The skinny on used tires


October 25, 2010
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Did you have a tire blowout?  Or is there a nagging leak that they just can’t fix?  Or maybe you’d like to save a few dollars on your next purchase of a set of tires.  A used tire market does exist, and many owners do not seem to be aware of it.

Used tires!? Where do they come from?  When most think of used tires they think of those useless messy tire piles around the back side of your local grease monkey garage, ..or perhaps your neighbors house.  “Used” does not have to mean worn out or unusable, though.  There are several reasons why perfectly good, semi-used tires will go up for resale.  When a car dealer takes a car in on a trade, sometimes they will install brand new tires all around just to better increase the chances of resale.  Sometimes a consumer will buy a set of tires and be unsatisfied, for various reasons, and will take them back and exchange for a different brand.  How about when a car gets written off in an accident?  Typically it will have 2 or more perfectly good tires ready for reuse.  One more.. even old cars that expire of natural causes can have perfectly good tires, ready to go.

Typically the most likely need for a used tire is to replace a bad flat or otherwise damaged tire.  Normally, tires should be replaced as a set, or pair, with the left and right side tires being a matching brand and model, WITH matching wear levels.  If it’s just one bad tire, an owner certainly doesn’t want to have to buy two new tires just to have a perfect match so their vehicle will handle predictably and safely.  Finding ONE used tire in this case, would be the best option.

Make sure the tire has a matching tread pattern type.  The brand does not have to be the same, but the tread type should be.  Also, consider wear levels, the tread wear should roughly match the wear level on your existing sister tire.  Obviously the tire width, profile and diameter should also be an exact match, as well.  Different widths and profiles will technically fit on your rims, but only one diameter size will fit.

So have a look around.  Contact your local salvage yard, check online, contact your dealer or any tire sale outlet.  If you find a good enough deal, you may want to purchase an extra tire for a spare, you may even be able to score a cheap rim as well.  Good luck!

 
 
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