6 Clear Signs It's Time to Replace Your Car Tires

Key Warning Signs You Need New Tires

Tires give you hints when they're worn out or damaged. We check for these every time you visit, but you should get in the habit of looking, too.

1 VIsible Tread Wear

Tread depth matters a lot for grip and stopping power. Once your tread drops to 3mm or less, it's time to start shopping for replacements.

At that point, water can't escape as easily and your odds of hydroplaning go way up. You can do a quick check at home with a quarter. Stick it in the groove, caribou down. If you see the top of the caribou's head, your tread's too low.

Uneven tread wear tells us something's off with your alignment or suspension. If the inside or outside edges wear faster, then your car’s alignment is out of whack.

When the center wears down first, your tires might be overinflated. If the edges are balder, they're likely underinflated.

2 cracks or bulges in the sidewall

The sidewall keeps the tire's structure together. Cracks, cuts, or bulges mean the tire's lost its strength.

Cracks show up as tiny lines in the rubber. They usually come from age or too much sun, and deep cracks can expose cords underneath. That's a weak spot just waiting to cause trouble.

Bulges are even worse. They mean the tire's inner layers have separated, leaving a soft spot that could blow out at any time. If you spot a bulge, you want to swap the tire out ASAP.



Usually, these problems come from hitting potholes or curbs, or running with the wrong tire pressure for too long.

3 Frequent Loss of Tire Pressure

Tires lose a little air every month: about 7 kPa, give or take. But if you're topping up more than once a month, you've got a leak somewhere.

We look for nails, leaky valve stems, or bead leaks when you come in. Sometimes it's fixable, but old tires or bead damage mean it's time for a new one.

Driving on soft tires wears out the sidewalls and builds up heat, which can turn a slow leak into a sudden blowout.

4 vibrations or Thumping While DRiving

If your steering wheel shakes or you hear a thump that speeds up as you drive, your tires might be the culprit. These symptoms usually mean something's wrong inside the tire, even if the outside looks fine.

Common causes? Uneven wear from bad alignment, belts separating inside the tire, flat spots from hard stops or letting the car sit, and wheel balance issues after losing a weight.



Don't ignore a thumping noise while you’re driving. It often means a flat spot or internal breakdown. Bring your car in if you feel these symptoms. Driving on a damaged tire is asking for trouble.

5 tread separation

Tread separation is when the outer layer of the tire starts peeling away from the inside. It's a scary failure because it can happen suddenly, especially at speed.

You might notice bulges, waves, or soft patches on the tread or sidewall. Sometimes you even see cords poking through the rubber.



Heat and age usually cause separation, but running tires underinflated only makes it worse. If we spot separation, we won't let you drive out with that tire. It's just not safe to wait.

6 Age of Tires

We recommend swapping out tires once they hit 6 years old, no matter how good they seem. Manufacturers recommend never to use tires past 10 years from their manufacture date.

You’ll find the manufacture date stamped on the tire’s sidewall. Check for a code that starts with "DOT" and ends with four numbers.

Those last four digits tell you the week and year the tire was made, like, "2319" means the 23rd week of 2019.



Don’t forget to check every tire, including your spare. People sometimes find their spares have never touched the road, but after 15 years, they’re just not safe anymore, even in an emergency.

Stop by our MR Automotive for all your vehicle’s tire services. We’re located at 83 Glen Cameron Rd in Thornhill.