As warm weather spreads across the country thousands of drivers who put snow tires on their cars for the winter months will remove them and put them in storage until next winter. Thanks to advances in tire engineering, most drivers manage to get around on all season radials, avoiding the need to make seasonal swaps with their tires.
But for people who live in snowy areas of the country, snow tires provide the only assurance that they'll be able to move about when winter's fury is at its worst. Ice, drifting snow and other hazardous road conditions make using snow tires still a good choice, often the best move drivers can make when bad weather hits.
After awhile, snow tires begin to wear out, showing signs that they aren't doing their job as well as they should. Usually, drivers notice these changes as they attempt to get around after a storm, finding that their grip on icy roads isn't as confident as it could be. At this point, the tires many be at the end of their useful life and should be disposed of properly.
There are other ways that drivers can tell if their tires are at the end of their lifespan including:
Uneven wear - Tires begin to show signs of wear such as bulging in the middle or on the sides. If your tires are newer, than they could be defective. Check your warranty to see if repairs or a replacement is covered.
Noise, vibrations - Snow tires have a different sort of hum them than regular tires because of the tread. Likely, you are accustomed to this "tune" and can differentiate note changes. In addition, if your tires or steering wheel vibrates, inspect your tires to see if they are inflated properly or simply wearing out.
Pulling to the side - If your car is pulling to one side, tire inflation could be low. Inspect all tires for wear and tear, inflate per your owner's manual specifications.
If you have used the same set of snow tires for many seasons, this could be the year that they'll need to be disposed of. In that case, take your car to your favorite garage and have him swap out your winter tires for your regular tires. Leave your old tires at the shop, paying the disposal fee as required.
You can shop for new snow tires when prices are low which is usually during the warmest months of the year, stock permitting.
Matthew C. Keegan is a freelance writer who resides in North Carolina. Matt is a contributing writer for Andy's Auto Sport an aftermarket supplier of quality parts including Honda Civic rims and Ford rims
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Keegan
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