The Top 9 Signs That It's Time to Replace My Car Tyres

Tyres are often overlooked and undervalued, much like other perishable auto parts. Apart from the occasional check of the air pressure, tyres are often neglected, even by car enthusiasts who enjoy driving. A weekly check of the oil and radiator fluid levels is all that is required. Oftentimes, tyre maintenance is just as important as vehicle maintenance. Though rotation, wheel balancing, and alignment can all help lower overall tyre wear, all tyres eventually need to be replaced. Here are some indicators that indicate when a replacement is required.

1. Tread Wear: Tyres come with tread wear indicators. It is easy to find these clues if you search for a triangle arrowhead on the sidewall. Parallel to the marker is where rubber bridging between treads can be found. If the tyre tread has worn to the level of the bridges, it's time you go to a tyre dealer as soon as possible.

2. Asymmetric Tyre Wear: Misalignment or damage to a suspension component can occasionally result in uneven tyre wear. While the tread on one side might seem fine, the other edge might have worn past its limit, requiring not only realignment or assembly repair but also an immediate replacement of tyres.

3. Hard/cracked Tyre Tread: If you don't drive your car a lot, rubber tends to get harder. Search the tread surface for any apparent cracks. If you can find surface cracks on the side walls as well, the rubber of the tyres has already considerably toughened. There will always be a few of those. If your car is only used for weekend errands, you can still drive on these tyres, but if you enjoy driving quickly or plan to drive on highways, you should consider getting new tyres.

4. Damaged Sidewalls: Radial tyres, which make up more than n 80% of the tyres used in passenger cars, depend on the sidewall's structural integrity. Unexpected potholes and poor road conditions can damage the sidewall, resulting in bubbles or sporadic cracks. Although side-wall patches are sometimes provided by tyre repair companies to reinforce the damaged area, you should be aware that these repairs are not always effective. Replacing the tyres offers a lot more safety.

5. Tyre Age: Rubber tyres inevitably become harder with age, as is common knowledge. Its inability to flex and grasp the road surface causes it to lose tractability as it gets harder.