Hey all, How can I tell when I need new tires? My husband and I are arguing about whether the tread is too worn - he says they look okay at the edge but are . He says that if they are bad and we don’t fix them the tire could suddenly pop on the highway and we’ll swerve outa control - is this really the worse case scenario?
Are the tires worn to the point that the wear bars are even with the tread anywhere on the tire? Even if they’re close, it’s time, you need tread to reduce hydroplaning. Look at this picture for the wear bars - I’d replace if they’re this close: http://shockerboys.20.forumer.com/templates/AdInfinitum/resizefix.php?originalsize=http://www.heeltoeauto.com/files/tech/tirewear/images/IMG_0468.jpg
How much worse do you want?? If the tread is too worn the car won’t handle well…especially in bad weather. The old rule-of-thumb (which still applies). Is use a penny. Insert so Lincolns head is upside down. If you can see the top of his head you don’t have enough tread.
If you guys are arguing I would stop by a local mechanic and ask them. Getting a professional opionion should resolve the dissagreement. There is a small possiblity the tire might blow if the tread gets worn, but the real danger is the loss of traction during rain or snow. The worst feeling in the world is turning you steering wheel in the rain and the car just keeps going straight.
Thanks for the feeback!!! We’ll take another look. My husband is outa work so we are just trying to only spend on what is REALLY needed. Under normal circumstances i wouldn’t question replacing them…
“he says they look okay at the edge but are.”
Are…what? I am going to guess that you meant to say something on the order of “they are okay at the edges, but are worn in the center portion of the tread”. Am I correct? Going on that supposition, that would appear to indicate that the tires were chronically overinflated.
Ideally, tires should be evenly worn across the entire surface of the tread. Overinflation leads to excessive wear in the center portion of the tread. Underinflation leads to excessive wear on the edges of the tread. Bad alignment leads to various bad wear patterns, including “scalloping” of the tread. When any portion of the tread is excessively worn, you are more subject than normal to any or all of the following situations:
Punctures
Loss of traction in wet conditions
Unpredictable handling characteristics
Hydroplaning
Blow-outs (“popping on the highway”)
How do you know if the tread is excessively worn? If the wear indicators (essentially bars running across the tread) are even with the tread in any portion of the tread, then the tires are due for replacement.
Ultimately, your ability to steer the car, to stop it, and to control it under all conditions depends on a very small “contact patch” of rubber in contact with the road surface. Once the tread is worn in any portion of the tread, this reduces the tire’s traction on that very small patch.
Worn tires are a safety hazard–both to you and your passengers and to those driving near you. If you were to get into an accident and your tires are deemed to be faulty, that would automatically place additional liability for the accident’s cause on you, and that is not good.
Do yourself and everyone else a favor and replace these tires sooner, rather than later.
If you see wear bars replace them. There are many inexpensive and decent tires on the market that are far safer than nearly worn out ones. Brands such Kumho and usually store/house brands(rebaged Coopers) tend to work real well for budgets.
The worse case scenario is not that you’ll swerve outa control, the worse case scenario is that you’ll swerve outa control, crash into a school bus full of handicapped children, it catches on fire, and subsequently the bus careens into an orphanage playground full of a preschoolers and takes out not only them, but a hundred other children sitting around the adjacent auditorium full of potential loving, adoptee parents. THAT, MY FRIEND is, if not the, at least a worse case scenario.