Do My Tires Need to be Replaced?

By Chris Hardesty 09/20/2023 4:00pm

Quick Facts About Tire Replacement

• A properly maintained set of good-quality tires can have a useful life of 50,000 miles.
• New tires should be the same size, type, and quality as the ones they’re replacing.
• It’s common to replace all four tires at the same time, especially on AWD vehicles.

New tires with sufficient tread give your car maximum traction for accelerating and braking, as well as keeping a grip around curves on the road. However, the tread wears down every time you drive — even with proper maintenance — and tire replacement is necessary for safe driving.

Read on to learn when to replace your vehicle’s tires and what maintenance steps you can take to make tires last longer.

When Should Tires Be Replaced?

Expect a set of good-quality tires to last about 50,000 miles or almost four years, depending on how your travels compare to the 13,500 average annual miles driven.

However, the best time to replace tires is before a worn or damaged tire causes you to hydroplane, skid into an accident, or have a blowout on a busy highway. Inspect your tires monthly and plan to visit your local auto dealership service department or tire retailer before a severe mishap.

Tires give clues that the end of their useful life is approaching. Some evidence may indicate safety problems requiring immediate attention. Drivers should also watch for telltale signs of potential issues from wear and aging.

Excessive Tread Wear

Properly maintained tires for the average driver can last for tens of thousands of miles. While drivers can expect the loss of tread, premature or irregular tread wear can weaken a tire and become a safety hazard. Unusual or significant tread loss may be a reason to replace a tire. Improper inflation can cause irregular tread wear, but it could indicate another problem with the automobile.

• Alignment. Noticeable inner edge wear or outer edge wear may indicate the wheels are not aligned correctly.
• Overinflation. Excessive center tread wear can be a sign the tires are overinflated.
• Underinflation. Underinflated tires can cause the tread edges to wear more than the center.

Measure Low Tread Depth With Penny Test

Tire tread prevents your car from sliding, skidding, and slipping on wet pavement. The United States Department of Transportation recommends replacing tires when the tread wears down to 2/32 of an inch.

Special gauges that measure tread depth are available at auto parts stores. The “penny test” is another easy, quick, and inexpensive method to check the amount of remaining tire tread. Place a Lincoln penny head-first in the tread ribs of the tire. If the tread conceals Lincoln’s head, then you have at least 2/32 of an inch of tread remaining. If his entire head sticks out above the tread, it’s a signal to replace your tires immediately.

You can use the test with Abe’s noggin in addition to the built-in “tread wear indicators” on tires. These raised sections of rubber run between the tire’s tread ribs. It’s time for tire replacement when the tread wears down to be level with the tread indicator.

Tire Damage

Regular inspection of your tires might identify areas of damage. Cuts, scrapes, cracks, and bulges in the sidewall can affect the physical integrity of the tire. If you find damage to your tire, take it to a qualified technician for an evaluation. If the damage is not too severe, you can see how much tire repair costs in your area or get an estimate.

Damage can happen from road conditions such as running over potholes and speed bumps or rubbing against curbs when parking.

Other situations can contribute to tire damage:

• Dry rot from lack of use
• Speeding
• Rapid acceleration
• Hard braking
• Hard turns
• Failure to investigate changes in performance or vibration

How to Find a Tire’s Age

While mileage is the factor commonly used to indicate tire longevity, a tire will drive safest when it gets retired by a certain age even if it did not roll up a lot of miles. Because older tires will more likely fail, manufacturers often recommend replacing tires every six to 10 years, regardless of treadwear.

You can determine the age of your tire. The DOT Tire Identification Number (TIN) is one of the many numbers on a tire sidewall. The last four digits of the TIN indicate the week and year the tire was made. A TIN that reads 0720 means the tire came out of the factory in the seventh week of 2020.

A three-digit date code indicates the manufacture date is a pre-2000 manufacture date. So, it’s best to replace the tire because of its age.

What Kind of Tires Should I Buy?

It’s best to replace your tires with the exact original equipment manufacturer (OEM) tires that your vehicle was wearing when it first rolled off the assembly line.

Automotive designers and engineers sweat the details to ensure the thousands of parts that make up your vehicle all work together to give you a safe, secure, and reliable ride. So follow the advice in your vehicle’s owner’s manual and exchange your tires with like-sized replacements.

You must consult with your dealership, tire company, or sizing expert if you decide on a different sized tire and wheel combination. Changing the size of your tires may change certain other aspects of your vehicle, such as handling, suspension, braking abilities, and more. Always consult with an expert familiar with your model and its specifications.

What is the average cost of a new tire?

Tire replacement cost depends on many variables, such as the brand and where they are purchased. Even so, you can expect to pay close to $200 per tire from a well-known and high-quality brand, including installation. With the change in the retail landscape, auto dealerships are now offering tire pricing that is competitive with specialized tire retail outlets.

Tire Upkeep and Rotation

Once you have replaced your old tires with a new set, it’s time to take care of your investment. As the price of everything, including tires, continues to climb, protect them by using best practices to extend their life. Good maintenance includes rotating your tires every 5,000 miles or six months, whichever comes first.

Most cars today follow crisscross tire rotation patterns.

• Front-Wheel Drive: Move the front tires to the rear. Move the rear tires to the front, crossing the left rear to the right front and the right rear to the left front.
• Rear-Wheel Drive: Move the rear tires to the front. Move the front tires to the rear, crossing the left front to the right rear and the right front to the left rear.
• All-Wheel Drive: As with the pattern for rear-wheel drive, move the rear tires to the front. Move the front tires to the rear, crossing the left front to the right rear and the right front to the left rear.
• Four-Wheel Drive: Exchange the right front tire with the left rear, and the left front tire with the right rear tire.
• Uni-Directional: Specialized tires with tread that only rolls in one direction should be exchanged from the left rear to the left front, and the right rear to the right front.

There are exceptions, of course, notably in the case of staggered tire sets, where the rear tires are of a larger size than the front tires. In that situation, follow instructions as detailed in your vehicle’s owner’s manual.

If you do the tire rotation yourself, be aware that Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems (TPMS) may not immediately recognize that tires were rotated. In those cases, reset the system by following instructions in your owner’s manual that will help ensure your tires are being cared for and inflated properly.

Tires are a critical part of driving performance and safety. You can extend the time between replacing tires by taking care of your investment. Along with tire rotation and correct air pressure, be sure to investigate and address irregular tread wear. When driving, avoid fast starts, hard stops, and road obstructions.

What is the Average Cost of Tire Rotation?

Tire rotation typically costs less than $80, depending on where you live and what car you have. Our auto repair pricing tool can give you a more precise estimate for your make and model.

Should You Replace All Four Tires at Once?

If you need one new tire because of a puncture or blowout, it’s usually best to replace all four tires at the same time. This rule of thumb is especially true if you drive an AWD vehicle. You might be able to get by with replacing a pair on the same axle if the car is front- or rear-wheel drive.

Follow the recommendations in your owner’s manual and the service advisor at the tire shop. Replacing only one tire — unless the others are very new — can seriously affect your vehicle’s handling.