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When the tread depth gets too low or your tires hit the six-year mark, it's time for new rubber.
By
Whitney Vandiver
Whitney Vandiver
Writer | Car ownership, car maintenance
Whitney Vandiver writes for NerdWallet about ways car owners can save money on ownership and maintenance. She previously wrote in the oil and gas industry, where she was published in national journals and international magazines. Whitney became a writer out of enjoyment and finds stories that highlight or help the LGBTQ+ community the most rewarding to craft. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading and walking with her Irish wolfhound. She is based in Houston.
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Updated
Edited by Julie Myhre-Nunes
Julie Myhre-Nunes
Assistant Assigning Editor | Auto loans, consumer credit
Julie Myhre-Nunes is an assistant assigning editor at NerdWallet. She has been working in the personal finance space for more than 10 years. Before joining NerdWallet, Julie oversaw editorial teams at NextAdvisor, Red Ventures and Quote.com. Her personal finance insight has been featured on Forbes, The Boston Globe and CNBC throughout the years.
Julie’s writing has been published by USA Today, Business Insider and Wired Insights, among others. Email: [email protected].
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
While the consensus across the auto industry is that you should consider replacing your tires at least every six years, there’s no magic number for how often you should replace them.
Tires become unsafe when tread becomes too thin, rubber is degraded by time and temperature or their sidewalls are damaged. A flat is an inconvenience, but a blowout or sketchy grip can lead to an accident.
Although tires can be a substantial expense for a car owner to handle at one time, wear and tear — and their replacement — is mostly predictable.
Here’s a rundown of how to determine if your tires need to be replaced and common signs that your tires aren’t up to par.
Tires have grooves known as tread that help them grip the road. While most new tires have a tread depth around 10/32nds of an inch, the tread wears down over time. This makes it more difficult to steer your vehicle, reduces traction and increases braking time.
The U.S. Department of Transportation deems tires that have tread at or below 2/32nds of an inch to be unsafe. While your tire technically has enough tread to drive at this point, it can be dangerous to drive your car in certain conditions or for long distances.
There are three ways to figure out your tires’ tread depth:
Tread wear indicators are built into tires and are raised, evenly spaced sections in the grooves of your tire tread. On new tires, they are not as high as the tread. However, when the tread reaches the same level as the indicators, it means it’s time to replace the tires.
Tire tread gauges are relatively cheap tools that let you measure your tread in thirty-seconds of an inch. This will show you the exact measurement of your tire tread.
The penny test lets you estimate tread depth based on where the tread hits a penny. To do this test, take a penny, turn it upside-down, and insert it straight down in the groove of a tire’s tread. Look straight on at the penny to determine where the tread hits President Lincoln’s profile. If you can see his entire head, you’ve hit the mark and need new tires.
Regardless of how many miles they’ve driven, tires degrade over time and become more prone to failure. Factors like environmental conditions, storage and maintenance can influence how long a tire will last even if it’s only driven a few hundred miles a month.
While there’s no set requirement for when to replace tires according to age, the general recommendation is to replace them six years after the manufacture date and to never drive on tires that are older than 10 years.
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Of course there are other times when your tires are telling you it’s time for replacement despite what your tread measurement might say.
You moved to a new climate. Some tires are designed for specific conditions such as extreme temperatures. Winter tires, for example, have deeper tread and are meant to be more flexible in cold weather; driving them on warm pavement can wear them down more quickly. If you move to a new climate, pay attention to road conditions and weather patterns to determine if you need different tires.
You’re losing traction. If it feels like your car is slipping or sliding during wet weather, this could be a sign of low tire tread that is failing to channel water away effectively. Because tire tread can wear unevenly, you might not notice that some of your tread has worn thin and is affecting your traction.
Most modern cars activate a warning light when your car loses traction. If you are seeing this warning light more frequently as time goes on, check the condition of your tires.
Your tires aren’t holding pressure like they should. Certain types of tire damage, including debris between the rim and the tire and damage to the sidewall, can cause continuous pressure loss. Some damage might be repairable, but some situations will call for new tires.
🤓Nerdy Tip
An average of 2% air loss in tires is common for every drop of 10 degrees in outside temperature. So don’t worry if your tire pressure varies a bit when it starts to get colder outside.
Frequently asked questions
How long do tires last on average?
On average, tires last about six years or between 36,000-75,000 miles. But the actual lifespan of tires varies with factors like climate, maintenance and driving habits. No matter how they look, tires should never be used longer than 10 years.
When should I really replace my tires?
You should consider replacing your tires when the tread has worn down below the recommended depth of 2/32nds of an inch or they’re over six years old. You might also need to replace your tires if you notice changes in how your tires perform. Losing traction and constantly having to air them back up are common issues with worn out tires.
Should you replace all four tires at once?
If you drive an all-wheel drive vehicle, you’ll likely need to replace all four tires at the same time to avoid affecting the vehicle’s drivetrain. In other types of vehicles, you have more options. If you’re needing to replace a damaged tire and the other tires still have substantial tread and are in good shape, you can replace just the one tire. Talk with a tire specialist about the best way to go about replacing tires if you’re unsure.
How often should you replace tires if you don’t drive much?
All tires will start to deteriorate over time.
Even if they have very little mileage on them, their tread will start to become thinner. So while you might get more than the average five to six years out of a tire, always replace tires before they hit their 10-year anniversaries regardless of how often you drive.
About the author: Whitney Vandiver is a writer at NerdWallet currently focusing on car ownership and maintenance. She's previously written about small business and payments. Read more
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Maybe you got a used car a few years ago or maybe you recently purchased a new car. No matter the situation, as a car-owner you may be wondering, how often should you replace your tires? When you should replace your tires differs slightly from vehicle to vehicle and driver to driver.
However, there are a few standards that should help you determine when to change your tires next.
When and how often you should change your tires depends on a few factors. When thinking about replacing your tires, ask yourself these questions:
Along with the answers from above, there are a few pieces of information you can grab from your vehicle to help determine the next time you should replace your tires. The following should only take a few minutes to find out.
Most car experts will tell you to change your tires every 6 years or so. If you are constantly driving, you may need to change your tires earlier. Likewise, if you don’t drive often you can get away with a few extra years.
For a car that you bought new, you can easily bet on changing your tires 6 years after your purchase. For used cars, you’ll likely need to look at the date printed on the tire.
To see when your tires were manufactured, look for a four-digit number sequence on the outside of the tire. This will tell you the week of the year in which they were made. For example, 1112 means that the tires were made in the 11th week of 2012.
Another good rule of thumb when it comes to tire replacement is to replace your tires every 25,000-50,000 miles. In most cars, you can check your total mileage on the dashboard.
Aside from time and mileage, you can always check if your tires look like they need to be replaced. To do so, get a quarter and insert it headfirst into the center of the tire tread. If Washington’s head is even with the tread, your tires are safe, but you need to get them replaced soon.
Doing the same trick with a penny, if Lincoln’s head is even with the tread, hopefully, you have some money saved up because you need to change your tires ASAP.
Another physical test to see if it’s time for a tire replacement is to be mindful of how your car feels when you are driving. Does the steering wheel feel smooth when driving, or does it vibrate or veer to one side over the other. If it does any of the latter, consider getting your tires changed.
While there are steps you can take to expand the lifespan of your tires, when they are worn out, you need to replace them. You can’t put off changing your tires, as it is a safety risk to you and other vehicles on the road. Old tires can affect the way your car breaks and stops, which can lead to accidents. Be a responsible car owner and replace your tires when needed.
All car owners need to be on top of replacing their tires. How often should you replace your tires? It might vary from person to person, but there are standards in place to determine tire health.
Is your car due for a tire replacement? Then check out Christian’s Tire Shop. We have all the name brands you could possibly want, right here in Albuquerque.
Car tires - an elastic shell mounted on a disc rim. It is the tires that dampen the small vibrations that occur due to imperfect roads and compensate for the inconsistency in the trajectories of the wheels. The characteristics of tires affect: driving comfort, maneuverability and vehicle stability. However, even the highest quality rubber eventually deteriorates. Therefore, every driver should know how to correctly determine the degree of tire wear in order to replace them in time. Car and truck tires have different periods of use, depending on both the initial characteristics of the products and the operating conditions.
Tires wear out not only due to operational loads.
They are characterized by natural aging, since the rubber compound from which the tires are made gradually loses its elasticity and resilience. The use of such rubber leads to a deterioration in vehicle controllability and creates dangerous conditions due to the high probability of tire rupture on the way.
In accordance with GOSTs 4754-97 and 5513-97, the warranty period for car tires is 5 years. Foreign manufacturers claim that the service life of tires is 5-10 years. There are no legislative acts obliging drivers to change tires after this period, but in order to create safe driving conditions, the driver must take into account the recommendations of GOST. Manufacturers usually set their own warranty periods.
Michelin, Bridgestone, Nokian, Continental, Dunlop, Pirelli, Yokohama:
| Brand | Warranty period declared by the manufacturer |
| Bridgestone | Tire dependent - 3-6 years |
| Nokian
| 5 years |
| Continental | 10 years old |
| Dunlop | Tire dependent |
| Pirelli | Tire dependent |
| Yokohama | 5 years |
| Michelin | 10 years old |
During the warranty period, the responsibility for identified significant defects rests with the manufacturer.
The owner of the vehicle will be forced to eliminate defects on his own if there have been:
If the vehicle is used intensively, it may be necessary to replace the tires before the end of the warranty period.
Therefore, regulatory documents establish the mileage after which you should think about replacing tires.
The maximum standard mileage is:
The actual rate of tire wear may differ from the standard values due to a whole list of factors, such as:
Low-quality products under the influence of abrasive particles wear out very quickly. You can determine the need for tire replacement yourself by the following signs:
Table of minimum allowable tread depth for different modes of transport as amended on 01.01.2015
| Minimum allowable remaining tread depth | Type of transport |
| 0.8 mm | L - motorcycles, mopeds, quad bikes |
| 1. | N2, N3, O3, O4 - trucks with a maximum permissible mass of more than 3.5 tons and trailers with a maximum permissible mass of more than 3.5 tons |
| 1.6 mm | M1, N1, O1, O2 - cars, trucks and trailers with a maximum authorized mass of less than 3.5 tons |
| 2.0 mm | M2, M3 - buses |
| 4.0 mm | Winter tires marked M+S, M&S, M S, the residual tread depth does not depend on whether tires are installed on cars or trucks |
If it does not exceed 50% of the original value, then the tires must be replaced. Important! If the outer edges of the tire wear faster, the internal pressure is insufficient. Accelerated wear of the central part indicates excessive pressure. Wear on one side indicates a violation of the toe angle. Uneven surface wear is evidence of aggressive driving with rapid acceleration and hard braking.
You can extend the life of your tires by doing the following:
Normative document regulating the terms and conditions of tire storage - GOST 24779-81.
However, it is believed that when standard storage conditions are created, after 5 years of storage, tires retain the characteristics corresponding to the properties of a new product. If this period is exceeded, product characteristics may decrease.
Basic requirements for a room intended for storage of tires:
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Driving comfort, handling and safety level depend on the technical condition of tires. Car tires provide traction to the car in various climatic and road conditions. blog.ship-ship.ru
Driving comfort, handling and safety level depend on the technical condition of tires. Car tires provide traction to the car in various climatic and road conditions.
The tread is the outer layer of the tire.
It comes into contact with the road, creates a contact patch and provides traction. The tread pattern differs in volume, consists of blocks, grooves, lamellas of a certain depth.
The tread is responsible for the grip of the wheels on dry, wet, snowy and icy roads. It removes water, dirt and snow from the contact patch. The system of blocks and grooves prevents the effect of hydroplaning, when a water cushion forms between the wheel and the road during rain.
The degree of wear of the tire tread affects the handling, maneuverability, stability of the car, and the length of the braking distance. There are requirements for the depth of the tread pattern. If the outer layer of the tire is worn out, then it is changed.
It is important to understand that worn tires are not able to cope with the tasks:
One of the wheels may be above the road surface. Tread wear is the main cause of deterioration in braking quality, poor handling and directional stability. At the same time, worn tires show equally unstable behavior on any type of road surface in rain, snow or dry weather.
Winter and summer tires differ in thickness, composition of the rubber compound, the number, shape and size of blocks and grooves. The selection of tires depends on the make and model of the car, body type and class, climatic and road conditions (city, highway, country roads, off-road), speed limit and driving style.
The new tires have deep grooves and numerous sipes that provide excellent traction. Manufacturers produce winter tires with three types of tread:
Spikes are used for driving on roads and ice that have not been cleared of snow.
The spikes bite into the ice crust and split it, providing excellent traction. But when driving on dry asphalt, the spike loses its working properties.
Velcro friction tires are suitable for driving on a dry clean road, melted and shallow snow, mud. The main difference between Velcro is the presence of lugs, special grip edges that increase the stability of the wheels on wet road surfaces.
Scandinavian tires are used in the conditions of the northern regions, which are characterized by extreme sub-zero temperatures and snowfalls. The main difference between the Scandinavian tread is wide sipes, massive numerous blocks cut by grooves.
In modern tire models, the tread height is 9-12 mm. The permissible wear level here will be from 4 to 6 mm. If the wear 'threshold' passes, the tire is changed regardless of how long it lasts.
Important: The tread of a winter tire is always 3-4 mm higher than the summer model.
The depth of the Scandinavian tire pattern should also be sufficient - at least 8-9 mm.
The need for replacement will also be indicated by special indicators located at the base of the tire.
The tread depth of summer tires is 6-8 mm. The minimum tread wear must be at least 1.6 mm.
The tread pattern must be clearly legible. Otherwise, the traction and grip properties of the wheels deteriorate, the tires cannot effectively remove water and dirt from the contact patch, and the effect of aquaplaning is possible.
For sports cars, the tread height is 12 mm. For SUVs, the height indicator increases by another 5 mm.
According to the rules of the road, the maximum allowable tread wear is:
8 mm. The residual wear of the tread for minibuses and buses designed to carry more than 8 passengers is 2 mm.
In order not to get into an emergency on the road, the car owner should periodically check the wear of the tread pattern. This can be done in the following ways:
Take a measuring tool with a depth gauge - a caliper. Pull out the depth gauge, rest its nose against the base of the drawing. The caliper should rest against the top of the rubber.
You will see readings on a mechanical or electronic scale. If the value for summer tires is less than 1.6 mm, such tires need to be replaced urgently. For winter, this figure will be below 4 mm.
To make the reading as accurate as possible, measurements are taken from the base of the figure. It should be smooth, without protrusions.
Take a coin with a face value of two rubles.
Put it in the groove. If the ‘meter’ deepened to the word ‘ruble’, the residual depth is 4 mm. If the word 'ruble' has disappeared - the depth is 6 mm. But if the protector hid only the beginning of the 'wreath', then 2 mm of the pattern remained. In this case, play it safe and replace the tires.
The ‘coin’ method is inaccurate and allows you to find out the approximate depth. It is used before passing the inspection or when buying tires with mileage.
Manufacturers today offer tires with special wear indicators. This is a special part of the drawing: it differs in color, shape, size.
On the surface of tires you can find the following indicators:
Tires don't always wear evenly. Car owners often face such a problem, and here are its main reasons:
When inflating wheels, follow the manufacturer's recommendations. Neglect of this rule will lead to excessive pressure in the tires.
Increased pressure increases noise, increases damage, reduces handling.
If the wheels are poorly inflated, there is a deflection in the central part. Decreased acceleration, increased fuel consumption, increased turning radius.
Under normal pressure, the rubber wears evenly.
When a wheel hits a hole, the wheel alignment is knocked off the pothole.
Car owners are not always able to determine this malfunction on their own and in a timely manner. The indicator is - different wear of the tread.
Excessive camber angle (positive or negative) leads to abrasion of the rubber in the shoulder areas. The cover is bevelled. A car with such wheels cannot move in a straight line, and the driver has to constantly tighten the steering rack.
Excessive toe angle (positive or negative) results in a 'knocked down' tread. The drawing is assembled into an accordion, forming a bumpy, rib-like surface.
Due to defects in tires or rims, it is impossible to properly balance the wheels. Such a ‘malfunction’ leads to uneven wear, poor handling and vehicle stability.
The first sign of defective rubber is the appearance of shocks, the beating of the steering column.
Suspension condition should be checked annually.
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