Two practical tests, simple and intuitive, to understand if the time has come to change worn tires on a car. The methods.
The “general rule, which never or rarely fails” so dear to Niccolò Machiavelli, does not exist in the automotive sector. Too many variables, starting from how much you use your car up to the roads you travel on, up to the time we use our car in a row, makes all the difference in the world.
Probably a friend or acquaintance, the classic competent person who knows everything, will have already told you that tyres they should be changed regularly approximately every 3 years, or perhaps after every 30,000 km of mileage travelled. Likely.
But it is not a “general rule, which never or rarely fails”. Nothing objective or comparable to any motorist. Your tires don’t necessarily have to be replaced at a set time or mileage interval.
The worn tires they depend on multiple factors: the weather, road conditions and driving style, just to give an example. The key factor, however, that determines whether a tire needs to be replaced is the tread depth. In case of replacement it is better to change all four tires even the not worn ones, by doing so you eliminate any difference in grip between the new tires and the semi-used ones, which could lead to less than optimal handling characteristics, which could cause an accident. How to notice it? There are a couple of tricks that, even if not objective, can make us doubt, perhaps dissolving it.
The penny test really works on worn tires
It is possible to evaluate for yourself, at least up to a certain point, in a summary but very credible way whether the wear of the tire has reached the limit, or whether it is still possible to use it safely. How to do?
You need to use two two-euro coins and place them on the drain channels, inside the tread. This way if wear and tear of the tire is such that it covers the silver band of the two euro coin, we realize whether the tire is in good condition, or the time has come to change it. If, on the other hand, you approach the silver band, you need to start considering the possibility of changing them.
Another useful tip for worn tires
Another consideration to make, the one that most often causes problems and critical issues, especially in fairly powerful cars, is to check the internal side of the tire, i.e. the one that goes towards the engine, so to speak.
In this case it is necessary to steer the steering wheel all the way to one side, carefully checking this internal side: it must not show any abnormal wear, or that the wear itself in every point of the tread is as homogeneous as possible. For everything else there is the mechanic. Trusted obviously.
