Drive Auto Group
For many years, the only way to determine if tires needed to be replaced was the use the ‘penny test’, which involves sticking a penny (or a quarter) into the tread of a tire. If you can see the head of the person on the penny, your tires are too worn and the treads are too shallow, meaning that the tread depth is less than 2/32 of an inch and it’s time to replace your tires. If the top of the head on the penny is covered, it means that the treads in your tire are deep enough to continue the use of the tire and that you’ll have some time before you need to replace them. While this is a good way to tell if your tires are too worn to continue using, that’s not the only reason you might need to swap out your old tires for a brand-new set.
How Long Do Tires Last?
As a general rule of thumb, the tires on a vehicle you drive fairly often will likely last you about 3 to 5 years or approximately 75 000 – 100 000 km. The shelf life of a tire will majorly depend on how often the car is driven. The less often a vehicle is driven, the longer its tires will last.All tires expire eventually, which is why our Service Departments recommend replacing all tires once they get old (even if they haven’t already been replaced, aren’t fully worn down, the tire is a spare, or the tires are in storage), if they haven’t already been replaced for another reason. This is because as the tire gets older, the rubber starts to crack and cause parts of the tire to separate from each other.
We recommend getting all tires that are 5 or more years old checked by a professional at least once a year, with regular inspections (regardless of their age). While checking your tires, you should be looking for:
• Uneven tread wear
• Damaged areas
• Punctures in the tire
• Shallow tread
• Damaged valve caps
With that being said, there’s no exact way to tell how long a tire is going to last since it almost completely depends on environmental and other external factors. This can include climate, driving habits, road conditions, and tire maintenance. For example, if you drive in extreme temperatures, speed on damaged roads, and neglect tire maintenance, your tires likely won’t last as long as the average tire would.
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Tires
The best way to make your tires last as long as possible is by taking proper care of them. This would include:
• Maintaining proper air pressure in your tires
• Getting your tires rotated on a regular basis
• Bringing your car in for wheel alignments on according to the vehicle manufacturer’s maintenance schedule
• Using your seasonal tires in the proper season
• For example, using your winter tires in the summer will wear out your winter tires at a faster-than-normal rate
• Doing your own tire inspection regularly
• Store your tires in the proper location when you’re not using them
• Keeping your tires out of the sun and in a cool place will prevent them from being damaged while they’re not being used
Drive Autogroup can provide you with summer tires, winter tires, or all-season tires from a wide selection of brand names and the thousands of tires we currently have in stock across our dealerships in Pickering, Ajax, Scarborough, Whitby, and Markham. The tire manufacturers we carry include BF Goodrich, Bridgestone, Continental, Dunlop, Firestone, General Tire, Gislaved, Goodyear, Hankook, Kelly Tires, Michelin, Toyo Tires, Uniroyal and Yokohama Tires! We can also store your tires at any one of our service departments during the off-season.
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