Is It Safe To Buy Used Tires For Your Vehicle?

One of the things people always look out for when buying a used car is the condition of its tires, often referred to as "kicking the tires." However, there's more to making sure old car tires are still safe than kicking them. You'll want to check the tread depth present on the used tires, the date they were made, and if there are signs of any previous damage.

Buying used tires for your vehicle is safe, as long as you take some precautions and buy them from a reputable used-tire dealer. As long as your existing tires were maintained properly and wore evenly, it's usually best to buy new tires in sets of four. However, sometimes buying a used tire, or two, makes sense.

For example, shortly before a trip that involved towing an 8,000-pound camper over 650 miles into Colorado's front range, I found myself with a bad tire on the Ram 3500 I own for the purpose. The other three tires on the truck still had plenty of life left but were nowhere near brand new. So, I opted for a used tire of the correct size with closely matching tread pattern and depth from a local used tire shop. Ultimately, I paid about one-third what a new tire would cost. Later this year, when I buy new tires, I won't have one tire with more tread than the others to deal with. It's a strategy that I've employed many times over the years.

The first thing you'll want to look for when buying used tires is a reputable used tire dealer. I had good luck with a shop that had only been open for a few months, but it was a brick-and-mortar store (so to speak) in a small town, and the owner seemed knowledgeable and dedicated. Next, you'll need to ensure you're looking at a tire with the proper specs (load range, speed rating, number of plys, etc.). If it won't work for your vehicle, there's no sense inspecting it any further. You could consult your owner's manual, online vehicle specifications, or the numbers and letters present on your existing tires for this information.

There are other numbers on the tire you should check. Look for a four-digit code usually surrounded by an oval at the end of the Department of Transportation (DOT) Tire Identification Number (TIN). The four digits indicate the week and year the tire was made. If it contains 2523, the tire was made in the 25th week of 2023, or sometime between the 19th and 25th of June, 2023. Best practice indicates replacing any tires, regardless of condition, that are over six years old.

Finally, you'll want to inspect the tire before purchasing it. If the shop won't allow this, find another place to take your business. Look at the tread, does it have uneven wear, is it worn down to the wear-indicator bars, or has it been patched or plugged from previous damage?