Author: Discount Tire

Buying a car is exciting. However, finding the right tires for your car can be wearisome. Whether you’re buying a new or used vehicle, it’s important to understand what tires it comes with, their replacement time and costs, and potential convenience factors. There are many things to consider when inquiring about the tires for your new car.

Here are questions to ask the car dealer that will help you find the right tires for you:

When Should I Replace The Tires? Because tires have such a significant impact on driving safety, it’s important to know when to replace them.

Tread depth and tire age are two of the most important considerations. Tires have reached the end of their service life at 2/32nds of an inch of tread. Tires with 4/32nds of tread or less require more distance to stop your vehicle, especially when roads are wet.

When it comes to replacing your tires, you should also consider the age. Minimum industry guidelines reference having your tires inspected every year once they are 6 years of age, and to remove them from service when they reach 10 years.

You can find the date of your tires by looking for the DOT (Department of Transportation) code on your tire’s sidewall. Typically made up of 12 letters and numbers, the last four numbers of the DOT code represent your tire’s age. The first two numbers in this section represent the week of manufacture; the last two numbers indicate the year.

What Tire Type is Best for the Car I’m Buying? Most new cars today come with all-season tires, but some sports cars come with summer tires. These kinds of tires blend high levels of dry and wet grip to complement these vehicles’ abilities, but they’re engineered for use only in warm weather.

However, all-season tires are best if you live in a place with a wide variety of weather. High performance all-season tires provide a good compromise if you want year-round grip for your car. If you live in an area that has harsh winter weather, you may want to opt for winter tires. When shopping for tires, it is important to make sure that you pick the right ones for your vehicle.

Understanding the tire load index can help you with this. The load index indicates how much weight a tire can carry. To find the tire’s carrying capacity, look for the load index number on the sidewall.

Remember to Ask About the Spare Tire. There’s nothing like having a spare tire to get back on the road, whether you change it on your own or have a roadside assistance service provider do it for you. In place of a traditional spare, many cars are being sold with sealant and an inflator kit to temporarily fix a flat tire. Some cars come with run-flat tires that allow limited mobility when deflated.

When buying a car, check to see whether it comes with a spare tire. If you’re buying a used car, it is important to ask about the age of the spare. Spare tires age like any other tire. Even if your spare isn’t used, it can still be affected by the passage of time. For your safety, it is recommended that you replace your spare tire every six years. For more information about finding the right tires for your needs, visit discounttire.com/learn.