Time to change tires, experience choosing to buy tires, … is what new car buyers should know. And all will be shared shortly.
Time to change car tires
5 years from the date of manufacture
This is the safest time to use tires and is also the time when the car tires are still within the warranty period. Many experts recommend replacing tires after 5 years from the date of manufacture (note that the date of manufacture is not the date of use, the date of manufacture is printed on the sidewall) for optimal performance and performance. ensure safety.
However, if after 5 years, the tire is still in normal condition, it can still be used. But from this 5-year mark, car tires need to be checked at least once a year.
Up to 10 years
According to the recommendations of most major car tire manufacturers in the world, car tires should only be used up to 10 years from the date of manufacture. At the 10-year mark, even though the tire is still usable and has not worn to the tire wear indicator line… it is also advisable to replace the car tire with a new one, even if the spare tire is rarely used.
Signs that need to change car tires immediately
If less than 5 years have passed, but the car tires have the following signs, they also need to be replaced with new tires:
Tire tread depth less than 1.6 mm
As standard, the tread depth must be at least 1.6 mm or more to ensure safe operation. For vehicles that move a lot, often brake quickly… it is necessary to check the wear of the tires to have a suitable replacement plan. If the tread depth is less than 1.6 mm, the tire is worn and needs to be replaced immediately.
There are several ways to check tire tread depth:
- Check with a tire tread depth gauge: Use this device to measure multiple locations on the tire.
- Check with the tread wear indicator line: On car tires, there are wear indicators molded in the main grooves (usually located in the middle grooves). If the tire tread blocks are the same height as this indicator line or even this indicator line shows signs of wear, the tire needs to be replaced immediately.
- Check with Lincoln coin: Using a coin with Lincoln’s image, turn the plug into the tire groove. If the entire head is visible, the tire is too worn and needs to be replaced.
Damaged tire surface
If the tire surface shows signs of damage such as peeling, bulging (also known as bulging), cracks, stripes, split rubber/fiber fibers, etc., the tire needs to be replaced immediately. Because these damages will lead to a high risk of a tire bursting in the middle of the road, which is very dangerous.
Has a hole with a diameter greater than 6 mm
When a tire is punctured, most will choose to patch the hole to save money. However, if a car tire is punctured with a hole larger than 6 mm in diameter, even if it can be patched, it is not safe to operate. Therefore, consider changing to a new tire. In addition, if the tire is punctured with too many holes, the old patch hole is leaking gas, it should also be replaced with a new car tire.
Tire bar, tire valve damaged
The tread is the part of the tire that is in contact with the wheel. If the tread is protruding, air deformation will often leak. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the new tire immediately. Meanwhile, the tire valve helps to keep the tire pressure, preventing moisture from entering. If the valve is damaged, the gas in the tire is easy leaks, so it is also necessary to replace the new tire.
Experience buying car tires
Choose car tires according to your needs
When buying car tires, you need to know the characteristics of the tire lines. Each current tire line has its strengths, it is difficult to ask for a perfect tire at a popular price. Therefore, the most important thing is to choose the right tire line, both promoting the highest performance and maintaining the high durability of the tire. You can refer to tire reviews to be able to make your choice.
There are many types of car tires with different advantages and disadvantages, but they are generally divided into 4 main groups:
Tires are soft, smooth, low noise, suitable for beautiful roads
This tire has high smoothness, low noise due to softness, shallow flower grooves, and a simple longitudinal groove structure. The strength of this tire line is mainly flat roads, beautiful roads … so it will be suitable for cars that often move in urban areas such as sedans, hatchbacks…
The weak point of soft and smooth tires is gravel roads, bad roads with many potholes, off-road roads… When moving this type of road because the tires are soft and thin, it will be easy to tear, wear down, become pregnant, “eat” nails… On the other hand, because the tread of this line is usually shallow, the grip will not be really good if traveling on bad roads.
Some car tire manufacturers have the strength of this line: Michelin, Continental, Goodyear, …
The tires are hard, noisy, suitable for bad roads
This tire usually has the characteristics of a hard, deep groove, complex structure. What makes tires often have loud noise, not smooth, even a bit shock when going through speed bumps, potholes …
However, in return, the hard tire line promotes its strength on bad roads such as gravel roads, many potholes … even mountain passes, terrain… This tire has great impact resistance and is difficult to tear. , difficult to damage, difficult to “eat” nails… Because of the complex and deep groove design, the grip is very good. If you often travel on bad roads, you should prioritize this tire.
Some car tire manufacturers have strengths in this line: Bridgestone, Dunlop, Advanta…
Mixed tires, suitable for many types of roads
This tire is not too hard to get a certain smoothness, nor too soft to be able to move on bad roads, enhancing durability. This can be called a “middle” tire line between soft and hard tires. The advantage of this tire line is that it can both move on beautiful roads quite smoothly, with low noise, and can also go on bad roads… no need to worry about the tires being damaged.
However, there are advantages, there are also disadvantages, it is difficult to ask for a perfect tire. This mixed tire will hardly have the maximum smoothness and low noise like the soft tire line, as well as the high durability and good resistance like the hard tire line. Both sides are relative.
Some car tire brands belong to this line: Accelera, Maxxis, Toyo…
High-performance tires, specialty tires
This is a line of car tires specifically designed for certain conditions of use such as desert roads, snow roads, or F1 races. Tourist cars often rarely use this tire line because of the high price while it is difficult to exploit the maximum uses and features.
Knowing the 4 groups of tires above will help you choose the most suitable car tire for your needs.
