According to Wal-Mart, the tread on my tires is 5/32 for two of them, 6/32 for one of them, and 3/32 for one. They recommended replacing my tires. Visibly, it looks like I have some good tread left and my dad advised I can probably go 10,000 more miles before having to change out tires. I put the tires on at 75,000 miles, and now I have nearly 136,000 miles.
2007-02-17 01:07:36 · 12 answers · asked by Diane 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
I have a 2000 Malibu LS and the tires say "Grand Am" on the side of them.
2007-02-17 01:07:57 · update #1
How much is your life worth? Tires will plane on water, slide on snow, harder to stop on dry payment, etc. and if there is not much tread left, that will only make it worse. Guess its your choice, but good tires and brakes are one of the best safety factors you can control on your car.
2007-02-17 01:14:07 · answer #1 · answered by Really ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work in the tire industry, so maybe I can help.
A brand new tire has, depending on brand and model, either 10 or 11/32" of tread when new. It is recommended to replace tires when they reach 4/32" tread as wet-weather performance drops off dramatically after that point. At 2/32" of tread your tires are legally bald in most states. The "Lincoln's Head on a penny" test shows when the tire has reached 2/32" but the tire also has "wear bars" molded into the tread to show you when you've reached this point anyway.
What this means is you have two tires that are OK, one that is marginal and one that needs to go away yesterday.
If all of your tires were put on at the same time it would appear you have some issues with uneven wear. These may be caused by lack of rotation, improper wheel alignment or tire pressure.
What is driving everything of course is the worst tire on the car. In my professional opinion, at the bare minimum I would replace 2 tires and have the alignment checked. That way you at least have matching pairs of tires on each axle. Ideally though, tires should always be replaced as a complete set of 4. If your vehicle is All-Wheel Drive then you have to replace all 4 at the same time irregardless to avoid drivetrain damage.
You can do what you want but remember, tires are the NUMBER ONE safety feature on your vehicle. Do what you think is best.
2007-02-17 01:48:49 · answer #2 · answered by Naughtums 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No they wouldn't be legally obligated. But I would trust the first shop in the future. Although it would have boosted their end of month sales, it's was the right advise to give. Tires are considered legal as long as the wear bars aren't visible. Any shop has a right to refuse you service as long as they don't violate your cicil rights in the process. If something were to happen to you that is directly related to the tires, you'd probably sue the shop for not warning you as opposed to thanking them for doing the job anyway. Fact is though, as low as your tread is, I'd have opted for new tires as opposed to rotation. With this being the rainy season, more tread is going to help you more than less tread. And you are almost at the minimum.
2016-05-23 22:21:15 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't bet on anothert 10,000 miles. The general rule of thumb is take a penny and stick it in your tread with Lincoln's head upside down. If it doesn't come up to his head replace your tires. If you live in an area with lots of snow and ice go ahead and replace them now.
2007-02-17 01:13:53 · answer #4 · answered by Angry-T 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
get a stick ruler out if you have a 1/4 inch of tread left at the spot that has the most wear then you are fine anything less than a 1/4 inch and you should replace them.
2007-02-17 01:14:36 · answer #5 · answered by sheets0681 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well having the same tred on your tires actually leads up to better gas millage, but yes you can run those tires a little longer without many problems... Replacing them is always good though cause they'll all start out at the same tred and you'll really get better gas millage...
2007-02-17 01:31:16 · answer #6 · answered by MrOneDer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My advice is to replace all your tires NOW. Waiting for them to wear out further is inviting a disaster. You don't know when the next storm is coming, and when you will need your car to stop or turn on a dime to avoid an accident. With due respect to your Dad, he is dead wrong!
2007-02-17 02:19:16 · answer #7 · answered by cottagstan 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You've won!! You've put more miles on those tires than 99.9% of the general population can put on tires.....Now don't press your luck.
Tires age even if not used, so the rubber degrades over time. (think about finding a 30 year old garden hose) IN ADDITION if you have that many mile on them they must wear like cement, which means they probably don't grip like rubber band either.
Congrat's and think safety.
2007-02-17 01:13:38 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds to me like you do need new tires, they aren't designed to be run till they are slick. I personally would run them till they were slick or lumping, but you really shouldn't. If you decide to get all the life you can out of them, just make sure you have a good spare.
2007-02-17 01:23:42 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
first rember they their to sell, i found if you take a dime are a penny an can hide, half of it the tire is still in fair shape,,,,tires now day are built better ,an can go for a while,,,,now are the tire wareing even,
2007-02-17 01:15:15 · answer #10 · answered by ghostwalker077 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋