Tires only last so long on any vehicle, and they need to be replaced whenever their tread starts to run low so that the vehicle can continue offering a safe ride. Low tread can be dangerous and it also causes the car to work harder, which is why we need to rotate those tires and then ultimately replace them.
In general, it’s a good idea to get your tires rotated every 7,500 miles, but every car manufacturer is going to have a different specification since all cars are a little different. However, many experts believe that the alignment of your tires should be checked closer to every 6,000 miles since so much can take place in that amount of time and distance. If you find it hard to keep track, just make it a habit to get your tires checked every time you get your oil changed.
Even if you get your tires checked and it isn’t quite time for a rotation, the person who checks them out might notice if any of the tires happen to be underfilled. Tires that are low in air can actually lead to car accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that under inflated car tires are actually 25 percent more likely to lead to accident than tires that are at the proper level of air.
You know that it might be time to get some new or retread tires if you can see that the tread is worn all the way down. New tires have tread bars all the way around and they naturally wear down over time. But if they reach a certain point it’s no longer legal to drive with them on the road. One way to test this out is to use a penny. If you stick a penny between the tread bars and the tread still covers some of Abe Lincoln’s head, then you know that you’re okay. If it doesn’t, it’s time to replace those tires as soon as possible. In technical terms, tires must be replaced when they reach 6/32nds of an inch.
As for how long a set of tires will last, that depends on a lot of factors. What kind of car you drive, how often you drive, and where you tend to drive it are going to have some say in the quality of the tires. Naturally doing some off-roading is going to wear down tires more quickly than if you were just using a car to make trips to and from the grocery store.
When it comes time to replace your tires, you might want to go with a retread tires option. Retread tires are basically used tires that have gone through a procedure that replaces their tread. During the process tire retread companies, check and then repair tires if necessary, which makes them safe to be used on a car once again.