Car tires are often stored somewhere at home particularly if you have wheels for different seasons and multiple vehicles. The question is where should you store them? And what’s with all the numbers and other information on the tires? When should you replace your tires? What about tread depth? Tire pressure?
So many questions…
Here are 13 car tire secrets you should know about to help you understand more about this very important aspect of your vehicle.
Storing tires in the garage should be avoided
Storing summer tires in the garage in winter means they are exposed to cold, potentially damp weather. Storing winter tires in the garage in summer means they are exposed to hot, potentially humid weather. Your tires already get exposed to the elements when they are driven so storing them when not in use is better done in a dry location in room temperature such as your basement if possible.
If you store tires in the basement, keep them away from the furnace, water heater, sump pump and any appliances that produces ozone which damages rubber tires.
When storing tires, it’s best to stack them vertically on top of each other rather than side by side standing up. Fully inflated tires can develop flat spots when stored standing up. Tire stores will generally stack inflated tires vertically when storing them or upright in a rack when empty. If you stack them in the basement get your tire company to put them in bags to keep them from being in direct contact with the floor and to protect them from dust, etc.
Using a tire rack is another way to properly store tires when not in use.
Tires require a minimum amount of tread or they should be replaced
The minimum legal limit of tread required on a tire is 2/32″ but check with your local jurisdiction to safe and also understand that this is the minimum legal limit, not a recommendation. Tires can be at the point of needing replacement even if they have 3/32″ of tread or more left on them.
In the US, tire tread is measured in 32nds of an inch where new tires have grooves (treads) typically as deep as 10/32″ to 11/32″. As they wear down, they become less able to grip and stop as quickly particularly during adverse weather conditions.
In most other countries around the world tire tread is measured in millimeters (mm). In Canada for example, the legal minimum tread required on a tire is 1.6 mm which also equates to 10/32″.
How to read your car tire specifications from the tire wall
Tires generally have a great deal of information on them regarding their design and usability that you should know about. The good news is that much of the information is standardized and used around the world. Using the above tire as an example we can tell the following:
- The tire size is 165/65 R14 which means the width of the tire is 165mm, the tire ratio of height to width is 65 and the rim diameter is (R)14.
- 4614 means that the tire was manufactured during the 46th week of 2014. The manufacture date on every tire uses a four digit code where the first 2 digits are the week the tire was manufactured and the second 2 digits represent the year. For this tire the code is 4614.
- The US DOT (Department of Transport) tire manufacturer number is A5AC JA3R which gives information on the manufacturer and location.
- The tire was manufactured in Poland.
Other tires may include the maximum speed allowed and other details regarding the tread and suitability of the tire in different conditions.
The correct tire pressure is located on a label on the inside of the driver’s side door
It’s actually the vehicle manufacturer that recommends the tire pressure that you use, not the tire company. Car manufacturers specify the size of the tires to be used and then put the recommended tire pressure on a label on the inside of the driver’s side door. Check your owner’s manual as it is often specified there, too.
You’ll see that the tire pressures are given for Cold Tire Pressure as you want to inflate tires when they are cold and have not built up pressure from driving a long distance. Once you start driving the tires heat up and tire pressure will increase.
You can’t eyeball a tire and tell if it has enough tread
Looking at a tire and thinking “that tire has enough tread on it” isn’t an effective way to determine when a tire needs to be replaced. There are also various suggestions regarding putting a certain type of coin such as a 25 cent piece in the treads and depending on how much of the coin is showing, the tire might still be good or might need to be replaced.
You can pick up a small tire tread measuring tool for about $10 give or take. For that price, why not use a professional tool if you’re going to measure something as important as your vehicle’s tires?
Car tires cost around $50 – $300 per tire to replace depending on how much you wish to spend but the damage caused by a car accident due to an avoidable tire blowout will be much higher as could your new insurance premiums if you’re held liable and not to mention any physical damage suffered by passengers.
Bald tires may invalidate an insurance claim and result in fines
Will bald tires invalidate an insurance claim? Can you get fined for having tires without a minimum amount of tread? Depending on where you live, the answer to one or both questions could be yes.
US states have different rules regarding how car accidents are treated depending on where you live and the specifics of the accident. In many US states, you’re more likely to be held accountable for the accident if it’s determined that your bald or past-their-due-date tires were responsible. The police officer investigating the accident can easily inspect your tires for wear and damage and can also look at the manufacture date to see how old the tires are.
In the UK, getting caught driving with a tire that doesn’t have enough tread can result in a fine multiplied by the number of tires that are affected. If you are in an accident, an insurer may choose to deny the claim if the state of the tires are the cause of the accident.
Similar fines exist in countries like Australia for driving with subpar tires, too.
In some jurisdictions, you may have a problem with the type of tires you are driving with at certain times of the year. Speaking of which…
Summer tire with straight treads to allow driving in dry and wet conditions. Deep, straight treads help to disperse water during wet and rainy conditions. 
Winter tire with thicker, more aggressive tread to bite into snow and ice and keep the grip. Made with a softer rubber compound than summer or all season tires to deal with sub 0 temperatures.
Some jurisdictions require you to drive with winter tires during certain months of the year
There are no specific laws in the US stipulating the use of winter tires but some states like California, Colorado and Montana among others have laws in place specifying the use of chains on tires in certain cases.
In the Canadian province of Quebec, winter tires are required from December 1 – March 15 or drivers risk being fined up to $300. Currently it’s the only Canadian province that has such a law. Pay note if you’re driving there in winter because the law applies to you too.
In Europe, the laws get interesting. Countries like Denmark and Norway have no specific law to have winter tires at any point or any weather conditions.
In Germany though, you are required to have winter tires if the weather requires it but some mountain roads do specifically specify winter tire usage during winter months.
But in Austria, you need to have winter tires or chains during winter road conditions for all vehicles under 3.5 tonnes from November 1 to April 15 each year or you face a fine that increases substantially if you are found to have put other drivers at risk.
And in France, vehicles must use winter tires from December 1 to the last day of February with a tread of at least 3 mm although tread of at least 5 mm is recommended. A fine occurs if you are caught without winter tires.
And there are all the other EU countries that you might drive through in winter that each have their own laws and rules, too.
Your best bet? Learn your local laws and if you’re driving outside your state or country in the winter, learn about their laws. Or better yet, just put your winter tires on.
Car tires have a lifespan even if they aren’t being used
Some tire manufacturers recommend replacing tires that are between 6 and 10 years old whether or not they are damaged. This isn’t just a marketing ploy: Over time, the rubber on your tires is exposed to alternating sun and heat in the summer and potentially cold ice and snow in the winter. Over time tires crack and wear from use and whether they are being driven or not.
Other environmental conditions like Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and ozone additionally damage them. Then there are conditions in which you store and care for your tires that matters. Do you store them in a dry location or are they in the cold of your garage in the middle of winter or the hot heat of the summer? Do you constantly under inflate or over inflate them?
For some people, they drive their car enough that the tires wear down quicker and need to be replaced after several years. But even if you don’t drive your car as frequently, your car tires are aging even as your car sits in your driveway or garage.
Why you should avoid buying used tires
Tires are one thing that shouldn’t be bought used. If you happen to have a trusted tire store that can provide you with used tires that’s one thing but buying them online from someone you don’t know is another story. Maybe they were over or under inflated, overloaded with weight or otherwise treated roughly.
You don’t know the history of the tires in terms of how they were driven and stored and given the importance of them to the safety of your vehicle, why would you take the chance to save a small amount of money?
Tires that look good can still be past their lifespan and be unsafe. After all, the person giving or selling them to you obviously didn’t want them. Why should you?
Are M+S tires the same as winter tires?
M+S (mud and snow) tires are the same as winter tires. Over the years, different terminology was used to describe winter or snow tires so eventually a standardized symbol was invented so that consumers and law enforcement could quickly tell if a tire was summer/all season or winter. The three-peaked mountain with a large snowflake on the inside denotes that it is a winter tire. So now, if you happen to live in an area that requires snow tires at certain times of the year, law enforcement can quickly look at the tire and see the mountain and snowflake and see that you have proper winter tires.
When should you switch winter and summer tires?
It depends on your local area because some are likely to have cold, icy weather and snow before others. A general rule of thumb to remember is 45°F or 7°C. When the temperature consistently drops below this level, switch to winter tires. When the temperature consistently rises above this level, switch to summer tires.
Winter tires have thicker rubber and have more aggressive tread than summer tires
Important to remember is that winter tires are made with a softer rubber compound so that they retain their grip even in icy cold conditions. That’s why it’s important to switch between winter and summer/all season tires at the appropriate times.
When you drive with winter tires in warmer temperatures, the treads wear faster. Sometimes in the middle of winter you may get mild temperatures and there’s not much you can do about it. But you should not be driving on your winter tires in summer because they will wear out quicker and will need replacement sooner.
Winter tires are ideally used when temperatures are consistently below 45°F or 7°C.
Summer tires have harder rubber with less aggressive tread than winter tires
Summer and all season tires are made of harder rubber to withstand higher temperatures and wear but the rubber gets stiffer when the temperature drops, which decreases the tire’s effectiveness to grip and stop quickly.
If you use summer or all season tires during the winter when temperatures are cold, icy and snowy, you are using tires that are not meant for this purpose. All season tires might be good in some locales that get very little snow but in heavy snowfall areas, winter tires are a must. Studies
have shown that winter tires stop quicker in ice and snow than comparable all season tires.
Summer tires are ideally used when temperatures are consistently above 45°F or 7°C
Replacing one tire or replacing all four tires depends on the situation
The best bet is to replace four tires at one time. But in some occasions this might not be the most reasonable option. I once bought a new SUV and 5 months later, ran over a screw and needed a new tire. So I just replaced the one tire.
On another occasion, I ran over a nail in another car and in this case the tires were only 2 years old and it was a leased car. The leasing company only replaced the one tire.
If you need to replace one tire and the other three tires are in good shape, it’s usually fine to just replace one. It really depends on how much tread you have on the remaining three tires and their overall health. The more tread and the better the health, the more likely that you’ll be able to replace just one tire.
Summary
Tires are one of the most important aspects that determines vehicle safety but how you store them at home counts too. Learn how to monitor your tire wear to ensure the safety of your vehicles but also to get the best and most from your tires before replacement.