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Buying new tires can be a daunting experience. You face a bewildering array of brands, sizes and tire types to choose from, so it's easy to be confused. But don't worry: this guide will provide you with the essential facts you need to in order to make the right tire choice for your vehicle at the price you want to pay.
Before you buy, you'll need to know the answers to the following questions:
Already know about tires and just want our top picks? Our favorites in each category are listed below. Further down, you'll find more information about all-season, summer, and winter tires plus our top alternative picks in each category.
Best All-Season Tire
$127 at tirerack.com
Best Summer Tire
$241 at Tire Rack
Best Winter Tire
$104 at discounttire.com
Is our top pick unavailable in the size you need? Looking for a fast, easy way to sort through the dozens of alternatives? Then go to Tire Rack's Tire Decision Guide. The company says it'll have a list of appropriate alternative choices for you in two minutes or less. The tirerack.com site is also deep with important consumer data, including tire warranties, treadwear guarantees, and tire-test results.
$150 at Tire Rack
$138 at tirerack.
com
$235 at Tire Rack
The vast majority of vehicles today come with all-season tires, which are designed to provide acceptable all-around capability throughout the year and in all weather conditions. That means a reasonable ride and respectable handling, quiet running, good wet-weather grip, and some capability in snow. Given their all-season designation, most car owners leave them on in winter and expect that their tires will deliver all the traction they need on snowy, icy roads. But most all-season tires are marginal in snow; dedicated winter tires, also known as snow tires, provide far better traction when the snow falls.
There are now two main sub-categories of all-season tires: high-performance all-seasons and grand touring all-seasons. High-performance all-season tires provide sharper handling than "standard" all-season tires. They grip the road more confidently and feel more sporty to drive—usually at the expense of some winter-weather traction.
These tires are intended for sportier cars and more-aggressive drivers. Grand touring all-season tires have the lower-profile look of high-performance all-season tires but ride better at the price of some handling ability.
Recently, a subset of grand touring all-season tires has emerged that we call “all-weather” tires. These tires feature snow traction that almost comparable to that of pure winter tires while offering similar performance in other areas as conventional all-season tires. They are designated by a snowflake-within-a-mountain symbol on the tire's sidewall.
Summer Tires$160 at Tire Rack
$195 at Tire Rack
$211 at Tire Rack
This term is a misnomer, as this type of tire should rightly be called "three-season" rubber.
Summer tires are designed specifically to deliver dry- and wet-weather traction in moderate or warm weather. They sharpen steering response, increase cornering traction by an order of magnitude, and stop your vehicle in much less distance. But they do so at a cost: most summer tires only work well at temperatures of about 40 degrees Fahrenheit and above. As outside temps fall toward freezing, the tires can feel skittish and behave inconsistently; they lose a large portion of their grip to the point that they act like they are on a wet or even icy road. More than one driver of a powerful car, unaware of the temperature sensitivity of its summer tires, has lost control and crashed on a cold day.
As with all-season tires, summer rubber comes in several varieties. Tire Rack divides these tires into three main groups by escalating capability: ultra-high performance on the bottom rung, followed max performance and extreme performance. Summer tires come on cars such as Porsches, Corvettes, Mercedes-AMGs, and Mustangs.
$166 at Tire Rack
$180 at Tire Rack
$270 at Tire Rack
Called "snow tires" in the past, winter tires are designed to provide maximum traction in snow and in slippery winter conditions—and the traction they provide in those situations is not matched by any other category of tire. Even an all-wheel-drive vehicle on all-season tires cannot match the stopping or turning capability of a similar two-wheel drive vehicle fitted with four winter tires, a point we have proven in our own winter-tire testing.
Winter tires are designed to work well in the cold-weather months, but they don't handle or wear as well as all-season or summer tires once the weather warms up. They should be considered as a second set of tires for your vehicle if you live where snow flies annually.
We fit all of our long-term test vehicles with winter tires and they've proven their worth many times over.
Why use winter tires? If you live in the northern states, we recommend purchasing a set of winter tires. Their deep treads are engineered to deliver a significant traction improvement, and do they ever work. You'll feel safer and be safer, not to mention more relaxed when driving in snow. Retailers such as Tire Rack will sell you a set of snows mounted on steel wheels that you can swap on when winter rolls around. Here at Car and Driver, we swear by them.
Tire Size and Other Factors
Most consumers choose to replace the worn tires on their vehicle with something equivalent in size and capability. This makes a lot of sense; your car was engineered to work well on the type and size of tires it came on, so fitting an identical or similar replacement set would maintain the performance and safety your vehicle was designed to deliver.
(We'll get to upgrading later on).
To inform your decision process, you'll need to know your vehicle's tire size and speed rating, and you'll also want to consider how many miles you'll get out of any new tires you are considering (this is called tread wear). Much of that information is printed on the sidewalls of the tires that are on your car right now. It's also available in most owner's manuals, online, and at tire dealers. (We suggest cross-checking those sources to make sure you've got the right information.)
Here's how to read the most important data imprinted on your tires' sidewalls. (For an in-depth look at how to read all of the information on a tire sidewall, click here.)
KEY: 1) Tire width; 2) Aspect ratio; 3) Radial-tire designation; 4) diameter; 5) Load rating with speed rating; 6) Heaviest spot on tire; 7) Tread-wear rating; 8-9) Traction and temperature ratings; 10-11) Mud-and-snow or three-peak-mountain rating; 12) Vehicle-specific marking; 13) Tire-materials list and manufacturing information
Tire SizeIf you're going to replace your tires with something equivalent, you will need to know the proper size.
The size of car and light truck tires is usually expressed in a short series of numbers and letters that read like this (as seen in the above illustration): 245/40-R18. The first number indicates the width of the tire at its widest point in millimeters. The number after the slash is what's called the aspect ratio, which indicates how tall the sidewall is as a percentage of the width. The higher the number, the taller the sidewall. The squat tires fitted to sports cars and muscle cars, called low-profile tires, have aspect ratios of 30–40. Family sedans and SUVs are in the 45-60 range or taller. The final number in the series is the diameter of the wheel in inches that the tire must mount to. The "R" indicates it's a radial tire, which virtually all of today's tires are.
Tires also carry a speed rating, which indicates not only how fast they can safely go for an extended period of time, but also the overall performance potential of the tires.
Tires for high-performance cars have a higher speed rating than those for mainstream family sedans and SUVs. The speed rating of the original tires that came on your car were matched to the maximum speed the car could attain—plus a significant built-in safety margin. This speed rating is expressed as a letter in the alpha-numeric code that immediately follows the tire size. Letters range from L to Y, and cover maximum speed ranges from 75 mph to more than 186 mph.
The are two pieces of data that will help you estimate how many miles you can expect from a set of tires: the tread-wear rating and the tire mileage warranty. The tread wear rating is listed as a number on the tire sidewall after the word "treadwear". The higher this number, the more likely the tire will last longer. But the tests that are used to determine treadwear aren't precise, so there is a lot of variability in this number.
A better way to gauge potential tire life, and to compare the expected longevity of different tires you might be considering, is to look at the manufacturers' tread-life warranties.
Many but not all tires carry a tread-life warranty in addition to manufacturing-quality/defect warranties. This information can be found online (like this example from tirerack.com), or in the tire maker's marketing materials. The industry's general rule is that about three-quarters of all drivers will find that their tires last at least last as long as the mileage listed in the tread life warranty. Generally, if your tires wear out before the guaranteed mileage bogey, you can get a credit for the percentage of miles you came up short, which you can then apply to the purchase of a new tire. (Tire dealers routinely handle this transaction.)
Numerous automakers fit their cars with run-flat tires from the factory. These tires are capable of driving for short distances at low speeds even after a puncture has left them without air, allowing you to reach home or a repair facility without needing to change a flat on the side of the road.
If your vehicle came on run-flats you have the option of replacing them with conventional tires and carrying a spare (but beware that some cars fitted with run-flats actually do not have a trunk compartment for a spare). Or, you can replace your worn run-flats with another set of run-flats. And now that tire-pressure monitoring systems are compulsory equipment in new cars, you could even fit run-flats on a car that didn’t originally come with them.
Run-flat tires do have downsides. Their stiff sidewalls, which are required to hold the tire up when deflated, tend to make the car ride noticeably harder over rough pavement, but tire tech is continually improving and run-flats aren’t nearly the penalty they were a decade ago. Choice is also more limited than with conventional tires and run-flats are premium-priced.
In general, we'd recommend swapping to conventional tires and carrying a spare or mini-spare if possible.
There's one more decision you need to make: do you simply replace the tires on your vehicle with something equivalent, or upgrade?
If you're going to replace what came on the car with something equivalent, you're ready to go. Peruse the online resources like Tire Rack to compare tires, and then either buy from one of them or head to a local tire store. The advantage of buying online is that you can get the exact tires you want; different brick-and-mortar tire stores sell different brands of tires. The online retailers have relationships with the chain tire stores, which will mount the tires you bought on the internet on your wheels (for a small fee) even though you didn't buy them there.
Tire Rack has a decision guide to help you find the tires that fit your car.
This is more complicated than simply replacing your tires, as you have several ways to go. You can choose a higher-performance tire of the same size on your current set of wheels by substituting, say, a high-performance all-season tire for a standard all-season—if you can find one that fits exactly. Or you can choose a set of wider, lower-profile summer or high-performance all-season tires, but this is trickier. You need to know if the tires will fit without rubbing on the suspension or body parts—a definite safety issue. Here, consulting one of the experts at Tire Rack is a must, as they have this information for many cars. You can also try checking an online forum for your make and model of car (if one exists).
Many vehicles can be had from the factory with several different tire sizes—Honda Civics, for example, come with tires ranging from 215/55-R16 to 245/30ZR-20—so going to a larger-diameter wheel might work.
But know that fitting lower-profile rubber will almost always require a larger-diameter wheel. The outside diameter of your tires needs to remain constant; everything from your vehicle's suspension to its ground clearance to its gearing is affected by the overall size of the tires. As the sidewall gets slimmer, the wheel must grow to compensate. Use this size guide to see how switching to a lower-profile tire affects wheel diameter.
Wider, lower-profile higher-performance tires can also make the car ride rougher, wear faster, be noisier, and influence the steering, possibly causing you to have to make more steering corrections on the Interstate. Low-profile tires will also probably be more prone to damage from potholes, something we experienced with one of our long-term cars, which blew out a dozen of its low-profile tires in the course of 40,000 miles on our rutted Michigan roads. And they'll almost definitely be more expensive, plus you'll have to buy a new set of wheels.
You'll need to consider all of these issues carefully before you make the leap.
For everything you need to know about buying and maintaining tires, click here.
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One of the most important purchases as car owners is tires, as this is the vehicle’s most important safety feature. Let’s face it – after the often intimidating car buying experience, the last thing you want is a repeat when replacing your car’s tires. Here are 9 important tire buying tips to make the buying experience a little better.
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Growing up with my mechanic dad, believe me, I know the importance of good tires. It’s the only thing between you and the road. You and your family’s safety depends on good tires. Keeping them properly inflated saves fuel. Worn tread is not a good thing and can cause an accident. Yeah, yeah, check all that.
But if you’re like me, buying tires ranks right there with going to the dentist. You’d really rather do ANYTHING than make an appointment. You know you have to do it, but you put off the purchase until it’s perhaps the last minute.
Let’s remove the stress of the tire buying process with these 9 secrets you should know about buying tires.
9 Tips for Buying Tires1. All tires are not created equalYes, tires can all look alike. They are round. They are made of rubber. They have treads. And they are perhaps THE most important safety feature of your vehicle. Just like shoes, tires are made by multiple companies including Bridgestone, Continental, Goodyear, Michelin, Hercules, Dunlop, Yokohama, and more.
And like designer shoes, choosing the right tire brand depends on so many facets of your vehicle and driving habits.
For example, if you live in the northeast, winter tires with its softer rubber designed to grip on a slippery surface will give you more traction in the snow. (You wouldn’t wear stilettos during a winter snow storm, right?) If your home is in Florida, winter tires wouldn’t make any sense, while summer tires (made of tougher, more rigid rubber) might last longer in the hot weather. The most popular tires are all season (all weather) which perform well in most driving situations.
Checking the tread on the Michelins; put a penny head-down into the tread and if you can’t see the top of Lincoln’s head, your tread is good. Photo: Scotty Reiss
2. Know when it’s time to replace your tiresYou don’t have to be an experienced auto mechanic to know enough to be safe. Take time to LOOK at your tires – all 5 of them! Yes, it’s important to check your spare, too.
Do they look, worn or damaged? Do they pass the penny test? Insert a penny into the tire tread with Lincoln’s head pointing toward the center of the tire. If its head isn’t partially hidden by the tire, the tire needs to be replaced. And it’s okay to confirm your results and have your tires checked by a professional.
Perhaps the biggest mistake consumers make is choosing the right tire. And this is as easy as getting down and dirty to look at the code on the sidewall of your tire, a combination of letters and numbers. These indicate the size, type, and performance of the tire.
The first three-digit number in the tire size refers to the tire width. For example, my 2014 Ford Escape’s tire size is 235/45 R19 tire, the tire width is 235 millimeters, measured from sidewall to sidewall. Aspect Ratio is the ratio of the height of the tire’s cross-section to its width.
The two-digit number after the slash mark in a tire size is the aspect ratio.
For example, in a size 235/45 R19 tire, the 45 means that the height is equal to 45% of the tire’s width. The bigger the aspect ratio, the bigger the tire’s sidewall.
The letter “R” in a tire size stands for Radial, which means the layers run radially across the tire.
Wheel Diameter is the size of the wheel measured from one end to the other. This is the size of the wheel that the tire is intended to fit. A size 235/45 R19 tire is made for a wheel with a 19″ diameter.
While this may sound Auto Geek to you know, tire codes are important to know when pricing your new tires as it’s the unique descriptor.
Tire buying tips include getting down and looking at the tire codes on the sidewall. Photo: Pixabay.com
4. Size does matterWhen you do finally take the step to shop around (see below), most tire dealers will ask the make, model, and year of your car. But you may still have different size options as well. Your choices may include bigger tires fill the wheel well, or smaller less expensive tires.
Whatever your choice, make sure the tires fit the recommended speed rating; can handle your car up to a designated top speed; and can accommodate the weight of your car (load rating) + passengers and gear. Check your tire’s sidewalls for these codes, or simply open your owner’s manual.
Size does matter. Do your homework when buying new tires for your vehicle. Photo: Pixabay
5. Decide what you need from replacement tiresChances are you’ve been driving the car for some time. Think about your driving experience. Is something not up to par? Are you looking for a more comfortable ride? More steering control? Less noise? Longer wear? Tires that are standard with a new car are usually one size fits most, so if you feel, you might be better with a new brand, then ask your tire technician for your options when buying tires.
I recently replaced my car tires for the first time since purchasing my Ford Escape. The Continental tires worked great in the Colorado winter, driving in the mountains, and even on some off-road trips.
And they lasted over 40,000 miles. So if it’s not broke, then why change the tire brand?
Tire buying tips include considering your driving habits, such as if you’re a lover of road trips. Photo: Pixabay.com
6. Shop aroundJust like any consumer purchase, drivers have a lot of options. Go ahead and take the information you’ve gathered from above, and shop around. You can return to your dealership, although oftentimes this is the more expensive option. (NOTE: My Ford dealership actually offered to match any other tire quote, so ask them about price matching.)
For convenience, many consumers first consider their local tire shop or discount tire store. It’s often a matter of convenience and usually located closer to your home. Prices are usually reasonable, and I’ve discovered that the service managers or technicians are very helpful. Quotes are also as simple as a phone call or stopping by the store.
Or, you can order your tires through Amazon or a third party supplier like Tire Rack or Tirebuyer; these sites promise the lowest possible price and are great for people who have a favorite mechanic or can handle the installation themselves.
All season, summer or winter tires? What’s a girl to do? With these 9 simple tips for buying tires, you’ll know what to do. Photo: Pixabay.com
7. Read the reviewsTake all your options and quotes and start reading the reviews. See what the experts say about the tires. Expensive doesn’t always equal the best tires. Sometimes inexpensive tires wear as well as their premium competitors. But sometimes you do get what you pay for.
Subscription service like Consumer Reports separate tires into categories, such as braking, hydroplaning, tread life, ride comfort, and more. But there are so many reviews out there available simply at a click of a mouse – google your car, tire brands, etc. When you’ve read all the reviews, it’ll help you understand the differences, allow you to ask for what you want, and hone in on buying tires.
8. Decide what to spendGather your reviews and compare these to your quotes. Be sure to consider a warranty when buying tires.
The warranty gives you an idea of how many miles you should get out of the tires. On most cars, tires last three to four years (40,000 -80,000 miles), which is covered by the warranty, which means that you’ll get a discount toward the remaining mileage if a covered damage incident occurs. However, if you traditionally put a lot of miles on your car, consider adding hazard insurance, usually only $15-$20 per tire. Also, many of these local tire stores include complimentary tire rotations, flat repairs, and more, so be sure to ask!
Since tires can be a huge expense, consider financing options. On my recent tire purchase, I spent over $1,100 for 4 new tires. I had saved half of that, so instead of putting the balance on a credit card, I applied for Discount Tire’s 9 months same as cash financing program. I qualified! Just be sure to pay off the loan BEFORE the 9 months as the interest rates after the interest-free period are extremely high!
9. Purchase your tires with confidenceYou’ve done your homework.
You’ve shopped around. You’ve read the reviews. Prepared your budget. Now, go ahead and take the plunge!
With these 9 tips for buying tires, purchase your tires with confidence and take your car on the road.
Diana Rowe is a Denver-based freelance writer, with more than 16 years experience and hundreds of articles published both in print and online. As web editor of SheBuysCars, Diana credits her love of cars, motorcycles and speed to her Dad, a long-time gearhead (mechanic). FMI: www.DianaRowe.com and www.TravelingInHeels.com
Konstantin Ishchenko
experienced car enthusiast
The motorist's budget hits the hardest when you have to buy both summer and winter sets of tires within one year.
For example, the popular Nissan Qashqai is equipped with 225/45 R19 tires in the maximum configuration, a set of the middle price category will cost about 50,000 rubles.
But there is an option to save money and buy used tires. This article will tell you how to safely buy used tires and when you shouldn't.
Or the season has changed. We wrote in detail about how to assess the condition of tires and understand when they need to be changed in a separate instruction. Before you start looking for tires, it is important to be able to read their parameters.
The most important in this situation are the size, manufacturer and model of the tire.
If the task is to buy a set of four tires, then it is important to respect the size. If you have damaged one tire, you will have to look for exactly the same one: two wheels of the same axle must have tires with the same tread pattern, and this is possible only in the case of tires of the same model.
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How to save money on buying car tires and wheels?
Tire parameters important to look for: width, profile height and rim diameter Tire manufacturer and modelAccording to Avtostat, an average car in Russia drives 17,500 km per year. Let's take the average wear resistance of tires according to the Treadwear index - 320 and calculate how long a new set of summer tires could theoretically last.
Every 100 index units is 12,500 km, which means tires are rated for 40,000 km.
Assuming that the summer kit is used for 6 out of 12 months, the mileage for six months is 8750 km, and the kit is enough for 4.5 seasons.
If the annual mileage is 30,000 km, then the summer kit should wear out in 2.7 seasons. But I have not met people who change tires in the middle of the season: they either change them in the spring or drive them until autumn.
Judging by Yandex Market, the average popular tire 205/55 R16 costs 5500 R, which means that the set is 22 000 R. Let's round up 2.7 to three full seasons. One season costs Rs. pay more than 14,000 R. How to evaluate the tread depth on a used tire, we will tell a little later.
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These are very average values, but still usable. There is no perfect formula, operating conditions and driving style are very different.
Buying used tires will allow you not to get into a loan if a new set is too expensive.
Or it will help those who know for sure that at the end of the season they will change the car: there is no point in buying new tires for the next driver. However, the theoretical calculation does not take into account your travel time for the next purchase and the risks of buying a bad kit. If you plan to drive a car for at least two years, buy new tires.
At first glance, selling tires is illogical. Tires need to be worn out completely and then disposed of, but the market for used rubber is huge. It has several types of sellers with very different offers.
Companies that sell used tires from Europe and Japan. Despite the ban on the import of used rubber, which has been in effect in the Eurasian Customs Union since January 1, 2010, this business is booming. The main thing is to prove that tires are not hazardous waste and they are not imported for recycling. Therefore, on Avito and various sites, many offices offer used tires of various brands, sizes and models.
| Benefits | Defects |
|---|---|
| Huge selection of summer tires Advice available, professionals know their product Usually there is a tire service on site Safer online shopping. Many sell by bank transfer as a full-fledged online store Tire warranty until the first tire fitting, a defective tire will be changed to a good one or money will be returned | There is almost no choice of winter tires: no studded and little friction - Velcro. You can only buy "euro-winter" for mild climatic conditions. Consultation will not always be truthful and in the interests of the buyer. Everything is like on the market in the bad sense of the word Tires can be of the old year of manufacture |
Here are some of the advantages of specialized stores that sell used tires:
But there are also disadvantages:
Dealers and tire shops. They differ from the first ones in scale - they are much smaller, and also in that they trade at best on the scale of one city. Often the base for such activities is a tire shop. They buy cheaply at Avito or from tire fitting clients, sell more expensively at Avito or other tire fitting clients.
There are also not very pleasant scenarios: an unscrupulous tire fitting worker offers to dispose of a completely normal set of tires “out of friendship” and gets it for free. For another client, the same kit “very much nothing, two seasons will definitely pass” costs 15,000 rubles.
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A typical tire shop that sells rubber for emergency replacement of a damaged tire.
The choice is small, storage is not according to the rules: direct sunlight damages tires. But there are situations when there is no choice Individuals who sell unwanted tires for a variety of reasons. Here are the main ones:
| Advantages of | Defects |
|---|---|
| You can search for tires by car make and model, not just size With a little luck, you can make a super bargain | It will take a long time and carefully to choose among ads Many do not know what they are selling (mistakes in tire names, sizes and models are normal) A rare seller agrees to tire fitting in his presence, everything will have to be checked by himself and by hand Many scammers: they can offer to leave an advance payment and disappear or send an erased kit instead of what is in the ad No warranty on tires |
Here are some of the benefits of buying used tires from individuals:
But there are also disadvantages:
Universal ad platforms: Avito, Yula and others.
Here is the largest selection of used tires. Both private traders and professionals sell. Despite the convenient application and filters, it takes a lot of time to search. Don't expect every seller to list the model correctly. Bridgestone Potenza can become just "Bridge Stone" - and this is not the worst option.
You will have to scroll through a huge number of ads with completely worn-out tires that are only suitable for recycling. Unfortunately, no filters will save you from this. Looking for tires on Avito is like looking for a treasure: you have to dig a lot, and no one guarantees a reward, but some are lucky.
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Adjust the filter by size - so you will have more chances to find the tires you need You can no longer drive on such tires: they are worn out to the limit marks, this can be seen even in the photo. Plus, the sidewalls are very worn out. But the seller still thinks that he can get 3000 R for them Websites for car sales announcements: "Avto-ru" and "Drom".
There are few private ads here, mainly specialized stores operate on such sites.
Droma has the largest selection of used wheels and tires from Japan in the country. Drome offers a good customer protection service and acts as a guarantor of purchase: if they send you worn or damaged tires, the site will return the money. If everything is fine, they will be transferred to the seller.
At the time of writing the article on Avto-ru, there were only five private ads for the sale of tires of the common size 205/50 R17 throughout Russia. It makes no sense to look for tires from private traders on this site. Source: Avto-ruCar club sites: forums, chats, Drive-2 — places where representatives of car clubs communicate. Sometimes it can be difficult to find the site itself. This can be a group on Vkontakte, a chat on Telegram or WhatsApp.
There are fewer offers here, but they are more interesting, more likely to find a good set. It is not customary to post completely junk for sale in communities or to greatly inflate the price: the ad will be discussed, criticized, or even deleted altogether.
But don't forget about safety. You should not buy something without verification or send the entire amount to a stranger in another city. It is usually customary to ask a friend of a teammate to go look at the kit and make sure that the tires are sent. Here, as a rule, you can place your ad on the purchase of the necessary tires and wait for responses.
There is a flea market on Drive-2. It is not very popular, but it is worth looking into it: there are filters separately for disks, wheels and tires, you can specify the dimensions.
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Special online stores and car disassembly. In most cases, such sellers open an official representative office on Avito, but some sites are still working. They may have rare tires or a more interesting price. Large auto-dismantlers rarely sell tires - they mainly sell sets of wheels. The condition of the tires on the rims is most often mediocre: a car is not sent to scrap on good tires.
Tire shops and car services. It's hard to find interesting deals on tires here, it's not their business. Tires in a tire shop are usually bought in emergency cases: when one or more tires are damaged, but you need to somehow drive a couple of weeks to pay.
Price. Before buying used tires, it is better to check the price of new tires of the right size. Tires from young Chinese brands are very cheap, and the market for used tires is overheated and overpriced. It is impossible to unequivocally answer which is better: a new tire from an unknown manufacturer or a used tire from a well-known brand. But it is necessary to compare, study reviews and weigh everything.
At first glance, an excellent offer. A set of fresh tires 215/55 R17 with 20% wear for 18,000 R. But the indicated balance of 6 mm is about 30% wear. The remaining tread of the new tire is 8 mm, the tread limiter bar has a height of 1.
6 mm. The tire is worn 2 mm. Usable tread depth: 8 mm − 1.6 mm = 6.4 mm. 2mm from 6.4mm is 31% wear. Source: Avito But then it turns out that the new ones are very inexpensive. The remaining 6 mm is two-thirds of the tire resource, which means that buying such a kit costs no more than 16,000 R. Source: Yandex Market Manufacturer, model, size, indices and other features. Be sure to check all tire specifications - everything that is listed on the sidewall. The seller may not understand tires well or deliberately lie. Carefully inspect each tire. For example, you can accidentally buy a set of four tires, where three will be with runflat technology and one without it. If buying tires remotely, always ask for individual photos of each tire in full detail, or even better, a video.
Tire year. Among the advertisements of specialized stores, there are often tires that are more than 5 years old. Tires may have excellent tread residue, but it is better to refrain from such a purchase.
The older the tire, the worse its properties and the greater the chance of hidden damage: cracks, delaminations and ruptures.
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The tire release marking always looks like this: the first two digits are the week of production, the second two are the yearTread depth. It is not necessary to measure the residual depth "by eye", it is better to buy a special device or use a caliper. The standard tread depth of new summer car tires is 7-8 mm, winter tires are 8-10 mm.
About tires that are long overdue for disposal, they wrote above: summer tires less than 4 mm or winter tires less than 5 mm should not be bought "for the season", it is not safe.
Digital Tread Depth Gauge is a simple and cheap instrument. It will help to accurately measure the residual tread depth and adjust the price of a set of tires. Source: Yandex Market Tread condition, damage and repairs.
Do not buy tires with uneven tread wear. They will not be able to provide full drainage of water from the contact patch with the road, it is unsafe to ride them. Severe cuts or even the absence of individual tread fragments will also be a reason to refuse a purchase. Without a specialist, you run the risk of buying a tire that you cannot use.
But do not be afraid of well-repaired punctures. Tires with patches on the inside of the tread part can be bought, this will not affect further operation. You should not buy tires on which punctures were repaired with a tourniquet.
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Obviously, this tire is no good: there is almost no tread, the studs are completely worn out. The central part is almost completely missing, and the sidewalls are less worn. Maybe the tire was pumped. Surprisingly, they also sell such Cracks and delaminations. Long longitudinal cracks, along the circumference of the tire on the sidewall or small cracks in the tread area - in any case, bad.
Either such a tire was poorly stored, or it is very old. This is a particularly dangerous case, because such a tire can collapse while driving and cause a terrible accident. Cracks are not repaired, so you will have to refrain from buying.
Sidewall condition, damage and repairs. Hernias of any size, side cuts and patches on the side of the tire are good reasons to keep looking. You can't buy these tires.
Carefully inspect and feel the sidewalls of the tires. Unfortunately, not all defects can be found on a tire without a disk and without air inside. It will be ideal if you can mount tires on rims in a tire shop. Ask to balance the wheels and only then pay.
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If in doubt that the tires are intact, look for another option. Remember that it is the tires that connect your car and the road.
The surface adjacent to the rim may also be damaged on the tire.
The photo shows the consequences of careless tire fitting of an old tire. I don't recommend buying this tire. If in doubt, and the offer is very interesting, ask the opinion of a tire fitting specialist Presence of spikes and their condition. It is not necessary to count every stud on a tire, it is difficult and time consuming. Just look at the tire: if it seems that there are about half of the studs on it or less, you do not need to buy a tire. Studded tires without studs won't get Velcro, so don't just look at the tread.
Studs on a tire that has already been driven for a couple of seasons look very different from new ones. They were worn off along the way, the seats were broken. In the background, you can see that the tire has already begun to lose studs. Even with sufficient tread, you can be left without spikes very quickly, it is better to look for another option Ads often offer used tires at an inflated price.
We have made a special calculator that will help you calculate the fair value of tires, regardless of the manufacturer, technical parameters of tires and their number in the kit.
Which tires are better to buy: new or used? The question that every second motorist asks. We will try to talk about the pros and cons of both options.
Tires are a relatively inexpensive part of a car, but in total they cost quite a lot of money over the entire life of the car.
Car tires are probably one of the few car parts that needs to be replaced regularly. In many respects, this depends on several factors: the intensity of the vehicle’s operation, the time of year, the condition of the roads, the type of car, etc.
Therefore, every self-respecting motorist must simultaneously own at least two sets: winter and summer tires.
It's no secret that maintenance and service of your iron horse is not a cheap task. The same goes for changing tires. High-quality and reliable tires, designed for high mileage, are not cheap, so even people who are provided with everything are increasingly thinking about how to save money when solving this issue. One of these personal savings options is buying used tires. This article will discuss what is better and what are the advantages of this or that choice.
Tire warehouse
If you belong to that part of car owners who believe that used tires are dangerous and inappropriate, then we advise you to familiarize yourself with their classification:
Europeans tend to insure everything and everything. This also applies to car tires, which are replaced when damaged or worn.
Moreover, the entire set changes, even if one part of it is damaged. The depreciation of the unit in this case does not exceed 10%.
The supplier again is Europe with all its features and nuances of the automotive business. Scheduled maintenance obliges drivers to replace if the tread height has worn out by 3-4 mm. This means that for our roads and cars, this tire will be of very high quality.
Many (if not all) car manufacturing companies enter into contracts for the supply of tires for their models. However, before shipment, they undergo a so-called test drive. At the same time, those tires that directly participated in it are either sent for recycling or sold as used.
have either their own resources (our tires are worn out by 75-90%, which almost completely negates the possibility of their further use), or quality samples brought from abroad.
Which one you get is a matter solely of your understanding of the problem. Therefore, used tires are a justified risk to save money.
Having bought a new tire, you can not worry about its condition and safely put it into operation. The same cannot be said about used tires, as there may be defects or damage that indirectly or directly affect your safety on the road. We have identified for you the main types of damage that are easy to see with the naked eye:
This damage occurs as a result of collision with large and hard objects (curbs or stones). Whether it is repairable or not depends on many factors, but it is better to avoid such a purchase if possible. Tires that bulge or bulge after inflation should also be avoided. If the rubber in the tire is not balanced, then there is a direct danger of its use. Ask a workshop to disassemble the tire if it is assembled on the same used wheels. And let it not seem to you excessive arrogance, because now we are talking about your safety.
Many experienced drivers believe that the most important thing in a used tire is the remaining tread depth. In fact, this can only tell you how much it will last. Much more attention should be paid to its integrity and safety. By the way, manufacturers of modern tires equip their products with special indicators that show how much the tire has worn out. It is believed that the maximum distance limit from the end of the tread to the rubber should be 1.
8 mm.
You should also not resort to buying car tires that were manufactured more than 7-8 years ago. It is not known how they were stored all this time and under what conditions they were used. It is very difficult to trace their history, so it is better to simply ignore such proposals.
We return to the fact that it comes down to the experience and personal skills of the driver himself. If knowledge allows you to confidently select quality tires from a trusted supplier, then this should be given attention. Otherwise, buying new ones will not become prohibitively expensive for you, and in some cases even save money. Simple math - the average level of tire wear is 50-55%, that is, they will last almost 2 times less than new tires. At the same time, their price is only 30-40% lower, so it's up to you to decide what to do.
New tires are new tires. It is perfectly balanced, has not been subjected to various loads and is ready to serve you for several years and seasons immediately after it has been broken in.
But here, too, care will not be superfluous: it should fit your particular car and be selected based on the type of terrain. Properly selected tires are both safety and comfort, which not all used tires can be proud of.
Buying tires is an important business. How to proceed? Save right away or invest in new tires? How often to change it and many other questions will find their answers in different ways for everyone. Only one thing can be said for sure - used tires reduce the safety of your ride, no matter how high-quality they are.
Especially to make it easy for you to choose the right tires for your car, we have developed the most convenient form of tire selection.
Take a look at the main page of the site: http://koleso-oz.ru/
With this form, you will be able to choose the model that suits your car. So, now it will be easier for you to decide which summer tires are better to choose.
