3 Signs Your Car Needs New Tires

Despite the best care and attention, your tires will inevitably wear out. Tires are subject to many different stresses, including abrasion, mud, rain, and alignment or balance issues. Even sunlight will slowly damage your tires. As your car dealership in Flint, MI, we’d like you to know a few signs that it’s time to visit us for new tires.

Uneven Tread

Your tire tread wears down as you drive, and this is unavoidable. As the wheels move, minute flecks of rubber break off. Each tire develops a different wear pattern depending on its position on your car. The wear pattern is partially caused by your vehicle’s drivetrain. Weight distribution varies between FWD, RWD, and AWD vehicles.

Alignment issues and balance problems can add to this wear. Rotating your tires is the best way to even out tire wear. If your tires aren’t rotated, uneven wear will develop, which makes a tire more likely to leak or blow out. We’ll examine your tires, and depending on the level of wear, we can rotate them to increase their useful life. If a tire is too worn, we can replace it for you.

Tire Vibrations

A modern tire is composed of various layers and reinforcements to make it more durable. Thicker rubber is used for the tread section, which is reinforced with steel bands, Kevlar, or polymer supporting bands. The sidewalls are made from thinner rubber and don’t require reinforcement as they aren’t subject to surface abrasion. The final step in the creation of a tire is vulcanization, where the various components are permanently formed into a tire.

If you’re feeling vibrations when you’re driving, there could be a problem with a tire’s balance or your wheel alignment. The problem could also be caused by internal separation of the individual tire layers. This is less common, but it can occur in worn tires or tires that have been subjected to impact damage, for example striking a curb. We’ll need to examine your tire to identify the problem. Internal damage can’t be fixed, but we can replace the tire.

Low Tread

Your tread depth is important when you’re driving, as the tread allows a tire to grip the road surface. The channels between the tread blocks allow water or mud to be forced backward, preventing your wheels from hydroplaning on a wet surface. The minimum safe tread depth is 2/32″, measured from the deepest part of a tire’s tread.

You can check your tire tread with a tire tread gauge or a Lincoln penny. Turn the penny upside down and insert it into the tread. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, your tread is severely worn, and the affected tire needs immediate replacement.

If you have a tire problem, visit us ASAP at Randy Wise Auto Group.

Tags: Car Service Flint MI, Car Tips, New Tires, Randy Wise, Randy Wise Auto Group
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