How often you should change your tires is one of the most common questions every driver has. The good news is that gauging the health of your car’s tires is not as complicated as you may think. In most cases, it only requires a keen look and maybe the help of a professional mechanic. The most important thing is to know the key tire replacement indicators.

In general, two primary factors impact when to change your tires. They include wear and age. Tire wear and aging indicate that you need to head to the tire shop for new tires.

Tire wear- with time, your tires start to experience the wear and tear of hitting the road now and then. Note that how your car’s tires wear can also point to a problem with your tire pressure and alignment. The tire thread is supposed to wear uniformly instead of the inside or the outside of the tire. The wear on the tires is inevitable regardless of how careful a driver you are but not taking good care of your tires accelerates the wear and tear.
Tire age- tire aging impacts all the components of the tire. For instance, when the tire rubber changes due to environmental impact, heavy use, or storage conditions.

But unless you are an expert, it might be challenging to know when tire wear and age indicates that the tires are no longer safe for your car. Note that every tire comes with an indication of the year it was made, which can help you know if it is due for replacement. Here are the other factors to evaluate to determine if your tires are due for a replacement.

Duration

Ideally, you should change the tires after every five or six years. Other experts suggest that you should start thinking about replacing your tires within the duration of five to ten years. At this point, you should take your tires to a professional for a checkup, including the spare tires.

Tread patterns

When tires start to wear out, you notice what is known as tread wear bars. They are easily detectable on a tire because they are usually on an even level with the tire’s tread. They form between the treads or run across the entire tire.

Tread depth

New tires have a tread depth of 9/32-11/32 of the original tread material. A tire is considered unsafe when it reaches 2/32. That means you need to have professional checkups performed to measure the tread depth to cath the depth before it gets to that point. You can use a tire gauge to ensure you get the right measurements.

Steering wheel vibrations

Another sign your tires are worn out unevenly and need a replacement is steering wheel vibrations as you drive. That means your tires are unbalanced because they haven’t been rotated regularly. If you try fixing the issue and the problem remains, that is a sign you need to replace the tires.

Mileage

Ideally, tires can last anywhere between 25000-50000 miles before they require a replacement. But you have to refer to your specific car’s manual to determine this.