Check for cracks at four years

Q. You have suggested that fouryear-old tires could be a problem. I have Goodyear TripleTreds I purchased in 2008. They have good tread depth left. Should I consider replacing them? A. You do not need to automatically replace your tires. After four years, it is time to start checking them regularly for cracks, a sign of hardening rubber.

These cracks can be in obvious places, such as spider-web patterns on the sidewalls, or they can appear inside the tread grooves.

With a strong light, look into the grooves at the base of the tread blocks and check if there are any separation lines starting to appear. If there are just small cracks, monitor the tires more closely. If the lines start to grow more rapidly, it is time for a tire change.

Once tires reach seven years from date of manufacture, I would change them. Q. I bought a new set of four Toyo Proxes T1Sport. I just want to use two of the new ones for now. Should I put the new tires on the front and move the used tires (7/32 tread depth) to the back? A. The industry standard for mounting just two new tires is: best tires on the back. That means new tires always go on the rear, regardless of whether the vehicle is FWD, RWD or AWD.

It is a safety issue, and the logic is simple to follow:

A car, when it loses traction, can skid either at the front (understeer) or rear (oversteer). The average driver in an emergency can control understeer, but not oversteer. Oversteer will spin the car.

So the best tires go on the end of the car that needs the most help staying on the pavement.

Under braking, the weight of the car shifts towards the front. Less weight on the rear means less grip. That’s why the tires with the most grip are needed there.

The front tires, which may be older and have less grip, get extra weight pushed on them and that increases grip. To help the car stay balanced overall, best tires on the back. Send your tire questions to: thetireguy_1@hotmail.com. Mail volume prevents personal replies.