How do you find out if other people are finding troubles with their car tires? Is there a larger problem than what you the single consumer are finding out? Is this an isolated incident or just bad luck?

Well one place to begin your sleuthing is with the people responsible for tire ratings and tire safety inside the US Government. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has a website designed just for reviewing complaints filed about specific products and it’s available online. You can go to their website and :

1. Select the type of search as “tire”
2. Select make or brand of tire
   
3. Select model and tire ratings
   

Then presto you have a listing of all filed consumer complaints about that tire. This way you can see if your tire troubles are part of a larger system. The website also allows you to enter your own compliant about tires online. If you check the “full summary button at the end it gives you a good listing and explanation of all complaints.

A sample summary looks like this:

“CONSUMER PURCHASE TIRE WAS DRIVING AND THE TREAD CAME OFF TOOK TIRE BACK SALE PERSON TOLD HER THIS TIRE IS THE WRONG SIZE FOR HER CARS TIRE RATINGS. “

Hope this give you another tool in researching. Here’s the link to the NHTSA complaint search website.

Consumer reports has a release regarding what to look for when buying car tires online. They go through a pretty nice list of things to consider and the entire article sums up the entire set of items to consider. For example the first three items focus on safety, warranty and tire ratings for your vehicle.

Here’s a peek at the article:

Put safety first. Concentrate on our ratings for braking, handling, and resistance to hydroplaning. Let tread wear, ride comfort, noise, and rolling resistance be tiebreakers.

Read the fine print. The warranties manufacturers provide for their tires are prorated; the more miles on the tire, the less credit you get on a replacement. And most tire warranties only cover damage resulting from regular use and don’t cover damage resulting from potholes or other road hazards.

Know your tire’s size. To find the size and type of tire recommended by the manufacturer of your vehicle, check the placard in the doorjamb or glove compartment, on the fuel-filler door, and in the owner’s manual.

Overall it’s a good place to start when looking at buying car tires to understand your consideration set and list of thoughts. Here’s a link to the full article here. Also note you don’t have to buy their full reports stuff most of the top online tire websites have it all available for free. Try out these special offers: Save on quality tires with these manufacturer’s promotions available from The Tire Rack.

The legal site “Lawyers and Settlements” is now reporting about defective car tires being added to the parade of products being added to the seemingly endless stream of product quality concerns coming out of China. They report:

“As the parade of tainted products continues to roll past the eyes of angry customers and wary politicians, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: consumers no longer trust any product that comes out of China, including defective tires.”

The article brings out the issues regarding car tire safety and sites government sources about car tire ratings and quality. Though it does not make any clear connection to specific incidents as of late regarding bad tires coming out of China. Though it does go into good detail on the tire recall process and how the NTHSA is responsible for setting tire ratings and promoting safety, but rather it is each manufacturer that are responsible for recalls.

You can read the full article here. To see up to date tire ratings and experience tire shopping online click to visit The Tire Rack.

The Texas Star-Telegram tried to untangle the web surrounding comparing tire ratings and buying car tires on the internet in their section titled “Untangling the web.” In the article they profile the online tire buying company Tire Rack.

At Tire Rack customers can browse tire ratings and car tire reviews. Then most importantly armed with information

1. Purchase car tires online
2. Select which tire installer in their neighborhood will install the tires for a fixed fee range.
3. Have the car tires drop shipped to the installer
4. Have the car tires installed locally.

The article says about Tire Rack in business “since 1997, and the tire ratings and reviews it provides are a valuable source for shoppers. Tire owners rate several aspects of performance (wet traction, road noise, etc.) and answer the question “Would you buy this tire again?” With a quick click, you can see the results — and you’ll see that those results are based on, say, 3 million total miles of travel. All of this gives you a pretty solid idea of what to expect from your purchase.”

Thank goodness tires have come to the web! You can read the Texas Star-Telegram article here.

For checking on the tire ratings for treadwear, there is a pretty simple test you can use to see if treadwear is beyond your current tire ratings.

The specifications are put out by the US Department of Transportation. In general they suggest “the tire tread provides the gripping action and traction that prevent your vehicle from slipping or sliding, especially when the road is wet or icy. Tires are not safe and should be replaced when the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch.”

Two Ways to Check for Tire Treadwear

1. Tires have built-in treadwear indicators that let you know when it is time to replace your tires. These indicators are raised sections spaced intermittently in the bottom of the tread grooves. When they appear “even” with the outside of the tread, it is time to replace your tires.
2. Another method for checking tread depth is to place a penny in the tread with Lincoln’s head upside down and facing you. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, you are ready for new tires.

From here you should be able to see clearly if you need to get new tires. When checking you should be careful to check each tire since under and over inflation of car tires during their life can cause uneven wear on the tires. In particular you should be careful to check the middle of the tread on the tire to check for treadwear. In the middle of the tread is where excessive treadwear can hide if tires are overinflated during their life.

When you are done, review the information against the tire ratings provided by the manufacturer more can be found at the following sites: The Tire Rack, andTires Easy.