Knowing When To Change Used Tires

Owning a vehicle means knowing the few basics of car maintenance, such as knowing when to change used tires. With constant use, tires tend to thin out until they are no longer safe for driving. If you want to avoid the additional cost of bringing your vehicle to the shop to have the car tires changed, you can do this by learning how to change tires on your own.

The main thing to do in order to determine if your used tire needs to be changed is through a tread analysis, where you look at the wear patterns on the treads of the car. More importantly, look at the tread wear bars, the small bridges that are seen between the treads of the tires. Once it becomes visible that the beginning of the tread bars are starting to form between the treads, it is usually time for a tire change.

Having car changing skills can come in handy when you happen to experience a flat in the middle of nowhere. The first step is to find a flat and stable surface where one can safely change a tire where it will not be in danger of rolling forwards or backwards. Place a jack underneath the automobile, under the metal portion of the car frame nearest to the used tire you want to change. Pump the jack to raise the vehicle to the desired height and then remove the hubcap before you loosen the nuts. Remove the nuts before removing the entire tire. Place the spare on the hub, replace the screws, and lower the car back on the ground. Remove the jack before you tighten the nuts to secure it.

Used tires will often pose a danger risk when not changed right away, especially when driving on slippery roads. Fortunately, changing a flat is not very hard and anyone can learn this skill in a matter of hours. Knowing how to change used tires is important, not just for those who want to save on shop fees, but also for those times when you have no one but yourself who can change a flat or damaged tire.