When to Get New Tires

Why Should I Check My Tires?

Your tires affect your vehicle’s stopping distance, handling, and traction. If your tires are in poor condition, your vehicle will need more distance to stop, won’t respond as quickly as if they were in good condition, and will reduce your traction on the road and slippery surfaces. Having tires in good condition is important year-round but especially as we head into fall and winter months.

Here is an illustration of how much distance you need to stop depending on your tire tread.

When Do I Need New Tires?

To check the tread of your tire, use the Quarter Test. The tread should never fall below 1/16th of an inch. You should replace them at 4/32nds of an inch.

How Do I Take Care of My Tires?

To extend the life of your tires, you should regularly service your vehicle and have your repair shop inspect them.

You should also check your tire pressure regularly. You should make sure your tire pressure is at the manufacturer’s recommended PSI. You can find this on the sticker inside the driver’s door jamb, or in the owner’s manual. Do not go off the PSI listed on the tire. That is the tire’s maximum PSI and is not what you should inflate your tires to.

Cold weather does cause the pressure in your tires to drop, but you should not overinflate your tires to compensate for that. You should keep your tires at the recommended PSI. As the tires warm up when driving, the PSI will get higher.

What Tires Should I Buy?

Most new cars come with All-Season tires. These are made for all weather. They are good for mild winters, but they will not perform as well as winter tires in snow and ice.

Winter tires have a more aggressive tread pattern to grip the ice, snow, and the road when wet. If you do get winter tires, replace all four tires. Mixing Winter and All-Season tires will unbalance your vehicle and the tires won’t grip the same.

If your tires are worn down, you should replace all four at the same time. If only one or two are worn down, you can replace those specifically.

If you have any questions or would like to replace your tires, reach out to your local service shop.