Let’s Talk About Tire Replacement

Your tires are some of the most important components of your vehicle because they’re the only parts of your car, truck, or SUV that actually come into contact with the road. As your tires silently serve you, absorbing imperfections in the road and gripping the asphalt, it’s sometimes hard to know when they need to be replaced.

Unless your tire is low on air pressure, it’s easy to miss the signs that you need new tires, and even easier to miss the symptoms of a bad tire. Let’s talk about tire replacement when you stop in at the Central Florida CDJR service center.

Tires Wear Down

If you’re wondering when to replace your tires, mileage is a major factor, along with your driving habits. As the miles on your tires rack up, the tread wears down. If your tire tread wears down below 2/32 of an inch, your tires can’t grip the road effectively, and result in increased stopping distance, decreased handling and more. While worn tires may not sound like an urgent issue, they could mean the difference between an accident and a near miss.

While the official way to check your tread depth is with a dread depth gauge, an age-old way to see if your tires have enough grip is to conduct the “Penny Test”. Simply take a penny, and place it within the grooves of your tires. If you can see Lincoln’s head, then it’s time for tire replacement.

Tires Expire?

Even if you don’t put a lot of miles on your vehicle, your tires will still need eventual replacement. Though it may seem strange, your tires actually have an expiration date. It’s recommended that you replace your tires six years after their manufacture date, and strongly recommended that your tires be replaced before the ten year mark.

As tires age, their compounds dry out, reducing their ability to flex and absorb impact. This increases the chances of a blowout, which would lead to an accident. Old tires may appear gray or discolored, and may even feature tiny cracks in the tread or sidewalls.

To check the age of your tires, look along the sidewalls for a series of numbers that start with the letters “DOT”; this stands for Department of Transportation. Skip to the last four numbers; this is the date of manufacturing for this particular tire. The first two of these four numbers stand for the week of the year that the tires were made, while the last two numbers represent the year. For example, 3620 would mean that the tires were made on the 36th week of 2020.

Enjoy All Your Tire Needs in One Place

Here at Central Florida Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM, we feature a brilliant tire shop that can fit your vehicle with the right set of tires. Keeping the most popular tire manufacturers in stock, you can always ensure that we’ve got the perfect tires to fit your vehicle.

Always providing outstanding customer service, we offer all of our tire services that your vehicle will ever need. Whether you need your tires rotated, you need your winter tires installed, or you need a simple patch, our experts are here to get the job done.

Schedule an appointment today with our team and trust all of your tire needs to Central Florida Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM.