"When to replace tyres?"
"Autoservice Utrecht"
[ "Whento replace tyres?Whetheryou are driving along a canyon, a coast, or along a hillside, tyresare critical in ensuring a proper handling drive. Worn tyres haveless grip on wet surfaces and when cornering, making them moresusceptible to hydroplaning during rain and increasing the brakingdistance at the same time. The vehicle stability control andall-wheel drive systems become less effective when worn-out tyres areused. So, the question is: When should old tyres be replaced with newones?Usually,the tread depth of the tyre is measured in 32nds of an inch. Whenbought new, the tyres have a tread depth from 9/32 to 11/32.Even though the tread depth at which tyres are considered unsafe isat 2/32, it is recommended that you start looking to change yourtyres when the tread depth is 4/32 as you might notice slipping onslick or wet roads. For winter tyres, you should change even earlieras they are useless in icy and snowy conditions even with 4/32tread depth.tyretread depth: How to measure?Youcan measure your tyres tread depth every time you getan;Autoservice Utrecht;or you can do it yourself.The most common method to measure the tyre tread depth is using atyre tread depth gauge. Hold the foot of the gauge across the tyregrooves and measure the depth by lightly pushing the scale down. Manyof the tyres have wear indicators. These are rubber bars that arebuilt as part of the construction of the tyre treads. Once the wearreaches certain levels, these tread wear indicators start showing,alerting you to change your tyres.Whenyou go to get an oil change for your vehicle, the mechanic usuallychecks the tyre tread depth and updates the findings in theinspection report. It is much easier to measure when the car is in ahoist in a lifted position as opposed to a drive-by oil change.Otherreasons for tyre replacementtyretread-wear is not the sole reason why you might have to replace thetyre. Sometimes, tyres might have to be changed if there are cuts,budges, cracks, sidewall punctures, or any other damage that might bedeemed unsafe. If you ended up driving the vehicle after the tyregot a puncture, this could potentially damage the tyre and need to bereplaced. Other common instances that require tyre replacement arewhen the tyre wears out unevenly when nails stick to the sidewall andrubber shavings are present on the inside.Youmight then ask the question: If none of the above reasons for tyrereplacement is present, should the tyres be replaced just becausethey are older? The answer is Yes! Even if the tyre tread depth is ingood standing, the material used to make the tyre degrades over time.The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) recommendschanging tyres once they become more than 6-10 years old, even ifwear has not happened. To tell how old your vehicles tyres are,check the tyre Identification number or DOT. For tyres produced after2000, the last 4 digits of the Identification number denote the weakand year.Canyou use different tyre brands?Yes,you can opt for different tyre brands than the ones your vehicle camewith. You can customize your tyre selection according to the terrainand conditions that you are planning to drive. This way you canoptimize the tyre choice to suit the intended usage. For instance,for drivers wanting to go on a spirited drive, switching to tyreswith better handling is preferred" ]