When do I need new tires and must the new tires be retracted?

Posted by Elvin Bethea on March 18th, 2019

A minimum depth tread of 1.6 millimeters is required by law for passenger car Ford custom wheels. Nevertheless, motorists should not completely leave their tires to the prescribed limit. The less profile the wheel has, the worse the traction and braking performance on wet roads. Especially in wintry conditions, the tires should have a better profile of at least 4 millimeters, especially since this is necessary anyway for the winter holidays. Tires with less profile count as summer tires.

Motorsport fans know it from the introductory rounds in the formula 1. Fresh Ford factory rims must be approached and warmed up so that they can build their optimal grip. However, this is not quite as extreme as in motorsport when it comes to standard tires. However, brand-new tires cannot yet build optimum traction due to their production-related smooth surface and manufacturing residues.

For this reason, the manufacturers advise not to load the tires at the limit during the first 100 to 300 kilometers of mileage, i.e. to avoid high acceleration and high speeds.

How old tire? Do you have to replace them after six years, even if they still have enough profile?

There are no general expiration dates. The legislature also does not prescribe an age limit for motor vehicle tires. The exception is the 100-kilometer per hour regulation for motor vehicle trailers. Here the tires must be younger than 6 years otherwise only 80 km / h may be driven.

Whether factory original wheels for Ford still has sufficient adhesive properties after six, eight or even ten years depends on the tire compound, the physical and chemical aging process of the rubber and above all the correct storage.

UV radiation, temperature and humidity influence the aging process. As they age, tires increasingly harden, the plasticizers are lost, and they become porous and cracked. At the latest then it can be assumed that the tire no longer has its optimum properties.

In addition to summer tires, vehicles with winter tires may be equipped with tires that have a lower speed index than the specified maximum vehicle speed limit. For example, a vehicle that according to the car registration is specified with a maximum speed of 235 kilometers per hour may also be driven with an H-tire. The H designates tires that are approved up to a speed of 210 km / h.

If winter tires with a lower speed index are fitted, the driver must have an M + S sticker in the driver's field of vision indicating the maximum permitted speed of the M + S tire. If the M + S sticker does not exist in such a wheel combination, a major deficiency is entered in the test report during the main inspection.

However, how does the layman recognize which wheel-tire combinations are permitted for his vehicle, especially as newer vehicle licenses no longer include every permissible tire size? Information can be obtained from tire services, workshops or at the testing centers.

However, the Ford factory rims for f150 permitted for the vehicle by the manufacturer under the type-approval are also included.

About us:- In addition, other wheel-tire combinations can be driven if there is a test certificate for the appropriate size for the vehicle. The requirements of the report are to be observed.