New Tyres vs Used Tyres| A Complete Guide

Tyres are expensive! Especially if you have to replace all of them at the same time.

Are you on the hunt for affordable tyres? One option is to get secondhand ones. But are they a bad purchase? Are there any risks associated with them? 

Wangara Tyre Auto will provide all the answers!

Discover everything you need to know about new and secondhand tyres. We also offer advice on how to buy secondhand tyres so you can make an informed choice. 

Learn the pros and cons of new and secondhand tyres. Want to know what to check when getting secondhand tyres? We will help you with that too!

What Are Secondhand Tyres?

What do you think happens to tyres of unused or disposed vehicles? Businesses take them in, clean them, and put them up for sale. These tyres may have traveled thousands of kilometers and are sold at half (or even lower!) of their original tread depth.

Secondhand tyres are not recycled or made from scratch from recycled material. They are imported from different countries with varying safety requirements with the sole purpose of making a profit.

Pros of Buying New Tyres

New Tyres Are Safer

Approximately 80% of secondhand tyres do not meet the minimum safety standards because they have cuts, cracks, or punctures in them. 

When you get new tyres, you don’t need to worry about their quality. Your new tyres will give an excellent performance on the road with their strong grip and temperature resistance.

New Tyres Are Econominal in the Long Run

Secondhand tyres might seem cheap at first glance, but they always end up being more expensive. 

Why? Because they are used tyres. Used tyres have a low tread depth so they run out pretty quickly. This means you have to replace them more frequently than new tyres. 

A new tyre is a long-term investment. If that’s not enough to make a case, most manufacturers offer a five-year warranty to replace your tyre, free of cost. 

Buying a Used Tyre Is Time-consuming

You will have to spend a lot of time searching for a high-quality used tyre. You need to check its viability.

On the other hand, getting a new tyre is super easy—you can go to the store or order it online.

Maintenance History

A tyre has over 30 parts and it is impossible to know the actual condition and maintenance history of all of them. This makes getting secondhand tyres a huge gamble.

SUV, car, and truck tyres look excellent at first glance but you don’t know how they will work. Will they fit your vehicle properly? Did the previous owner take the time out to get the wheel alignments done? How much wear and tear do they have? 

Advantages of Secondhand Tyres

Used Tyres are Cheaper

Getting a secondhand tyre is always a cheaper option. You have to pay a small price upfront and enjoy new wheels for your ride.

They Are Environment-Friendly

You can save the planet by getting secondhand tyres. It reduces waste because it increases the lifespan of a tyre that might otherwise have ended up in landfills.

On the other hand, the demand for new tyres also decreases. When demand decreases, industries will produce fewer tyres, reducing energy consumption and usage of non-renewable resources.

People burn secondhand tyres as a show of protest. Burning tyres releases harmful chemicals, such as cyanide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide, that can cause severe coughing and breathing problems.

If you use these tyres instead, you can improve the environmental impact and save the ozone layer, one step at a time.

What You Should Know About Secondhand Tyres

1. Tread Depth

When you are checking a tyre, what’s the first thing you should check? It’s tread depth. But what is that and how does it affect a tyre’s viability?

Tread depth is the distance from the highest part of the tyre to the lower part of the groove. This gives the tyre a firm grip on the road and is necessary for you to drive safely.

New tyres have a tread depth of 8mm. While Australia has set a legal limit of a 1.6mm tread depth, experts think that anything below 3mm is useless. 

So when you’re shopping for tyres, look for a tyre with grooves spanning at least 4mm. 

2. Wear and Tear

The next thing you need to check are signs of cracks, punctures, or any other kind of damage.

If you don’t complete this check properly, your suspension can get damaged and your tyre can fall apart on the road.

3. Manufacturing Date

Check the sidewall of the tyre to see the manufacturing date.

Most tyres last for approximately six years. If you notice that the manufacturing date is more than that, don’t get that tyre even if it feels like it’s in excellent condition. 

4.Size

It doesn’t need to be said, but size matters! If you get the wrong size, you will have trouble accelerating and braking properly.

Your car’s manual will have the info on the correct tyre size. Lost the manual? No worries! The sidewall of the tyres has numbers engraved on them. They depict the height of the tyre sidewall as a percentage of the width.

More Tips on Purchasing Secondhand Tyres

Always buy secondhand tyres from a car dealership or tyre shop. Online marketplaces are full of scammers who sell something completely different from the pictures they post.

One way around this is to look for a seller’s reviews. If a seller has a good rating, you will know that they are selling the right product.

You might be a car expert, but when getting secondhand tyres, you should ask a professional to do it. If you incorrectly mount it, you increase the risk of an already-used tyre which can damage your car. A professional will take approximately half an hour per tyre to install and align it and have your car up and running within hours. 

Are Secondhand Tyres Worth the Risk?

The short answer is NO. 

You might find it appealing to get a used tyre but when you have to replace it every month, it becomes a liability for you. 

Another issue is where you source your tyre from. We recommend against buying a tyre from shady websites or from people you do not know. Even if you trust the seller, you can still get a defective product.

Don’t know much about tyres? Ask a professional to help you out!

Find Affordable Tyres for Sale at Wangara Tyre Auto

New tyres do not have to be unaffordably expensive. If you’re a budget-conscious driver who wants good value for their money, get your tyres from Wangara Tyre Auto.

At Wangara Tyre Auto, we offer new and used tyres for your 4×4 and trucks. Our experts inspect used tyres thoroughly to ensure they meet safety standards before putting them up for sale.

Want information on tyre maintenance? We can help with that too!

Visit our store or call us to get a quote today!