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According to most states' laws, tires are legally worn out when they have worn down to 2/32" of remaining tread depth.
To help warn you that your tires have reached that point, tires sold in North America are required to have molded indicators called "wear bars" across their tread pattern from their outside shoulder to inside shoulder. Wear bars are designed to visually connect the elements of the tire's tread pattern and warn drivers when their tires no longer meet minimum tread depth requirements. However, as a tire wears it is important to realize that while its dry traction and handling will improve, its ability to perform in rain and snow will diminish. At 2/32" of remaining tread depth, resistance to hydroplaning in the rain at highway speeds has been significantly reduced, and traction in heavy snow has been virtually eliminated. If you plan to drive in wet weather, you should consider replacing your tires when they reach approximately 4/32" of remaining tread depth. Since water can't be compressed, you need enough tread depth to allow it to escape through the tire's grooves. If the water can't escape fast enough your vehicle's tires will be forced to hydroplane (actually float) on top of the water, losing traction. How many tires should I buy? Just one tire? If your tires have a lot of remaining tread depth, but you need to replace just one damaged by an accident, road hazard or a vandal, you should replace it with a tire that matches the others exactly. That means getting a replacement tire of the same brand, model, size and speed rating. Tires that are not the same will not handle the same. You may not notice the difference during casual driving, but during emergency braking or evasive maneuvering the car may not handle the way you want it to. Some cars like Subarus and Honda CRV 4wd have very specific requirements for matching tread depth on all four tires. A pair of tires? If two of your tires have a lot of remaining tread depth, but you need to replace the other two because they were damaged or worn out, you should replace them with a pair of tires that come as close as possible to matching your existing tires. While identical new tires are desirable, others of the same size and type can also provide good results. Only consider selecting new tires that are from the same tire category as your existing tires. A set of tires? If all of your tires are wearing out together, you have the greatest flexibility in tire selection. If you were happy with the original tires, simply replace them. If you want longer treadwear, a smoother ride or more handling, there are probably tires that will help you accomplish that. Review the tire category types until you find a category description that describes a tire that fits your needs. How long do tires last? How long tires last depends on four things: the design of the tires, the pavement condition of the roads you drive on, how you drive, and how well you maintain the tires. You have no control over tire design, other than trying to choose a long lived tire based on treadwear ratings and mileage warranties. You don't have control over the pavement conditions either. However, you do have control of how you drive. The harder you accelerate, brake, and corner, the quicker the tires will wear. You also control maintenance. Maintenance of tires includes rotation and balance every 5,000 miles to 7,500 miles, maintaining proper tire pressure, and keeping the tires aligned. The better you maintain the tires the longer they last. Depending on the combination of the above factors, tires can last between 5,000 miles and 70,000 miles. What's the proper inflation pressure for my tires?
This is not an easy question to answer. Everyone has different opinion. I think most experts will agree on the following though.
Tires shouldnever be run under-inflated. That is, under the PSI recommended in your owner'smanual.
Tires shouldnever be run over-inflated. That is, over the maximum pressure on the tiresidewall.
If a tireis wearing in the center it is over-inflated. Here's our opinion on how to get the proper pressure for your tires. We feel that the owner's manual recommendation is often too low. Why? Because we have see customers wear the inner and outer edges of a tire with documented history of manufacturers recommended inflation pressure. We use the following controversial method: fill the tire to an amount under the max PSI listed on the sidewall. For 32 PSI max tires we recommend filling to 30 psi when cold. For 35 max PSI tires we recommend filling to 32 PSI. For 44 PSI max tires we recommend filling to 36-38 PSI cold. Are these the exact perfect tire pressures for your car? No. Many cars using the exact same tires weigh different amounts and therefore require different pressures. You can fine tune the pressure for the best tire wear. If you disagree with our method, feel free to use someone else's or make up your own. Just remember never to inflate under the owner's manual pressure recommendation. If in doubt, it's usually better use a higher pressure. Why are tires so expensive? Tires are not very expensive when compared with other automotive maintenance costs on a per mile basis. Gas seems fairly cheap if you consider its price one tank at a time. However, if you keep track of your costs per mile, you'll find that typical total fuel costs for just 10 to 20 thousand miles of driving actually exceed tire costs. When you are selecting new tires, consider evaluating your situation by comparing "how much per mile" each tire will cost. Divide the number of miles the tire is likely to last (you can use the warranty mileage for an optimistic number) by the cost of the tires you are considering. Frequently you will find that tires that are initially inexpensive end up costing more per mile. Not to mention the fact that cheap tires are more likely to develop defects before the tread has worn down.
Although there isn't a set expiration date as of yet, companies like Ford Motor Company already encourages its customers to scrap their tires if they're more than six years old [source: Holguin]. But how can you determine the age of a tire? You can tell how old a tire is by looking on the tire's sidewall. There are lots of markings ranging from the type of tire, a speed rating that corresponds to a maximum safe speed your tire can sustain, the size of the tire and also when the tire was made; however, if you look after the Department of Transportation (DOT) letters, you'll see another list of numbers. If the tire was made before the year 2000, you'll see three numbers after the DOT letters; the last number indicates the year the tire was made. On newer tires, those manufactured in 2000 or later, you'll see four numbers. The first two numbers indicate the week it was built and the last two digits specify the year the tire was made. So, for example, if you see a "297" the tire was made in 1997, or if you see a "2409" that would mean that the tire was made in the 24th week of 2009 [source: Holguin]. So now we know how to determine how old a tire is and that some car manufacturers and safety groups encourage a six-year limit on tire age. But how does a tire's age affect its performance? Read the next page to find out.
To install a plug patch, the tire must be removed from the rim. Before that, the wheel weights must be removed to prevent damage to the tire as it is being removed from the rim.
Here Leon is "breaking the bead" which basically means getting the tire unstuck from the rim so it can be removed.
Then the wheel is moved onto the turntable and the tire is removed from the rim.
Here's an inside view of the damage. Looks like it was a large staple that got stuck in this tire so there are 2 holes in it. A plug patch has only one "plug" portion. This raises the question of whether it would be better to install a separate plug in one hole, and use the patch plug to fill the other, or to just fill one of the two holes with the patch plug. I think that because the holes are so close together, the latter would be the better option.
We've marked the injury with chalk, removed the staple, and now we're buffing the area.
The buffing removes the slick surface and exposes a "raw" surface the patch will stick to. We also use a solvent to remove the mold release agent the tire was coated with during manufacture and prep the rubber for the tire cement.
Next we gently guide a pick through the injury to find the angle and make sure the plug patch will fit through. If it won't, we'll need to use a carbide burr to enlarge the hole a little. There are different size plug patches for different size injuries.
Tire patch cement is a applied and allowed to dry for 5 minutes or so. Then the plug patch is pushed into place. The plug portion of the plug patch is encased in a disposable metalsleeve to guide it through the tire.
Once through the tire, the metal sleeve is removed, leaving the rubber tire plug in place. The rubber plug is then cut so it is flush with the tire.
The patch is then smushed into the tire using a tool called a tire stitcher.
Then the whole patch is covered with another coat of tire cement.
Then the tire is installed on the rim, re-balanced, and rechecked for leaks. Even when working at a good pace, it takes about a half hour to complete the whole process. Plus the cost of the patch, wheel weights, and a valve stem.
To plug, or not to plug: that is the question: Whether it 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outraged industry peers, Or to leave unplug'd the tires I see troubled. And by opposing them? To save PSI: To end seep.
Yeah. You're probably right. I should stick to my day job and leave butchering Shakespeare to the pros. The point of this bad bit of poetry was to illustrate that installing tire plugs is a controversial procedure. Ask 10 mechanics whether it's OK to use a tire plug to repair a nail hole in the tread of your tire and you are likely to 10 different answers, some of themshouted at you as if you were the stupidest person in the world.
"Yes, I do it all the time" "No, plugs should never be used" "Yes, if the nail isn't near the sidewall" " No, plugs are only for temporary emergency repairs" "Yes, if you remove the tire from the rim to inspect for damage" "No, you can only use a plug in conjunction with a patch" "Yes, if the nail hole is near perpendicular to the tread" "No, only integral plug patches can be used" "Yes, as long you can pay cash and don't need a receipt" "No, we only use patches"
Let me start this article by saying, I'm going to give you the "wrong" answer. How could it not be since mechanic "A" doesn't agree with mechanic "B" who doesn't agree with tire manufacturer "A" who doesn't agree with tire manufacturer "B" who doesn't agree with the company who makes one type of patch kit, who doesn't agree with the company makes another type of patch kit, who doesn't agree with the company who makes tire plugs. No matter what my answer, someone will surely strongly disagree. The the answer to the question of whether tire plugs are an acceptable repair is certainly more objective than the statement "Blue is a pretty color," but less objective than a fact: "Water boils at 212F at sea level." The most credible sources don't like the tire plug as a stand alone repair, especially if the tire is not removed from the rim for inspection. If you are the type who wants the best quality repair, regardless of cost, I'm convinced that the integral plug-patches are the *best* repair option. If that's you, well, congratulations on your financial success, and I'd be more than happy to install a costly plug-patch and help you redistribute some of your wealth (into my pocket). But what about the customer who's struggling to make ends meet, or would rather spend money on their kid's piano lessons than on the very best tire repair? Should we tell them about how professional we are and how we don't do nonstandard repairs, and how their tire could loose pressure and crash killing their whole family (failing to mention, of course, that they could run over a nail on their way out the driveway after getting an expensive patch repair, and that it's extremely unlikely a tire leak will result in their death, or any other adverse outcome other than a flat tire)? Should we worry so much about the ever-so-faint possibility of a
lawsuit that we refuse to do tire plugs for customers, even though every mechanic working here has used tire plugs on their own cars? I'd rather leave the scare tactics and stonewalling to the professionals out there. We just want to fix cars as a means of supporting ourselves. Before we knew better, we pulled nails from tires and installed tire plugs from the outside of the tread in, without removing the tire from the rim. Now that we know better, we do the exact same thing several times per day. Why? Because after many years of installing tire plugs on whole wheel assemblies, and 99 out of 100 working perfectly, we're pretty confident tire plugs will make a good permanent repair for certain types of punctures. At one point my wife's car had 5 tire plugs in its 4 tires, all installed from the outside in, without removing the tire from the rim, and yes, I do love her, and no, none of the plugs ever failed. The Rubber Manufacturers Association states that a tire driven low on pressure (as a tire likely might have been if it had a nail hole) can develop damage to the carcass that can not be detected and could cause rapid air loss (a blowout). But they're not talking about a tire with a hole, they're talking about a tire that is just low on air! If we took that statement to the extreme, how would the "professional" mechanic handle a low tire? Mechanic: "Ms. Smith, we found one of your tires was low on pressure". Ms. Smith: " Oh. Thanks. Did you fill it up?" Mechanic: " Why no, that would be unprofessional! We replaced it. We wouldn't want invisible carcass damage to cause a blow out!" Silly isn't it? I'm not trying to say the RMA is wrong. They no doubt know more about tires than I ever will. I just want to temper their recommendations with a little personal experience and common sense. The RMA also says 88% of the tire repairs they found when examining used tires were "improperly done". We may be doing tire repairs wrong, but so is the majority of the industry, whether they are aware of it or not. Let's face it -- sometimes tires go flat! Sometimes it's because a repair didn't work. Sometimes it's because the tire was under-inflated Sometimes it's because the tire wasoverloaded. Sometimes it's because there was something sharp on the road and you drove over it. Does it really matter why? If you get a flat, are you going to install the spare and continue on with your commute? Or do you have the fantasy of hiring a company that does failure analysis and a team of lawyers to avenge your lateness to work and grease smudged shirt? Yeah, that's it. I can see it in my minds eye.... It's like an episode of CSI, your team of beautiful lawyers will argue the improper repair caused the low pressure that caused the structural failure that caused the blowout, against another team of lawyers that will argue the improper repair was holding and the carcass damage from the low pressure was caused by the driving done with low pressure caused by the original injury before the repair. All this will take place in a courtroom full of plasma TVs running 3D computer animations in slow motion. Your lawyers will no doubt be better looking and your plasma TVs will be bigger, so you'll win and receive one zillion dollars and buy your own island. Back to reality. If you want an improper repair with a 99% success rate, get a plug. If you're the unlucky 100th customer, I'll give your $12 back and you buy yourself a consolation lunch while we fix it again. Now that I've lured you to the dark side, I should say that there are times a tire plug is a poor repair choice. If a tire has been driven low on pressure for long enough, it may be damaged, and should not be plugged, patched, or repaired in any way. How do you tell if the tire was damaged from driving low on pressure? Some sources say to check for rubber powder inside the tire. If you find it, the tire needs to be replaced. Obviously you'd have to remove the tire from the rim to do that. Instead, we usually just look at the sidewall for wear where there ought to be none. If the lettering or sidewall design is worn down, we recommend a new tire instead of repair. We also digitally inspect the sidewall (fingers, not computers) with the tire deflated, to see if there are any abnormal soft spots. We feel this is all that needs to be done before repair. If the puncture is on the sidewall, we feel it should not be repaired using a patch or plug or both. This is one of those rules repeated by many in the tire industry. Why do we choose to obey this rule while flouting the "never repair a tire on the rim" rule? We'll, I suppose it intuitively makes sense that a patch or plug on a continually flexing sidewall will fail. If the puncture is caused by anything other than a nail or screw, plugging is not a good option. If the nail or screw did not go in fairly close to perpendicular to the tread, the chances of the plug failing to seal go way up. It's better to patch this type of injury. If the tire is a performance tire and the driver pushes it (hopefully on a track rather than around my neighborhood), it's probably better to use a plug patch or buy a whole tire. Many tire manufacturers say *any* type of repair will void the speed rating on the tire. If the tire has a hole larger than 1/4", it probably should not be repaired with a plug or any other method. Other than these exceptions, we're gonna keep on plugging away :)
Last Updated on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:55