A used tire will always be more dangerous than a brand new tire even if the wear is minimal.
With the appearance of the crisis and the increase in everyday products, Spanish citizens have been 'tightening their belts' and reducing expenses to the greatest extent possible and, this, too has been noticed in the automotive sector. So much so that in What used to be a complete wheel change because the vehicle needed it, has now become just changing half of it..
Already It seems completely normal to us to exchange the rear tires for the front tires of our car. and only buy two new tires… or even second-hand. It is because of that In this article we are going to review everything you need to know before buying second-hand used tires..
We will review all the aspects to take into account; both positive and negative. In the same way, we will detail some key concepts that must be taken into account in terms of safety, such as, for example, when to know that the tires of our car or motorcycle are worn out and need to be changed.
Tire casing: what we see with the naked eye can deceive us
One of the main aspects to take into account when we talk about tires is to properly know the characteristics and peculiarities of the tiresbecause if we do not know them we will not be able to understand how they work and how they should respond.
That is why it is inevitable to comment that On the tire cover we will find the drawing or groove of the wheel. Although it is popularly said that if the groove on a tire is worn or 'erased' it is an unequivocal sign that it needs to be changed, this is not the case.
Even if a tire has some wear in the groove, this is not decisive for changing the rubber.although we should not underestimate this visually perceptible signal.
Of course: we must be very careful in rainy conditions or where water accumulates, since this drawing will be what allows us to evacuate it. and drive normally. In this case, security may be affected.
Who mounts used tires?
Practically 95% of private users in their vehiclessince the vast majority decides change the rear tires for the front ones and buy only two new units, which will be used for the rear of the vehicle. Furthermore, many of them no longer make purchases in the workshops, but rather choose to do so online.
And according to recent studies it can be concluded that The older a vehicle is, the less money we spend on new wheels.. This is somewhat contradictory, because if with the passage of time the safety of the vehicle is not the same as that of the first day (due to the wear of the parts caused by the passage of time) the vast majority of users decide to 'increase' this risk and fit used tires instead of new ones.
Regarding workshops, 41% buy and install second-hand tires for their clientswell Since 2009, Spain has been a mainly tire importing country.especially those from France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Even so, 29% of them refuse even if the client brings them, while 71% of the workshops would only set them up if the client brings them.. On average, 73% of the tires sold are new, but in some shops these percentages drop to 10 or 20 percent.
Aspects in favor of mounting second-hand tires
–Economical: are much cheaper than brand new tiresso used tires fit our pockets much more than new ones (although if we can afford it, it is undoubtedly recommended to change the four used tires for four new ones).
–Little use: If it is true that we are not going to use the car much, only for short trips or similar, then It may not be profitable for us to put new tires on the vehicle.. This aspect is directly related to their price and the frequency of use of the car.
–Ecological: the more we extend the life of a tire, the longer it will take to contaminate the environment, since We will be prolonging its life while delaying the start of its polluting stage..
–Distrust of lesser-known brands: especially the cheap brands, so many users prefer to opt for second-hand tires from well-known brands such as Michelin, Dunlop or similar to doing it with completely new tires from lesser-known brands.
Aspects against mounting second-hand tires
–Its origin: We do not know who has previously fitted those tires unless we know the previous owner firsthand, so We could avoid this uncertainty if we bought completely new tires from the factory..
–Possible hidden defects: although at first glance we see that they may be perfectly fine, it is possible that hidden defects appear that are imperceptible to the human eye. To know this we should subject each tire to an examination with special machines. to know the real health status of each rubber.
–Less useful life: well it is evident that if we mount a used tire It will last us less than a completely new tire would..
–Present in three out of every four accidents: well This is what the General Directorate of Traffic commentsalthough this figure is not surprising when 95% of private users use used tires.
So, are used tires dangerous?
Really if. It is true that everything depends on the degree of wear and use of the tires, but a safety element as important as this, which after all are the only points of support of the car with the asphalt, it is essential to maximize security.
And it is obvious that a used tireeven though the performance is similar to that of a completely new tire, will never be able to offer us the same security and confidence that the latter do. And although the possibility of a defective tire appearing – even if it is new – exists, it will always be advisable rather than installing an old one.
Nor should we forget that The Rubber Consortium is made up of numerous and prestigious tire brands which make a living from the sale of thesesince they are interested in the tires having an 'expiration date' for their business to work.
It is because of that, Although they would never play with the safety of the users, they do establish a scale of their useful life.. These 'use limit dates' are usually given in kilometers, and are recommended by each manufacturer.
With all this we can conclude that used tires are more dangerous than new tiressince we should always try to buy the latter even though they are from lesser-known brands.
How can I tell if my tires are worn?
If at the beginning of the article we talked about how wear at a glance of the 'tread' of our tires is not the best way to identify when we need to change tires, to end the article we are going to offer a series of recommendations or tips through which we can identify that our vehicle must go through a workshop to change its wheels.
–If we have excessive wear and observe that the tires have less than 1.6 millimeters of groove depth. This, in addition, is grounds for sanction by the DGT.
-If we have uneven wear between the exterior and interior of the tire.
-If we have an abnormal pressure loss; Well, we could be facing a puncture.
–If the tires have been exposed for prolonged periods to extreme heat or cold situations and, furthermore, the vehicle has not been moved periodically.
–If we have had any friction with a curb or have gone through a very deep potholesince we may have generated possible structural damage inside the tire.
–If the rubber crystallizes.
–If the age of our tires is excessiveand it is that starting five years after their manufacture it is recommended that an expert review their state of health and detail whether a change of tires is required or not.
Under normal conditions, how often should they be changed?
It always depends on each manufacturer, but as happens with other car components, They should be changed when they exceed 50,000 kilometers traveled..
Of course, since the vast majority of users – especially individuals – circulate with used tires as we have seen previously (since they usually exchange the rear wheels for the front ones) It is recommended to perform this rotation every 15,000 kilometers and put new wheels on the back of the vehicle.