Car tires are essential to achieve better performance of our vehicles. There are three types of tires available in the market today: standard tires, performance tires, and winter tires. These tires differ in their make and appearance to adapt to the different weather conditions they are specially designed for. For instance, winter tires have metal studs so that they have better grip on ice and snow.

Used tires need to be replaced regularly. But how will we know if it is time to change our used tires?

The best way to know if your used tires need to be replaced by new tires is through a tread analysis. By looking at the tread patterns of tires we can determine if they are still in their proper working condition. All tires are manufactured to have what we call tread wear bars. Tread wear bars are small bridges that form between the treads. If we start to see that the beginning of these bars are forming between the treads or running across the tires, it is now time to replace used tires.

Another method used to analyze treads is through a penny test. A penny test is a simple procedure characterized by placing a penny sideways in the center of the tire’s tread. The center is the thickest part of tires. Make sure that Lincoln is facing you so that you will have an easy cue in the analysis. If you are able to see the very top of Lincoln’s head or the copper above it, you should replace your tires immediately. On the other hand, if you cannot see the hair on the top of his head when the coin is placed in such a way that it is inserted enough that the tire tread is at least as deep as Lincoln’s forehead, it is not yet time to replace your tires.

After knowing if it is time to replace your tire, the next question is how do you change it? The easiest way, of course, is to buy new tires and have the tire shop install these new tires by themselves. However, if you bought used tires in a tire thrift shop, then you might need to learn how to change your tires. Car changing skills will also be very helpful if you suddenly had a flat tire in a middle of nowhere.

First, find a stable and safe place to do the car change. Make sure that the car won’t roll. Then, place the jack under the metal portion of the frame near the tire that you are going to change. Raise the jack until it reaches the level where in it supports but does not lift the car. Slowly remove the hub cap and loosen the nuts. Crank the jack to lift the tire off the ground. After this, remove the nuts and the tires all the way. Place your new tire on the hub and lower the car fully to the ground. Finally, remove the jack and tighten the nuts. If you still can not get it, there are a lot of do-it-yourself videos on the web that you can download.

The performance of our car tires is critical to our safety as well as to our car’s competence and efficiency. It is important that we know the state of our car tires especially when they reach the point when their traction and braking ability start to decline. If you cannot afford expensive car tire brands, look for alternative cheap tires. Just make sure that these cheap tires are still of high-quality.

Discount Tire Town
701 W Hillsborough Ave
Tampa, FL 33603
(813) 237-2577
www.discounttiretown.com