Your car’s ride quality depends a lot on the quality of its tires. Remember when you were a kid and you got a new pair of sneakers? You felt lighter on your feet and you just wanted to run and jump and play the moment you put them on. Replacing your car’s worn out tires feels like that on the road. Your car instantly has a smoother ride and better handling. Brand new treads can make a big difference to your driving experience and as we all know, they can be quite expensive.
What about used tires? Can you save money and still get a quality ride? Are they safe?
You’ll tend to get many opinions about whether or not buying used tires is a good idea. Like so many of life’s decisions, the answer depends… It depends on age, treadwear, and any damage or defects detected. Common sense will go a long way in guiding your decision to buy used tires or not.
Pros and Cons
The advantages of buying used tires have mostly to do with two things: cost savings and waste reduction. Every month many thousands of sets of almost-new, perfectly usable, high-quality tires are pulled from crash-involved vehicles from around the country. While the accident-vehicles may be considered “totaled” by insurance companies, in many cases the tires remain undamaged.
It only makes sense to salvage these fine products from the “totaled” cars just like other undamaged parts and offer them to consumers who save a lot of money over buying new. It gives people options for buying needed things which could be other automotive improvements. There’s also a big positive environmental impact of keeping good tires on the road longer as it significantly reduces the disposal problem.
Beware! The key to remember here is that carefully inspecting used tires for performance and safety is very important to assure a good value and avoid potential hazards. Look for bad wear conditions such as “scalloping” or uneven tread wear on either side. Tires with patches for previous leaks or gashes should be avoided. This goes for tires with any damage to sidewalls as well. In general, the deeper the tread depth, the longer the wear you can expect as long as there are no other defects present. Caveat emptor – “let the buyer beware” – is always a good rule of thumb.
At Bow Auto Parts, all of our used tires are inspected for damage and we only sell them in complete sets of 4 with minimal to light tread wear. Everyone knows that premium truck tires can be expensive. Buying used/recycled tires can be your best option for saving money on high quality treads for your special car, Truck or SUV. If you have any questions about Used Tires at Bow Auto Parts, your best bet is to call us at 800-464-3141 and talk with one of our friendly representatives.
