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Car tires are crucial for driving safety and therefore it is important that quality tires are purchased. Since the prices for quality brands are high, used car tires are often used. This guide provides information on which factors need to be considered.
What should be considered when buying tires?
Whether the car tires should be bought or not depends on various characteristics, including the vehicle, the driving behavior but also the location. Someone in mountainous regions should take a closer look, especially when it comes to winter tires, and drive with more tire tread.
Test tire tread
The tire profile should be tested, not only because of the legal requirements or because of driving safety. The 1 euro coin trick can be used for this, although this cannot be used to determine exactly, but it can be determined whether there is still enough profile. If the golden border disappears completely, driving with this is still feasible.
Age of the tire
Used car tires may have exceeded their prime, so the age of the tire must be taken into account. The rubber compound hardens over time, which is accelerated if the tires are not stored properly. The problem with this is that the braking distance is longer in wet conditions and there is less grip.
The age can be easily recognized by the DOT number, which was stamped on the side of the tire. This shows the week and year of manufacture, so 2421 would be the designation for: 24th calendar week of the year 2021. Usually, summer and winter tires can hardly be used from the ninth year onwards.
tire label
The EU tire label should represent how good the tire is. This regulation was drawn up for consumer protection, because it gives an orientation of how the tire affects everyday life. Rolling resistance, wet grip, external rolling noise and grip on snow and ice are identified. Since these are standards, the properties can also be easily compared. There are also independent automobile clubs regular test reports.
wheel size
Each vehicle is always registered with one tire size, but other tire sizes can also be used, but this must be approved. However, the recommended information from the vehicle manufacturers should be taken into account, because the respective size was probably selected for a reason.
The manufacturer's recommended information can be found in Part 1 of the registration certificate (vehicle registration document). When buying a vehicle, due to legal certainty, you should also take a look at this instead of trusting the seller.
Speed
The vehicle may also have the ability to reach 200 km / h, but that does not mean that the tires can also do this. The maximum permissible speed can be read from the tire, for this there is the necessary identification with a letter. Since the tire has not been approved for higher speeds, this should be observed under all circumstances.
When are new tires necessary?
When new tires have to be bought depends on how old the tires are, possible damage and whether the professional has already worn them. Tire damage can always occur in everyday life, for example with sharp objects on the road or through a curb. The tires should always be checked before driving.