment for a spare). Or, you can replace your worn run-flats with another set of run-flats. And now that tire-pressure monitoring systems are compulsory equipment in new cars, you could even fit run-flats on a car that didn’t originally come with them.

4. Buy Them and Have Them Installed!

   Once you have found the right tires for your vehicle, its time to purchase them and have them installed! Thankfully, Fremont Ford is a licensed tire retailer that has a HUGE selection of available tires of all performance types across many brands and we have the best service techs around to install them on your vehicle! Call us at (341) 227-0099 to schedule an appointment for new tires at our Newark Ford dealership today!

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