Tires of the car are one of the most significant components of a car. Sadly, they are the most neglected ones, also. Every car owner should make it a point to make sure that the car’s footwear is in optimum condition as it directly affects the vehicle’s performance, brakes, and fuel efficiency. Have you ever wondered what is the right time to change the tires of your car? There is no exact way to predict how long can car tires last as there are several factors that contribute to their damage.
Factors that affect the life of car tires are:
Age- It is a myth that the age of car tires depends mainly on the mileage it clocks. This cannot be further from reality. Like most of the car parts, tires also have an expiry date and utilizing them beyond their lifecycle can be a dangerous proposition. Rubber gets harder with age, which could, in turn, cause minor racks in the tire wall. This is risky as what might appear to be a usable tire to an untrained eye could result in a puncture or a burst at high speed. Generally, a tire should not be used for more than 5 years.
Condition of the road- The condition of the roads that are experienced by a tire plays an important role in deciding their life. Car tires that have been used mostly on well-paved roads last longer than those that run on rough surfaces. This is because of the increased friction between the rough road surface and the rubber. Even those tires that are used on the cemented highways frequently, tend to have a short life because of too much wear and tear.
Extreme temperatures- Generally, tires last longer in places where the temperature remains to be moderate all throughout the year. This is because extreme temperatures cause a bad affect on the rubber, therefore affecting the lifespan of car tires. It has been found that for an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature, the tire pressure increases by one pound per square inch. Therefore, too much high temperature will overinflate the car tires automatically, which could result in higher wear and tear if the user ignores the damage.
Driving habits- Life of the car tires also majorly depends on driving habits and other user behaviours. Rash driving can cause faster damage to car components. In addition, many car owners fail to maintain the right tire pressure and even ignore the rotation levels of the tire, which results in a faster deterioration of these significant car parts.
Signs that you should change your car tires
There are a lot of clear indications that it’s time to change your car tires. However, most of the car owners remain unaware of these signs and continue using the same tires lifelong. Here are some of the important factors based on which one should decide if he or she should change the tires.
Worn Out Tread- The tread on car tires is one of the significant factors to determine their condition. Except for some of the cars that are used for circuit racing, all vehicles come with tires that have tread pattern. This trad plays an important role in explaining the ride and handling characteristics of a vehicle. It is not only responsible for a good grip in corners, but also for improved traction under the hand brakes.
Rough wear pattern- The tread pattern of tires often experiences uneven wear that owes to regular hard acceleration and brakes. This is due to the high friction experienced by contact patch in such situations. It is easy to spot irregular wear of the tread pattern, which is generally observed on the front tires as most of the cars in India will have an FWD layout.