There is nothing worse than having to change a tire in the rain, save having to change a tire in a tuxedo, on your way to a black tie event. Follow these tips and you will avoid the hassle of having to do a roadside tire change.

Tires are pretty much the same across the board, but wear and tear are very unique. One thing you should do as a rule of thumb is to do a walk around every time you fill up. By doing this you at least familiarize yourself with the four most safety-critical pieces of your car once a week.

You want to observe the tread for any nails or screws, long lateral cuts and sidewall cuts as well. Sidewall cuts are generally the worst as they are usually irreparable and require a brand new tire. This is why when you see someone slashing a tire, they go for the sidewalls.

If you do not see any foreign objects lodged in the tread, then you want to notice the tread itself. Is it wearing unevenly? Then you want to consider your alignment and possibly having the alignment checked out. You may also look to your tire being out of balance as the culprit to uneven tire wear. Look to excessive wear on the inside or the outside of the front tires as evidence of camber adjustment out of the normal limitations.

Also keep in mind there may be blisters in the tire. A blister occurs when the tread separates from the inner plys and causes a bump to occur in the tread. This is usually the culprit when you hear a thumping or bouncing that changes with the road speed of the car. These are signs that the tire needs to be replaced immediately.

When your tread is less that 3/32 of an inch, your tires are illegal. But long before that they are inefficient at repelling/channeling water and put you at a greater risk of hydroplaning. Look at F1 or NASCAR for proof of this while a no tread or limited/shaved tread is best for dry conditions, you will notice that on wet days they will opt for a "rain tire' which simply has deeper grooves and therefore allows the car to retain contact with the road in wet weather.

If your tires refuse to hold their air, this is a sign that you have a pinhole leak somewhere and while you may not have to replace the tire, you definitely need to have it looked at to at least be patched/plugged.

One last thing to look for is rot. Yes tires that are not used regularly can become susceptible to rot. They are made from a natural compound and are therefore biodegradable, even on a small level. When tiers exhibit an unusual hardness, cracking, or a glossy shine on the tread, they are too old and cannot be repaired they must be replaced.

So do yourself a favor and develop the habit of checking your tires every fill up, and you will avoid being stranded with a faulty tire.

Learn more about this author, M.L. Brooke.
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