Question for some of you low profile tire vets. How do I
know when it's time for a new set of tires. Obviously the old Lincoln penny trick won't work. Appreciate your advice.

 

Why won't the penny test work? All you are doing is measuring the tread depth. Every tire, even a UHP model, has a tread wear bar built in at 2/32nd's. If you get close to it, change them. You can always buy a tread depth guage at the parts store. I'd suggest changing at 3-4/32nd's on most street tires.

 

Tire depth is one aspect, another is time on the car. Tires become rigid and hard over time. You see many Porsches that are 6-8 years old with 12-20Kmi on them. Even though the tread may be okay, the tire is old and basically shot, with no road quality left. At the speeds that we drive our cars, if you think you need tires, you probably do. Safety is foremost.

 

Make sure you check the depth accross the entire width of the tire. Some times the edges or center can have more wear from improper inflation or bad alignments.

 

on your rear tires, carefully look at the inside edge. that can wear out much faster than the middle of the tire.

i got surprised once getting onto I-295. car got real squirrelly real fast. tire deflated after separation due to inside edge wear. mid tire was 3 mm

JB

 

Most tires have wear bars - that's always a good quick check. Uneven wear can be a reason for replacement, as well as age. If you drive your 996 very infrequently, you may end up with old tires that still have good tread. If your tires are more than 5 or 6 years old, I'd probably change them.

 

... 1) when they have lost their resilience (grip)...

2) When they have reached the wear indicators (you have waited too long)...

3) When they have vastly differering tread depths (non-uniformity)...

4) When cracks start to appear in the sidewalls or tread area...

5) When they develop rolling irregularities that cannot be overcome in the mounting & balancing process.

Any one of these reasons is enough to warrant the purchase of new tires.

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or drive them hard, often. then get a new set.

jb

 

+1 for 996 CarGo. IMHO the three most important parts of a car are; tires, steering, brakes - in that order. The only thing he may have missed is; if you are ever uncomfortable about the safety of your tires, for any reason, replace them. The tires are one of the cheapest repairs on your Pcar.