How To Know When To Replace Truck Tires

Our daily life demands compel us to forget about the health of our tires. Whenever we take our trucks for mechanical check-ups, our mechanics never fail to check the condition of our tires and give us appropriate advice. If the tires in your truck have served you for more than five years, then you need to change them. Tire replacement should be routine. Why? Truck tires determine the safety and reliability of your truck. When your tires are in good health, sure, your truck will take you anywhere without any stress. You should know when your truck needs new sets of tires. After reading this guide, you will be able to know when to replace truck tires.

How To Know When To Replace Truck Tires – The Signs

Weathering

Your tires are exposed to various elements as you drive on different surfaces. A tire is made of natural rubber, so as you drive on snow, ice, hot surfaces, and even water, it will start to weather with time. How will you tell if your tires are weathering? You see fine cracks on the surface of your tires. It would help if you replaced your tires as soon as you see such cracks across/along the treads of your tires

Tire Bulge

Your tire will likely bulge if you hit your truck on potholes or bumps or even drive recklessly on rough roads. Your tire will bulge when the air gets into the inner surface of the outer layer of your tire. The air will form pockets that will swell on the walls of your tires. Tire bulge is a serious issue that you should address urgently as soon as you note it. Ignoring tire bulges can lead to tire bursts.

Truck Vibrations

Several factors can lead to truck vibration. For instance, when there is a problem with your transmission system, you are likely to feel your truck vibrating when in motion. Another culprit to truck vibration is your tire. When you fix a new tire slightly different from the rest, your truck will likely vibrate. Wheel balancing is another cause of truck vibration, it is not easy to see unbalanced wheels, but when your truck is in motion, you will feel vibration which will increase with the increase in speed. Vibration is a clear sign that you need to replace your tires.

Depth of Tire Tread

Another way of determining whether to replace your tires is by checking the depth of your tires. You can measure the depth of your treads by using a tread depth gauge. If you do not have this gadget, do not worry, you can check the depth of your treads by doing the following.

Place a coin on every tread around your tire with the queen’s head facing down.

Confirm if the head of the queen is visible.

If you can see the head of the queen, then your treads have 2/32 or less, and you should consider buying new ones.

Conclusion

Tires are an integral part of your truck. Its health determines the safety of your truck. The above signs will help you determine whether you need to buy or replace your tires.

Problems Caused By Low Tire Tread In My Truck

Most truck owners forget about tire servicing after fixing a high quality that will last for years. However, a lot can be messy with the tires if you do not give them attention. The most important thing never to forget is the thickness of the tire tread. The treads define how good the tires are on the road.

When To Replace the Tires

This guide will guide you to know whether you need to replace your tire or not. Your tire tread has to reach a specific level, or you have to replace it. Let’s look at when to replace a tire.

When the treads are low, the tire tread should be at least 2/32 of an inch. When the treads go below this, your tires are completely worn out. 

When the treads start to become low, the treads start becoming low at the level of 3/32. At this level, your mechanic will recommend you replace your tire. It is necessary to replace your tires at this level when you live in areas with adverse climatic conditions or when winter is around the corner. 

Good tread level. New tires have 11/32 inches tread level. Suppose it is 6/32. It is still considered good. You might change your tire if something happens to the treads, making them less effective. 

Sometimes you might never know if your truck tires need a replacement. Consider visiting your mechanic for a check-up and advice in such a scenario.

Problems Caused by Low Tire Tread

When the tire treads become extremely low, you might assume and start driving safely, but it is a concern that can lead to serious safety issues for yourself and other road users. Let us look at some of the problems relating to worn-out tires. 

Handling and Safety Issues

The tire treads provide a good grip for your truck, enabling you to handle control properly and handle your truck. When the treads become low, handling your truck will be difficult, especially on slippery surfaces, you might find it difficult to apply brakes, which might be dangerous to other road users. 

Braking Problems

Tread plays a greater role in the braking system of your truck. Treads provide friction necessary for stopping the truck when you press the brake pedal. When the treads are low, you will step on the brake pedal, but it will not offer adequate friction to stop the truck.

Bad Fuel Economy

Low treads reduce the rate your truck will gain and maintain its speed as you accelerate, forcing your engine to burn more fuel to increase and maintain the speed of your truck.

Problems During Bad Weather

Driving in a rainy or snow is more difficult when your treads are low. It makes it difficult for you to handle the truck as it may slide and veer off the road. 

Emissions Problems

Did you know that the rate at which your truck will emit exhaust gases increases when your tread levels are low? Low treads reduce grip, making your engine burn more fuel to produce adequate energy to propel your truck.

Conclusion

Knowing the condition of the tread of your tire is necessary. It will tell whether you will be safe on the road or not. Low tire treads possess a lot of problems that you should not ignore.

When Should You Make Tire Replacement For Your Truck?

Trucks fall in the commercial vehicle class, and such vehicles help their owners run errands. Delivery businesses solely depend on trucks to make deliveries to various places. For your truck to efficiently serve you, you must give it adequate servicing. Many truck owners do an exemplary job in vehicle maintenance but fail regarding tire servicing and maintenance. Tire replacement and keeping an eye on them is very important and something that should never be ignored.

The extent to which your truck will serve you depends on the condition of the tires. Remember, it is the tires where the entire weight of your truck rests. The state of the tires can enhance or limit the extent to which your truck will deliver. If the tires are not well aligned, your driving will be worse. If they are old and worn out, the chances of your truck causing an accident are high. We change tires due to different reasons.

When Should You Make Tire Replacement For Your Truck?

When the Treads Expire

As the rubber hits the road, the tire treads wear out, and their thickness lessens to a minimum tread mark. In the United States, the department of transport has outlined the minimum tread depth to be 2/32. The performance and safety shall go down if the tire tread depth decreases. When the treads expire, it becomes difficult to stop, and the truck will slide when the roads are wet. For safety, replace your tires when they reach the minimum tread thickness.

The Age of the Tire

The tire’s lifespan is 6 – 10 years, but how you use it determines its lifespan. Sometimes, your tire will expire before you attain the minimum tread thickness. The compounds and the resins that facilitate the proper functioning of the tire degrade with time, making the tire ineffective. If you do not drive your truck regularly, protect your tires from direct sunlight, reduce the rate at which the tire compounds wear out, and never let your tires sit in one position for long.

Changes in Season

When the season changes, it is necessary you change your tires. If snow starts to fall, ensure you fix winter tires for your truck. Such tires are made to give you proper truck handling on snow and ice. Changing tires with the seasonal change will increase your truck’s performance and offer you maximum safety.

Cabin Comfort

The cabin comfort and noise of the road can be significantly impacted by the nature of your truck’s tires. The types of tires you use will influence the environment of your cabin. Various sets of tires give a varied climate in the cabin. When driving and you hear too much road noise and are uncomfortable, consider changing your tires with the ones that absorb road noise to give you a silent ride.

Truck Performance

How your truck operates in terms of hauling heavy weight depends on the tires. The way your vehicle performs solely depends on the kind of tires your truck runs on. If your 4WD is not performing as expected, consider changing the tires.

Conclusion

Knowing when to change your tires is necessary and is a routine service requirement for your truck. This guide has highlighted some of the reasons why we change our tires.