BUY USED or NEW TIRES?

That’s a fair question. The used tire place I frequented back would sell a set of used tires for $200 installed (mounted, balanced, etc.). A new set would cost between $900-1200 depending on the brand. So I could get 3-5 sets of used tires for that price, and usually the tires I got used had >50 of their life left. So from a purely economic standpoint, I think it works out, but it is more hassle as you have to replace tires more frequently. What I like best about going the used route is that you can try different tires out and see what you like best – I had some Bridgestone Potenzas I got used and I HATED them…they were super loud, had a very rough ride, they handled decent but not at all worth the ride quality…so I ditched em for something else, no sweat. Had I bought them new, I would have been stuck or needed to take a huge loss on them. But to each their own – buying new is good because you can get a warranty on them, you won’t have to worry about replacing them anytime soon, and you don’t have to worry if the tire is too old and losing performance abilities.

On the surface, it makes sense that rarely used tires should last indefinitely as long as they’re properly cared for. But looks – and low miles – can be deceiving. The owner of a 1969 109 drove his car only occasionally on weekends, and he regularly cleaned and conditioned the tires. In the-eight years that he’d owned the car he never felt the need to purchase new tires since they still looked great. An easy – and costly – mistake. One day while cruising down the highway, the rear driver’s side tire blew out.

DAMAGE/LOSS: Fortunately, the Corvette owner was able to keep the car under control and pull safely to the side of the road, but it suffered considerable damage. The blown tire shredded the left rear wheel well and quarter panel of the fiberglass-bodied ’Vette. Cost of repairs was $5,215, which He paid.

LESSON: There are no hard and fast “expiration dates” on tires, but because rubber begins to crack and deteriorate over time, most experts suggest that eight years is the maximum safe life expectancy of a tire. If you don’t drive your classic at all and it just sits on display, you can get away with keeping the original tires as they’ll hold air. But if you drive the car at all, you need to know how old the tires are. The U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that all tires manufactured since 2000 have serial numbers, and those numbers easi ly identify their age. Using the last four digits, the first two numbers will reveal the-week and last two the year. For example, a serial number ending in 4905 tells you the tires were made during the 49th week of 2005. If there are no recognizable serial numbers, you already have your answer – the tires were made prior to 2000 and need to be replaced.

Kimsing pale pembeni mwa tairi pana neno limeanza na DOT mbele yake utaona tarakim nne maana yake ndo tarehe iliyotengenezwa. Sasa hata kama haitumiki rubber huwa ina tend ku expire so, and in most cases life span ya tairi ni 8yrs lakin hili linategemeana na matumizi na pia aina ya uendeshaji.

Kwa sababu ya kujisahau au uchumi ndo maana watu matairi yana pasukia barabaran maana yanakuwa yameisha expire hata kama kashata zake bado nzuri.

Nimeona nitoe maelezo kidogo kwa kiswahili ili walau kila mtu afaidike