Like your Mazda flywheel, your tires need to be changed immediately once it is worn and damaged so as not to cause any untoward accidents for your vehicle. But buying news tires can be confusing, especially if you haven’t done it before, and what with the myriad of tire choices out there. But there are several things you can do to buy the best tires as well as take care of them for their longer life. When buying the right tires, you must know the right size, type, and tread.Your owner’s manual states the appropriate size and type of tires for your vehicle. The right tire size is important because an undersized tire on your car can overheat or overload the tire, while an over sized tire can cause too much friction among the parts of the car. The tire type, of course, depends on the type of car you have. As to the tread, "mud and snow" tires (with the m+s symbol) are all season tires that have the capacity to provide good traction in snow, slush, rain, and mud. "Snow" tires should be used in areas suffering from heavy or frequent snowfall. For normal driving conditions, standard highway treads should be used. So it is better to ask your dealer as to the tread your tires need. You also need to know the quality grade of your tire. Your new tires must meet Federal safety standards. All new vehicle tires, temporary-use spares and tires for off-road use have three ratings on a paper label and found on the tire sidewall. This case exempts snow tires. The tread wear traction and the temperature resistance are implied by these ratings. The tire grading system is neither a safety rating nor a guarantee that a tire will last for a prescribed number of miles or perform a certain way. It is established to help buyers make relative comparisons among tires. In simpler terms, it gives tire buyers additional information to combine with other considerations, such as price, brand loyalty, and dealer recommendations. Tire quality grades are one of the considerations in looking for the best tires. These are set by the manufacturers after performing tests designed by the government. As a result, all tire dealers are required to provide buyers with a leaflet that explains these grades and shows the grades of the tires they sell. Tire quality grades include tear wear, traction, and temperature resistance. A Consumer Guide to Uniform Tire Quality Grading is available for free from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This guide has the lists of grades of all tires and will help you compare various brands. When you buy tires, they should be registered so that you can be reached if something wrong on the safety is detected. In some cases, the dealer will register the tires for you. But if the dealer does not, ask them for a tire registration form to send back to the manufacturer. If in case a notification letter is given to you, see your dealer for inspection or free replacement of the tire. Say you now have your new tires. The next thing to do is maintain it to avoid costly repairs and replacements. It is important to maintain the proper air pressure in the tires. For routine driving, check tire pressure every week as well as before taking long travels. But be sure to let the tires cool down before measuring the pressure. Another important thing is keeping your tires at the manufacturer’s recommended inflation pressure to ensure longer lifetime as well as fuel economy. This information can be found on either of this three: you owner’s manual, label in the glove box, or near the door latch on the driver's side. On the side of your tire, you will find the maximum inflation pressure. See to it that there is ample tread on the tire to operate safely and that the tires are wearing normally. Also make sure that all grooves are visible and deep enough. When checking the tires, also look for even wear. Your tires need replacement when there are tread wear warning bars across the tire. Remember that bald tires are unsafe. If some parts are wearing faster than the others, consult a mechanic to immediately resolve the problem that might lead to future damages. Also, see to it that you have no imbalanced or misaligned wheels, worn shock absorbers, or other possible problems. If in case you see or hear something unusual, immediately bring your tires to the repair shop to avoid further inconveniences. Avoiding jack rabbit" starts and stops and fast tire screeching turns would also help prevent further damages. And lastly, but certainly an important thing: never overload your car because it is designed to operate safely only up to their load limits.

Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, a world leader in tire manufacturing, earlier instructed retail stores to stop selling them - safety advocate urges the industry to tighten their standards. Amid growing safety concerns, the company has decided to stop selling used tires at company-owned stores.Bridgestone told its 2,200 retail stores to stop selling used tires. Meanwhile, the Rubber Manufacturers Association for the first time sent a service bulletin warning that "used passenger and light truck tires that have an uncertain or unknown history pose a potential risk."Sean Kane, the president of Safety Research and Strategies, a consumer group, has urged tiremakers to adopt strict standards before selling used tires. "Tire manufacturers have a lot at stake if something goes wrong with a used tire at the end of the day," Kane said. "If their name is on the side of the tire, they have to clean up the mess. I think there is a sea change and selling used tires is yesterday's thing."In December, Kane submitted details about 108 accidents linked to tread separation of tires more than six years old to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Those accidents resulted in 85 deaths. Nationwide statistics are not available.Bridgestone said last Friday that its chief operating officer, Bill Perdew, had told its outlets to stop selling used tires immediately. Perdew told the stores to stop selling used tires in a previously unreported March 29 letter."It was really a small percentage of our business," said Dan MacDonald, a Bridgestone spokesman. "Our strength is to sell new tires, and from a profit standpoint it is a much better market." But MacDonald noted that many independent dealers sell used Bridgestone tires and said that the company was not urging others not to sell used tires. "It may make sense for some tire shops," MacDonald said.MacDonald stressed that when Bridgestone sells used tires, they do a very thorough inspection. "We wouldn't sell anything that wasn't safe," he said. "But taking the time to inspect used tires: Is that a good use of our time?" He added that the prohibition on used tires does not apply to switching summer and winter tires or for tires with less than 500 miles "that are essentially out of the box.”On May 29, the Rubber Manufacturers Association issued a bulletin on used tires. It offered a number of criteria that indicate used tires are unsafe for resale, including the evidence of tread separation, use in "run-flat" mode or a defaced tire identification number. “Any previously recalled tire should not be used, nor tires filled with temporary sealants. Used tires may have been exposed to improper service, maintenance or storage conditions and may have been damaged, which could eventually lead to tire failure," the bulletin said.Other situations that make used tires unsafe include punctures, penetrations, inner liner or bead damage, wear, cuts, cracks, scrapes, bulges, ozone cracking or weather checking, impact damage, punctures, splits, snags, and a history of continuous inflation pressure loss.Wal-Mart, one of the nation's biggest tire sellers, does not sell used tires at its stores, while some other major outlets do. Jim Davis, a Goodyear Tire & Rubber spokesman, said that the company sells a small number of used tires at its 750 company-owned stores. "The bulk of our business is new tires," Davis said, saying used tires are inspected before being sold.Used tires have been the subject of intensifying concern by automakers and safety advocates. In addition, automakers have backed guidelines that tires should only be in service for six years. To promote safety and convenience, it is best to use proven auto parts like the Exedy.