When to Replace Your Car’s Tyres

by IndianAuto Team | 29/06/2018
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Like other parts of the car, tyre plays a crucial role in safety insurance. Hence, car tyre maintenance including replacing the old tyre is a must for every car.

1. What to know about the car tyre?

The longevity of a car tyre is hard to predict due to the fact that it depends on a combination of factors which are the designing, the drivers’ habit, the climate, the road conditions and the car care. Among these factors, the habit of the drivers is a changeable component. Therefore, getting rid of some bad habits is an important improvement that can be done to increase of longevity of the car tyres.

First all of, when driving on the road, the drivers should consider some cases to avoid:

  • Speeding

  • Quick starts

  • Emergency braking

Secondly, when using the tyres, the drivers should not:

  • Mix tyre types

  • Use tyres on damaged, distorted or modified wheels

  • Use wheel and rim sizes that are not compatible

  • Reinflate a tyre that has been run flat or seriously underinflated

  • Use a spare tyre that has a different size or the speed in excess of 80 kmph

And finally, when replacing the tyres, the driver should try not to replace the old by the ones that do not have the speed capability or load index that equals to or higher than those originally specified by the manufacturer.

Car tyre when worn out

 Car tyre often has wear and tear after a long time using

2. When to replace the car tyre?

“When to change car tires?” has been one of the most commonly asked questions for the car owners because it requires the drivers to realize the signs of a worn out tyre such as

  • The tread is worn beyond the recommended tread depth levels

  • The sidewall is damaged

  • Any hole in the tread is greater than 6 mm in diameter

  • The bead is damaged or deformed (the bead is the edge of the tyre that sits on the wheel)

Especially, these 2 situations below should be noted the most. This is the time your tyres should be thoroughly inspected and then replaced.

2.1. When the tyre is blown-out

Occasionally, on the road, car tyres are perforated or deformed by nails, iron, or other sharp and hard objects. In these cases, you are advised to visit an authorized tyre dealer or a mechanic store to check whether the tyre should be replaced or not.

In other cases, changing tyres might be necessary if:

  • The tyre is damaged by hydrocarbons or corrosive substances.

dry rot tyre

 Hydrocarbon is a factor causing the wear and tear

  • The inner rubber is scratched.

tyre is flat

The tyre tube can be scratched when the tyre is flat

  • There are punctures on the tyre hips.

 A punctured car tyre

Your car tyre also can have a puncture at all time

  • Bead area is revealed or deformed.

 tyre bead damages

Common tyre bead damages

  • The tire is bald.

 bald tire slippery grid

The bald tire is very slippery due to the poor traction

The warning sign of a worn tyre is the small flanks at the bottom of the tire splines. If the rubber surface is within this range, the tire has almost reached a safety limit of 1.6 mm. You can also buy a device to measure the depth of the tire's lugs that the mechanic store often uses.

One way that Americans often use to measure tire tread depth without spending a dime is to use a Lincoln Presidential coin as below. If all of Lincoln's head is invisible, the tire is worn out.

Check the tyre wear and depth 

The funny but useful way to check the tyre wear and depth

Check the tyre wear and depth

It can also be applied in India way as well

Using a worn tyre increases the risk of car crashes, especially in wet conditions, because the tyre loses its ability to grip the road. In many countries around the world, it is illegal to drive a tyre less than 1.6 mm thick.

Read more:  How to handle a tyre burst and blowout

2.2. When the tire is out of date

Even if the tyre still works normally without any problem, it should be replaced by the expiry date which can be found on the side of the tyre. The last four digits of the date range indicate the tyre's date from the manufacturer. The expiry date recommended by most tyre manufacturers is less than 5 years from the date.

However, the longevity of a tyre can be changed significantly under different circumstances. In summer, all drivers should be attentive to the external appearance of the tyre, to reduce tire pressure or any abnormalities (such as vibration, noise, horizontal force). Furthermore, in addition to the routine checks and the tyre pressure adjustments, all tyres must be inspected by a tire specialist regularly, including

  • Spare tire

  • Trailer tire

  • Camping

Tyre condition check

 The driver should have the mechanic store carefully check the car tyre condition

>>> Watch more

Tire Tread Test and Safety - Car Care Tips

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