Managing Your Car's Problems

What To Do When You Decide To Get Used Tires

Tires can be expensive, and if you need replacement tires when you don't have much of a budget, used tires could be in your sights. Used tires can be a good buy if they meet certain standards, but finding good used tires can be tricky if you don't know where to start.

The Seller Needs to Be Someone Reliable

Whoever sells you the used tires has to be reliable and reputable. A used tire store with good reviews and an established customer base is a store to check out. You want to find tires that haven't been used that much, so the store should be able to give you a lot of information about the mileage, age, tread depth, and patches or prior repairs the tire has had.

Check Tread Depth Frequently

Once you find some used tires that you're interested in, check the tread depth. If you buy the tires, record the starting tread depth and then keep checking the depth on a regular basis. Your use of the tires will likely differ from how the previous owners used them, and you want to keep track of how slowly or quickly the tread changes. If the tread gets thinner quickly, then you know the next time you buy tires, you'll need to find ones with better tread depth so that they last longer.

Watch out for Sidewall Patches

Believe it or not, the presence of a patch on a tire doesn't necessarily mean the tire is not safe. Small patches along the tread are very common. You don't want too many of them, of course, but one or two small ones aren't automatically a bad sign. What you do want to look out for are sidewall patches. The sidewalls are what give the tire support so that it doesn't fold from the weight of the car. If the sidewalls were cracked at one point, that could mean the tire is weaker than you really want it to be.

If you can find a reliable tire store that lets you check out the tread and general condition of the tires you want to buy, then buying used tires for your car could be a very economical and efficient move. Many used tires are actually pretty new and just haven't been used that much. That means you can replace the old tires on your car with used tires that don't have much mileage and save money.

Reach out to a used tire store near you to learn more.