My car is 4 years old. her 4th birth day will be on June 2010, I have never changed any tire before and I was adviced by couple of my friends to change the tires as they have worked for about 96000 kilometers and it is time to change them…
Changing them all will cost about 1600 Saudi Riyals which is almost 420 Dollars… since it is this expensive, I started wondering is it really important to change them or no??
thanks for your replies beforehand
Doctor, The Tires Will Need to Be Inspected .
Tires have “wear bars” incorporated in the rubber on the tread that help determine the minimum safe amount of tread left. Since this is a minimum recommendation, many people choose to change them before that level of wear, especially people who drive in snow or heavy rain conditions.
Besides the wear bars other factors determine whether or not replacement is necessaary. The tires need to be checked for even wear and any signs of cracking due to age or the kind of life they’ve had (driven low on pressure / flat, type of driving, type of roads, etcetera) .
Changing them now would be desirable, except for the cost, but you might have some life left in them. Each case is different and they need to be checked by somebody who knows what to look at concerning tires and tire condition.
CSA
While you may need new tyres, there is nothing in the information you provided that would indicate the need for new tyres.
Miles do not mean much, but wear does and wear can be measured. In fact there is a measurement built into your tyres. There are wear bars on the tyres, when the tread is worn down even with the wear indicators, it is time for new tyres. Four years is not really too old for a tyre under most conditions.
I suggest you find a trusted mechanic or tyre dealer to check them for you. If they say the tyres are fine, then you know two things. The tyres are OK and chances are the dealer or mechanic is also OK.
Or do it yourself, see instructions here:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=51
Dear CSA
Thanks very much for your informative reply…
this is the first time i heard about this inspection procedure…
I always thought you can only know that you tire is not okay is by getting a flat tire !!
but I will inspect them and see may be I wont have to change them all or at least i will change one or two
thanks again,
Aws…
Tire are usually replaced in pairs with the best tires on the rear…if you have a AWD you may have to replace all four…which maybe the best thing to do …check your manual or with your mechanic…
This is misleading advice. It’s best to have matching tread on all four tires. If the tires are properly rotated, then all four tires are normally worn out and replaced at the same time.
In view of the age and where you live, I would replace all 4 tires. In our country people often drive till the tires literally fly apart, not a smart idea, but they count of the Automobile Asssociation to come to the rescue.
I’ve worked in the Middle East and outside the cities you need all the assurance of reliable performance you can get. The extremely high daytime temperatures are very hard on tires, and 96,000 KM is about all I would expect from a good set of tires.
So, for your own safety and that of your passengers, please replace them all now with a good set. The price quoted is very reasonable. The last set I put on my Nissan were more than that.
Make sure the tires are properly balanced the you wheel alingment OK. If the old tires are unevenly worn, it could mean the alignment is off.