Has it been a while since you got new tires? Have you recently had a flat tire or a tire blowout, requiring a tire repair? Are you driving on a spare tire, or is your car vibrating a lot? Driving with bad tires is dangerous and not something to be taken lightly, as it can make your car difficult to handle and decrease the integrity of your car’s connection to the road. In some cases, all new tires are in order, or maybe you just need a tire repair if you a drove over a nail or something similar. It’s also possible you need a wheel alignment if your tires are unbalanced. Read on for more answers to the question, “When do I need new tires?”
Tire Alignment
The first thing to consider when you’re wondering if it’s time for new tires is tire tread depth. The tread on your tires should never fall below 1.6 millimeters in depth. While you can buy a tire gauge to measure tread depth (like you’ll see at a tire shop), there’s a simple method that’ll give you a general idea if you need new tires—and it won’t cost you a penny. In fact, it is a penny. Insert Lincoln’s head (head-down) into the tread. If Lincoln’s entire head remains visible, you don’t have enough tread, and you need new tires. Also check for cracks in the tire sidewall, bulges and/or blisters on your tires, and, if your car is vibrating a lot, you may need new tires or a wheel alignment (see below).
How a Wheel Alignment Can Help You Get the Most from Your New Tires
Still, there are countless other circumstances that add on to the damage of tires that are usually uncontrollable, including weather cracking and sidewall integrity. When tires begin to age or are vulnerable to harsh weather surroundings, the rubber starts to lose elasticity and cracks form on the exterior. Light cracking may not indicate you need new tires, but if you start to spot a lot of splintering, it would be smart to take your vehicle to a tire shop where a professional can assist you in deciding if you need new tires.
Other Factors
Equally as important as the condition of your tires, is making sure your tire alignment is correct. Good tire alignment helps your tires in optimizing their performance and allows them to last longer. Tire alignment also decreases the pulling of your vehicle in one direction while driving and gives the driver a better sense of control over the vehicle as a whole. If you haven’t gotten your tires aligned in a while, come in today so we can take care of that for you.