BY BENJAMIN JEREW / ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 22, 2018 / NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION / Tires don’t last forever, and changing them restores performance and safety. Some&hellip;{"id":10920,"date":"2018-12-26T12:04:39","date_gmt":"2018-12-26T20:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/?p=10920"},"modified":"2018-12-26T12:04:39","modified_gmt":"2018-12-26T20:04:39","slug":"time-to-replace-tires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/26\/time-to-replace-tires\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Tell If It&#8217;s Time to Replace Tires on Your Car"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\">BY BENJAMIN JEREW \/ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 22, 2018 \/<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE PARTS ASSOCIATION<\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">\/<\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tires don\u2019t last forever, and changing them restores performance and safety. Some people might replace tires too often, while others don\u2019t do it often enough. According to the\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/sites\/nhtsa.dot.gov\/files\/documents\/13133a-english_garage_infographic_022318-v2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Highway Traffic Safety Administration\u2019s<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0(NHTSA), only 19 percent of people check and adjust tire pressure properly, and roughly 700 people die in tire-related car crashes annually! Clearly, tires and tire maintenance are more important than many realize.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tire maintenance will help your tires last as long as possible. The NHTSA recommends rotating your tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles. This evens out wear patterns from the front and the rear that can be caused by steering and trailing axle differences, as well as torque distribution. Second, check and adjust your tires\u2019 pressure at least once a month, and more often if possible. Finally, consider getting a wheel alignment done every year, as misaligned tires wear abnormally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Rotating and checking your tires\u2019 pressure only requires basic skills and tools. To rotate your car\u2019s tires, use a jack,<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a class=\"SWhtmlLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/p\/BK_7762007?cid=social_blog_102018_jack_stand\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">jack stands<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, a breaker bar, a torque wrench and a deep socket. To check and adjust tire pressure, use a tire gauge and a tire inflator. It should be checked when the tires are \u201ccold,\u201d or stationary for at least three hours. If you don\u2019t want to go the DIY route, some tire installers offer complementary rotations after you get replacements, and some shops might check and adjust tire pressure for free.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How Long Do Tires Last?<\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Tire maintenance is meant to prolong and maintain the life of a tire, not improve it. There are many factors that affect tire life, including type, use and age. At best,<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/tires\/how-long-do-tires-last-consumer-reports-treadwear-testing-will-tell-you\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Consumer Reports<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">claims, some high-performance<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a class=\"SWhtmlLink\" href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/the-pros-and-cons-of-summer-tires\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">summer tires<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">can last up to 40,000 miles, and some all-season types can last up to 70,000 miles. Overloading, aggressive driving, racing and lack of maintenance will cause tires to wear out faster, though. There are three main reasons you need to replace tires.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>1. Wear:\u00a0<\/strong>Most state regulations require drivers to replace their tires when tread depth reaches 2\/32 of an inch, but this isn\u2019t enough to drive in rainy or in snowy conditions. According to studies completed by the<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.aaa.com\/2018\/06\/tread-lightly-worn-tires-drivers-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>American Automobile Association<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">, hydroplaning can occur with tread depth under 4\/32 of an inch, while traction in the snow can be limited when tread depth is under 6\/32 of an inch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>2. Season:\u00a0<\/strong>In some areas, consider dedicated snow tires. Summer tires aren\u2019t designed to be used in frigid temperatures, even sans the fluffy stuff, and some all-season tires may not be \u201csticky\u201d enough for winter roads. Fall and spring are good times to prepare for the coming season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>3. Age:\u00a0<\/strong>Worn or not, tires age as soon as they are manufactured. The<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhtsa.gov\/equipment\/tires\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>NHTSA<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">recommends replacing tires that are 6 years old, while some manufacturers and automakers suggest 10 years as a maximum. You can easily determine how old your tires are by the Department of Transportation\u2019s Tire Identification Number (TIN). The last four digits of the TIN indicate the week and year of manufacture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10924\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/NHTSA-Tire-Guide.jpg?resize=880%2C260&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"NHTSA - Reading a Tire\" width=\"880\" height=\"260\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/NHTSA-Tire-Guide.jpg?w=880&amp;ssl=1 880w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/NHTSA-Tire-Guide.jpg?resize=300%2C89&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/NHTSA-Tire-Guide.jpg?resize=768%2C227&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 880px) 100vw, 880px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By rotating your car\u2019s tires at specific intervals and checking pressure on a monthly basis, you could extend their life and not have to replace them so soon. Don\u2019t forget to check the often-ignored spare tire, either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Check out all the<\/span>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/c\/steering-suspension\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>steering and suspension parts<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">available on<\/span>\u00a0<a title=\"Click to open in a new window or tab https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/\" href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>NAPA Online<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">or trust one of their 16,000\u00a0<\/span><strong><a title=\"Click to open in a new window or tab http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/store-finder.aspx\" href=\"http:\/\/www.napaautocare.com\/store-finder.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NAPA AutoCare locations<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">for routine maintenance and repairs. For more information on summer tires, chat with a knowledgeable expert at your<\/span>\u00a0<strong><a class=\"SWhtmlLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.napaonline.com\/en\/store-locator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">local NAPA AUTO PARTS store<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><em><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Photo Credit:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ramstein.af.mil\/News\/Photos\/igphoto\/2001810454\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Winterizing Your Car<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">by\u00a0Senior Airman Elizabeth Baker,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ramstein.af.mil\/News\/Photos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>United States Air Force<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><i><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This article has been reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder, National Automotive Parts Association. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Click here for more<\/span>\u00a0<\/i><strong><i><a href=\"http:\/\/knowhow.napaonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">automotive tips and stories<\/a><\/i><\/strong><i>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">from NAPA, or here for more information on\u00a0<\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/event-info\/car-show-hours-dates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the next Pomona Swap Meet &amp; Classic Car Show<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":98,"featured_media":10921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[805],"tags":[6741,3744,6739,3475,6735,5379,2329,6727,6732,6737,1946,3491,3037,3026,4874,4873,6726,6736,6738,6728,3879,6742,6729,6733,4110,1294,4115,6734,6740,6730,6731],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Tire-Tread-by-Senior-Airman-Elizabeth-Baker.jpg?fit=1088%2C812&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9nnZN-2Q8","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10920"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/98"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10920"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10926,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10920\/revisions\/10926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pomonaswapmeet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}