DO YOU NEED TO REPLACE YOUR TIRES?
Most of the time, this is an easy question to answer – is there plenty of tread left, and what does it mean when all that wire is coming out of the tire?
But sometimes the tire will not be worn out in the traditional method. Many people do not put that many miles on a car and their tires will wear out from simply being to old. This can be noticed through a number of different ways, the most severe of which is major dry cracking, either on the sidewall of around the tread blocks of the tire – see the pics below for examples of this.
You can see this tire has severe dry cracking, both on the sidewall and around the treadblocks (below - notice how the cracks in the treead of the tire follow the treadblocks).
If you tires are in this bad a shape, they need to be replaced immediately!
HOW OLD IS YOUR TIRE?
Once you know what to look for, it is pretty easy to check the date your tires were manufactured . On every tire sold in the US, there is a simple four digit code that will give you the week and year the tire was manufactured.
This code is usually in a small oval or rectangular imprint placed in the tire – see the close-up below.
So, for instance, if the code said 1616 like the one above, it was manufactured on the 16th week of 2016; this tire still has plenty of life left in it!
But if your tires are approaching 8 years of age, they will probably need to be replaced. Even if you can’t see signs of severe dry cracking, an eight year old tire will be experiencing
degradation of the rubber compounds.
THE HEAT OF SUMMER
It’s been a very nice spring, but here in NC we all know the heat is on its way, and we are looking at several months where it will be in the 90 degree temperatures. The road surface itself can easily reach 140 degrees in the summer heat, and this is a killer for old tires which have got to much age on them; the rubber can’t handle the pressure and the heat, and this is when older dry cracked tires are liable to blow out.
It happens most often on trailers – people do not put many miles on their trailers, so these tires almost always expire from age.
DO YOU NEED NEW TIRES?
Have you looked at your tires closely? Whether you have a trailer or a car, once a month or so take a close look at your tires, especially if you can’t remember how long ago you put them on. If your tires are 8 years old, or if you can see dry cracks in the sidewalls or along the treadblocks, get new tires for your vehicle ASAP.
For new tires in NC, and tire and wheel packages call Maiden Tire & Wheel today at 828-428-8681!
Comments