Riding on “bald” tires is dangerous at any time of the year. Unfortunately, its complete replacement is an expensive pleasure. The question of how to determine tire wear is important for determining its residual life. Simple ways to assess the condition of car wheels will help you save money and avoid being deceived by unscrupulous sellers who offer used tires.
Tires need to be changed regularly
The service life of car tires is about 10 years. It directly depends on a number of factors:
- intensity of vehicle operation;
- movement speed;
- driving style;
- weather.
As practice shows, with regular use of the car, the service life of car tires is reduced to 4-5 years. Tire manufacturers must indicate the expiration date. They cannot be ignored, because the properties of rubber change. It loses elasticity, cracks, begins to accumulate moisture. This negatively affects the state of metal structures, the integrity of the slopes.
Operating tires beyond the recommended period increases the risk of an accident.
How to check tire wear
There are many recommendations on how to determine tire wear. There are several simple ways that are available to any car owner:
- Appearance rating. The characteristic whitish tint of tires is a sign of aging rubber. The timing of rubber replacement is brought closer by the identified numerous mechanical damages: cracks, delamination, traces of repairs.
- Determining the tread height. When studying the question of how to find out tire wear, it is important to know its initial indicators for a particular car brand and the permissible minimum value for wear.
- Numerical indexes on protectors applied by the manufacturer. As the tire wears, they wear out and disappear.
- Some manufacturers practice color indication. In the depth of the tread, rubber with a different shade is laid.
How to estimate tire wear
Sellers of used tires, as a rule, tell a potential buyer a percentage of wear – 10, 20, 30. In most cases, this information is far from reality, and the figures turn out to be much higher. The three main parameters for assessing tire wear are:
- product age;
- features of abrasion (uniform, uneven);
- tread height at the point of highest wear.
It is impossible to be guided by only one, separately taken criterion. These signs should be analyzed in a complex.
How to measure tire tread and how to use this value
The answer to the question of how to measure tire tread is simple. A caliper, ruler, coin will do. It is necessary to perform simple calculations, taking into account the following parameters:
- tread depth of new tires (A);
- the result of measuring the tread height in the most worn place (B);
- permissible minimum tread height for this model (C).
We substitute the listed numerical values into the formula and determine the actual degree of tire wear (Z):
Z = (A – B) / (A – C) x 100%
To calculate the remaining resource, subtract Z from 100%.
What to do if the original tread depth data is unknown. There are generally accepted values depending on the type of product (in mm):
- 18 — tires of high passability;
- 9 – winter tire;
- 8 – classic summer tires;
- 7 – slopes with a directional pattern for high-speed driving.
It is unacceptable to make a decision to buy used skates based only on the remaining tread depth. The resource of such products is difficult to determine, so this purchase is always a lottery.
Of course, the question of how much tire wear is acceptable is also important. Recommended values: 2 mm for summer tires, 3-4 mm for winter tires. They are named with regard to safety standards. The traffic rules indicate the permissible tread height. The type and purpose of tires are the main criteria for determining this indicator.
There are many ways to check tire wear. Most of them are simple and affordable. It is important to regularly monitor the condition of the rubber. This helps to determine its resource and timing of replacement. By the characteristic abrasion of the tire, you can determine the condition of the vehicle as a whole. Postponing the replacement of tires with critical wear is unacceptable!
