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The modern-day tire is designed to last longer than ever before. Even if your budget doesn’t allow for the “best of the best” tire, you can be comfortable knowing that even today’s mid-priced tires often come with a 50,000 - 60,000 mile warranty. This type of warranty was unheard of years before! Even with today’s tire technology, it’s a good rule of thumb to check your tires’ condition regularly to ensure safety and performance.

Worn tires aren’t just dangerous on wet roads, they will also have poorer handling and braking performance than tires that are in good shape. Worn tires tend to also ride rougher and be noisier than tires that are in good shape due to less rubber to insulate against road noise and pavement imperfections. Here are some things you should check regularly to be sure your tires are still safe:

• Check the tread face of the tires carefully. You may want to rub your hand over the entire tread surface and feel for any irregularities, such as a “sawtooth” tread profile, or a “cupped” wear pattern that could indicate suspension or alignment problems. Look for uneven wear at the inside or outside edge, both of which mean alignment issues. Check carefully for cord or steel belt that’s exposed – either one means tire failure is likely and that tire should be replaced right away.

• Examine your sidewalls and keep an eye out for bulges, gouges or cracks (light cracking in the surface is normal for older tires).

• Check the tires’ tread depth. A simple way to check the tread depth is to take a penny and insert it into a tread groove, Lincoln head down. Does the tread face reach the top of Lincoln’s head? If so, your tires are only 2/32” and need to be replaced right away. Try this test again with a quarter – if the tread reaches the top of Washington’s head, your tread depth is 4/32”. One more time with the penny…if the tread can touch the Lincoln Memorial, your tread depth is 6/32” and your tires are in good shape!

A good rule of thumb is to also check tire inflation at least once a month, and make sure to check before the tires are warmed up. Tires that are only 3 or 5 psi low on pressure can still be under a lot of stress due to excessive rolling resistance. Low tire pressure can also cause poor gas mileage. If you perform the above tire check and have further questions about your tire health, give us a call, swing by one of our three convenient locations, or schedule an appointment with us online. We’ll be happy to take a look at your tires and give you the next steps to having safe, reliable tires.