Signs your tires need to be replaced

Posted May 5, 2015

Your tires are where your vehicle meets the road, so it’s important that they’re in tip top shape! A blow out can be catastrophic and dangerous at any speed, pulling your vehicle toward a ditch or even oncoming traffic. Blow-outs do not typically happen to tires that are still in good shape, even a puncture won’t cause a full blow-out unless the tire is extremely worn and needs to be replaced. A worn tire may not blow out, but might slowly leak and leave you on the side of the road. This week, we’ll look at some signs you may see that indicate new tires are necessary.

1) Tread Depth

Tread Depth is one of the easiest ways to tell if your tires are worn. Your tread depth is the length between the very top of the rubber to the bottom of the grooves. You can buy a tread depth measurement tool or request to have your depth checked at your local Integra tire. Either way, if the depth gets below 1/16 of an inch (1.6 millimeters) in depth – your tires need replacing!

There may be un-even tread wear! It’s important to note that tread depth may be different in seperate areas of the tire, so it’s important to check multiple locations. For example, a person driving a vehicle that needs an alignment might be wearing the inside of their tire but not the outside of their tire.

2) Bulges

Weak spots may develop in your tire‘s rubber or cord plies – causing air to push out and create bulges. These weak spots and bulges may be either obvious to recognize, but sometimes will be difficult to see. Any time you see bulges on your tire, it is important to get it to your nearest Integra tire as soon as possible!

3) Cracks in the side-wall

Cracks in the side-wall of your tire are extremely dangerous. This has nothing to do with tread! These problems are less common, unless your tires are extremely worn – however they can be one of the more dangerous issues to have. Look for cracks and bulges that are visible to the naked eye. This could signal a leak is developing. It is always best to have any cracks inspected at your local Integra tire.

If your tire keeps slowly losing air, it might be signs of a bigger issue.

Some customers complain that they have to fill up their tires once a week, and upon further inspection we find that there is a much bigger issue developing, like a crack waiting to blow out. So if you find your tire is slowly leaking, always investigate further!

Thanks for checking in this week to the Integra(ty) blog. Every week, we will be blogging about how to keep your vehicle safe and in tip top shape!

-Trey from Integra Tire

Questions? Our Advisors are Happy to Help!

If you have questions about anything you've read in this resource page, contact your nearest dealer for more information. We are passionate in assisting our customers make the best choices to keep their vehicles in tip-top shape and keep their families safe.