How to take care of your tires
It is a well known fact that tire life depends mainly on the driving style. However, it is also very important how the tires are stored. Because if they are not stored in adequate conditions or they are left in an open place they will quickly start to deteriorate. Over time, their surface will become dry, which means that sooner or later you will notice the appearance of small cracks. When you mount these tires during winter (or summer depending on the type of tires you are changing) there is a risk that the cracks will spread and make the tire non-functional. This means spending more money for automotive repair.
When the moment for replacement of summer tires with winter tires comes, the first thing that you should do is clean the tires from pieces of gravel or pebbles. Mark the tires so that you know which ones were used in the front and which go left and to the right side of the vehicle. At the beginning of the next season, you can set the front tires back in order to wear them more evenly. Tires should be stored in a closed dry, cold and clean place. It would be the best idea to store them away from any heat sources such as pipes and stoves and avoid placing them next to oil or other fuels or chemicals. It is best to keep them upright next to one another on a shelf elevated from the ground. In addition, before you store your tires for the winter, make sure that they are properly inflated. Finally, it is recommended to turn the tires once a month in order to avoid distortion. If you have a problem finding space for storing tires you can leave them in a specialized service.
Buying tires is not a simple process. You need to have some information in order to buy tires that are suitable for your vehicle. The first thing that you should learn is to read the marks on the tires because you can use them to find out whether the tire is good enough for your car, its speed, mass etc. So, before you buy winter tires, check the markings on the summer tires. By checking the so-called DOT code (the month and year of production) you can determine whether the tires are eventually expired. It is recommended to replace aluminum alloy wheels with steel alloy wheels and the best time to do that is while you are replacing the winter and summer tires. Aluminum alloy wheels are more sensitive than steel which is particularly evident in the winter period because at low temperatures aluminum becomes brittle. On the other hand, steel rims are more resistant and they are not affected by salt and other substances used on the roads during the winter period.
Finally, it is not advisable to buy used tires because it is almost impossible to determine the state of the tire. You can make a visual inspection, but you will never know how were those tires used and whether they have some micro-cracks.