Are Used Tires Safe to Buy?

Find out whether or not it’s worth buying used tires.

There are many costs that come with owning a car. One of the biggest and most annoying one for many is getting new tires. Tires can be expensive. And when you need to replace them every three to five years, the price can really start to add up.

To save money, some people consider buying used tires. Used tires have their pros and cons, but ultimately, they aren’t the best or the safest option. Blain’s Farm & Fleet is here to show you why buying used tires for your vehicle isn’t worth it.

Shorter Lifespan

Because the tires would already be at least somewhat used, they’re not going to last as long as new tires would. Most new car tires last three to five years. So if you get tires that have already been used for a couple of years, they’re going to last about half as long as new tires would.

Used tires are likely to have less tread than new ones. If you get worn tires with not a lot of tread left, they can even be very dangerous to drive on. Worn tires are much more likely to cause you to get into a crash, especially if the roads are slick or snowy.

To test the tread depth on your tires, place a penny upside down in the grooves. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, your tires don’t have enough tread, and they need to be replaced.

Unknown History

Another risk to buying used tires is that you don’t typically know what their history is. If the tires were used incorrectly by their last owner, they won’t be in as good or as safe of a condition for you.

For example, the past owner could’ve driven on them when they were over or under inflated. They could’ve driven too fast with them. They could’ve ran over many potholes or curbs. All of these things would put extra wear on the tires.

And of course, the tires could also have deeper issues that you wouldn’t notice just by looking at them. For example, they could have punctures on the inside or liner damage.

Less Guidelines or Restrictions

A benefit to purchasing new tires is that they have to adhere to many federal standards. There are a number of guidelines and regulations they must follow in order to be safe and reliable. However, these same standards don’t apply to old, used tires.

Because of this, you can be sure you’re getting the best and safest possible tires when you go with new ones. And used ones could end up being more unsafe and unreliable.

Little or No Warranty

New tires also comes with good warranties. These warranties usually last four to six years. They can give you peace of mind in the event that your tires don’t last as long as they’re supposed to.

However, most used tires come with little to no warranty. So if something were to go wrong with them shortly after you purchase them, the seller would have no obligation to fix or replace them.

Price

The main reason people choose to buy used tires instead of new ones is because they’re cheaper. However, as mentioned earlier, it’s very unlikely they’d last as long as new tires.

Typically, they last half as long as brand new tires would. This means you’d be replacing them twice as often. And because used tires can come with additional issues that you wouldn’t find in new tires, you may end up spending more money having to get them repaired, too.

It may seem like you’re getting a much better deal with used tires. But in the long run, they’ll likely end up costing you just as much or even more than new ones would.

For more articles on how to care for your vehicle, visit our Automotive Blog.