How To Tell if You Need New Tires

Keeping tires properly inflated, balanced, and regularly rotated is integral to tire safety. It's also important to know when to replace your tires. Here are the common signs that it is time to visit your local tire shop.

Aging tires and cracked rubber

Tires can last between 5 and 10 years; vehicles driven less than 5,000 miles per year or parked outside, exposed to the sun, could show cracks before the standard 40,000-mile guarantee.

Excessive vibration

Vibration while driving could signal a need for tire balancing, wheel alignment, or a problem with your tires.

Falling tire pressure

Tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) sensors will warn you of sudden tire pressure loss, which indicates a leak or damage to your tire. Use a tire pressure gauge to check your tire pressure if you drive an older vehicle.

Low tread or uneven wear

Most new tires feature tread wear bars; if the tread is even with the wear bar, you probably need new tires.

Sidewall blisters, bubbles, or bulges

The rubber on the sidewalls is softer than the tread part of the tire and susceptible to damage when it weakens, putting you at risk for a blowout.

Other considerations

Tire pressure increases (hot weather) or decreases (cold weather) by 1 to 2 pounds per square inch (PSI) for every 10-degree temperature change. Extreme weather changes could result in underinflated or overinflated tires and cause excessive wear.

Tire pressure increases (hot weather) or decreases (cold weather) by 1 to 2 pounds per square inch (PSI) for every 10-degree temperature change. Extreme weather changes could result in underinflated or overinflated tires and cause excessive wear.

NJM Insurance Group’s Commitment to Safety

NJM’s enduring commitment to safety can be traced back to our earliest days — with a focus that has expanded from improving conditions in manufacturing facilities to helping keep customers safe on the roads and at home. NJM is a leader in personal and commercial auto, homeowners, and workers’ compensation insurance.

References:

1. Benjamin Zhang, “7 Warning Signs You Need New Tires,” https://www.businessinsider.com/signs-you-need-new-tires-2019-5 (May 22, 2019).

2. Jennifer Crump, “8 Tips for Safe Driving in the Rain,” https://surehire.com/blog/2021/10/18/8-tips-for-safe-driving-in-the-rain, (October 21, 2021).