Buying used car and truck tires is a great way to save money and keep you and your passengers safe. Used tires purchased from used car parts lots keep perfectly good tires out of landfills.
Look for Uneven Tread Wear
Look for uneven wear on the tires – if the previous car has a bad alignment,
the inner edge could be worn out while the outer edge looks just fine. This is
bad and the tires will have a much shorter life and continue to wear unevenly,
even if your car is aligned properly. Avoid anything with uneven tread wear.
Tire Brand & Original Retail Price
Research the tires you’re going to get – what do they retail for? Do they
have good reviews? I like to use TireRack.com to research tires as they have
tons of information, reviews, etc. They also have really competitive prices.
Depending on the tire, you might just end up buying them new depending on how
much the used tire seller wants.
Look for Patches & Defects
Once you’ve determined the remaining tread & age, look over the
tires thoroughly for any defects. Don’t buy any tires with bubbles in
the sidewalls – they’re prone to blow out at any moment and without warning.
Likewise if you see patches on the tires (usually visible from the
inside of the tire) that’s a sign the tire might not hold air or could have
issues. Also look for any missing chunks, dings, holes or anything out of the
ordinary.
Since you have to pay to get the tires installed, it’s a big risk that one
tire might not work out – if you’re going to buy a tire that looks like it has
been repaired or might have a defect, either try to get a warranty from the
seller or offer them very little (if nothing) for the tire because of it.
Read the Tire Age
Next, it is important to check the age of the tire – even if tires have
plenty of life left, if they’re really old, it’s a bad buy. Old tires crack and
will eventually blow out. According to
TireRack.com, most governments &
automotive associations recommend replacing your tires every 5-6
years, regardless of how much tread is left.
You can check the age of a tire based on the writing on the side of the
tire. This article on Tire Rack explains
how to figure out the age of a tire. Knowing how much tread
is left, you can calculate approximately how long of a life the tire has
remaining based on its age, remaining tread depth and your driving habits. All
of this can be used to haggle down the price, or just to determine if you
should buy the tire or not in the first place.
Evaluate Tire tread depth
First you should determine how much life the tires have left in them by
looking at the depth of the tire tread. I recommend picking up a
tire depth gauge – for as little as $5, it’s a tool that is
well worth the cost if you’re going to buy used tires. Typically, a new tire
has between 10-12/32″ of tread depth. Using a gauge you can determine EXACTLY
how much is left, which can help you decide if you should buy the tires and how
much you should offer.
I wouldn’t recommend buying anything under 4/32nds of tread – 4/32nds is the
minimum that dealerships require to trade-in your vehicle, anything less they
determine too worn and will make you replace the tires first. Likewise, you’ll
typically pay between $80-120 to get the tires mounted, balanced and installed,
so why waste that money on installation when the tires are going to be bald
very soon?
Use your tire depth gauge to figure out how much life is left, and use that
as the basis for your offer (50% of tread left means pay no more than 50% of
original retail price).
Atlas U Pull, Used car Parts
Used Tires St Paul |
Minneapolis Used Tires |
Twin Cities Used Tires
651-217-1957
St. Paul Minnesota, Call today!!