When It’s Time for New Tires; Buying New Tires- Page 305

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When It’s Time for New Tires

One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires have
only 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) or
less of tread remaining.

You need a new tire if any of the following statements
are true:

D

You can see the indicators at three or more places
around the tire.

D

You can see cord or fabric showing through the 
tire’s rubber.

D

The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged deep
enough to show cord or fabric.

D

The tire has a bump, bulge or split.

D

The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
can’t be repaired well because of the size or location
of the damage.

Buying New Tires

To find out what kind and size of tires you need, look at
the Tire

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Loading Information label.

The tires installed on your vehicle when it was new had
a Tire Performance Criteria Specification (TPC Spec)
number on each tire’s sidewall. When you get new tires,
get ones with that same TPC Spec number. That way
your vehicle will continue to have tires that are designed
to give proper endurance, handling, speed rating,
traction, ride and other things during normal service on
your vehicle. If your tires have an all

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season tread

design, the TPC number will be followed by an “MS”
(for mud and snow).

If you ever replace your tires with those not having a
TPC Spec number, make sure they are the same size,
load range, speed rating and construction type 
(bias, bias

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belted or radial) as your original tires.