While all vehicle parts receive wear and tear over time, nothing gets this treatment worse than tires. While having rubber on the road helps your car grip the pavement, it comes at the cost of slowly wearing out over time. This leaves many people wondering how often they should replace the tires on their cars. In this post, we’ll answer that for you while also covering some other things you should consider when deciding.
The Simple Answer
Generally speaking, you should try to change your tires once every six years or so. While this will vary between brands and tire types, six years is generally a safe standard, but never go past 10 years. If you’d rather judge it by mileage, the recommendation is between 50,000 and 70,000 miles. Since this range is quite broad, you can better gauge it based on the number of years you’ve used them.
Other Things You Should Consider
Even though six years is an easy number to remember, it’s by no means the de facto answer for your tires. In fact, you should replace them based on how they look and perform rather than how long you’ve used them. Here are some factors that determine how often you should replace your car tires.
Current Tread Depth
Tread depth is, by far, the most important factor to look at when observing an older set of tires. Most tires start at about 10/32nds of an inch for their depth. According to the US Department of Transportation, if your wheels are below 2/32nds, they are too dangerous to continue driving on.
Since this is a difficult length to eyeball, you should use the penny trick. Stick a penny into your treads with Abraham Lincoln’s head facing downward. If his head doesn’t reach down into the groove, you need a new set of tires.
Problems With the Tires
Of course, you might start noticing issues with your tires before you even inspect them. While not every problem means you need to buy a new set, some of them might. For example, you may notice that your tires don’t hold air like they used to or they don’t have any traction. Regardless of the issue you experience, both of these will indicate that you need a new set.
Changing Environments
Finally, if you recently moved to an area with a drastically different climate, you might need to buy some new tires. For example, tires made for warmer weather might not hold up as well in colder climates. While they might last for a little while, it’s better to play it safe and buy ones better suited for your new home.
Where To Get Your New Tires
If you’re in the market for new tires, WheelerShip is the best place to buy them. We have a massive selection for you to choose from, and the quality of our tires is top-notch. If you want to go the extra mile, buy a set of rims for your new tires. We have a set of Falken semi-slick tires that should pair nicely with your new tires.