When should I replace my tires?

 Ever wonder when to replace your worn car tires? The performance of your car tires is critical to the safety, performance and efficiency of your vehicle. Most tires are designed to provide similar performance throughout their lives. However, at some point they start to lose performance in terms of their traction and braking ability. As well, when your tires tread gets below 6/32, your wet and winter traction are compromised. Here are some tips to help you look after your tires.

• If uneven tire wear is extreme or if tires wear out much faster than expected, have a competent shop check your suspension and correct as necessary before replacing tires. Improper alignment or worn suspension parts can dramatically shorten a tire's life.
• Be careful to buy tires that are the right size and type for your vehicle and rims (wheels). Changing to low-profile tires may require you to buy larger rims so that the outer circumference of the tire remains unchanged. Incorrect tire size or mismatched tread can also cause a low tire pressure warning to come on if the vehicle is equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).
• Tires should never rub against your fenders or any other part of your car. If your new tires rub during turns or when going over bumps, they don't fit, no matter how cool they look. Fix this before you suffer a blowout and crash.
• Be careful when rotating tires, and especially when moving tires to different rims. Many modern tires have a specific rotational direction and corresponding rotation method. Refer to your tire manufacturer or dealer for details.
• If you happen to see wires on your tread or notice wear on the sidewalls of the tire, don't even bother with the penny and get the tire replaced. The wire thing is rare if Abe says the tread is still good, but it happens and it's better to replace the tire than get the blowout on the road.