Should I buy used tires?

A sharp jump in prices for tires, which began to cost 1,5-2 times more, made many car owners “look” towards the secondary market. It's one thing if you have a minicar and quite another when it's an SUV, for which you have to fork out at least 30-40 thousand rubles for a set of tires. Buying "used" tires is a risky business: in order not to run into a "surprise", you should familiarize yourself with the "pitfalls" that may await you in the event of a purchase.

About tire age

After some time, the new slope begins to lose its performance. The rubber becomes stiff, “hardens”, and is covered with a network of microcracks from above. The sidewalls are no longer elastic, which is especially noticeable during tire fitting, which becomes difficult. And this is not so bad: heavily worn tires do not adhere well to the road surface, the car loses its stability on wet pavement.



The maximum allowable age of a tire is highly dependent on the composition of the compound and operating conditions. According to Russian GOST, a tire warranty cannot exceed five years. Whether it is worth driving it later, the car owner decides. However, with careful use, the rubber will last longer.



But if the age of the tire has exceeded eight years, it is not recommended to purchase it, even if it is “like new” and has not traveled a kilometer while lying in a warehouse. With the most correct storage for several years, any rubber compound from which tires are made irrevocably loses its qualities and ages.

About Damage

Conventionally, they can be divided into two types: visible and hidden. In the first case, these are tears, cuts, punctures. In the second - damage to the cord. The latter can only be seen from the inside. The presence of "fungi" and patches is quite acceptable if there are not too many of them, otherwise balancing the wheels will cause difficulties. There is one more minus of a tire repaired in this way. The applied patch does not allow air to escape, but does not at all prevent the penetration of moisture inside. As a result, water entering under the disk will corrode the metal cord with rust. "Fungus" in this regard is better than patches.





Often, to mask internal defects, used rubber sellers offer it complete with a disk. If at the same time the wheel is also lowered, you should beware! It is clear that the buyer will not disassemble the wheel, but if it lets air through, then the tire inflated to the norm will immediately give out with a whistle, hiss. Logical conclusion: buy used tires separately from disks so that you can look inside.

How to identify hidden defects

Inspect the wheel when it is properly inflated. The surface must be smooth, without violations of the geometric shape. Hernias, swellings are not allowed. But there are flaws that come out only during operation. For example, damage to the cord after a strong impact is manifested in a subtle "wave" that goes along the entire tire. You can feel the defect only when the car is moving slowly. With an increase in speed, the “buildup” disappears, but the car becomes less stable.

About protector

The main sign of his condition is depth. According to the traffic rules, it should be at least 1,6 mm for summer and 4 mm winter tires. Therefore, we need a "reserve" of at least a couple of millimeters.



Also inspect the tire for even wear. It must be constant over the entire area of ​​the product. This can be understood by determining the tread depth in different places in opposite directions.

Who sells used tires

For a person inexperienced in car questions, the implementation of used tires looks illogical. It seems that they need to be completely worn out, and then thrown out, handed over for recycling, or made from them into decorative swans in their suburban area to the delight of the kids. However, the used rubber market is vast and all sellers can be conditionally divided into several categories.

Companies selling tires from the EU

In fact, tires are a source of harmful fumes, albeit in minimal quantities. Therefore, their import into Russia and the Eurasian Union (CU) has been banned since 2010. However, business finds its loopholes.



The main thing here is to prove at customs that you are transporting non-hazardous waste that you are going to dispose of. Buying used tires in specialized companies has its own attractiveness:

✅ wide range
✅ there is the possibility of remote purchase through the official online store, which can give a guarantee (until the first tire fitting)
✅ when buying offline, they can offer free installation

And what about the cons? They also exist, and first of all, this is the almost complete absence of winter tires: there are very few Velcro and spikes. The second drawback is the year of issue, which may be old. Well, the third is the cost: it will be higher than on the market.

Tire shops and intermediaries

They have a smaller scale of trade and are most often limited to one settlement, where they are located. Car owners who have bought a new set of tires and do not know where to put the old one can contact tire fitting. If it has a decent condition, the owner of the workshop may be interested in it and buy it for a penny, or even get it for free.



The tire fitter also sells such rubber, most often inexpensively. Resellers buy used skates on some Internet resource (for example, Avito) and then sell them at a higher price.

Private traders

They get rid of used tires for a variety of reasons. Someone can be “strangled by a toad”: a person has bought a new set of tires and wants to partially offset the costs by selling worn-out tires to someone. Some offer tires that have become unnecessary after the sale of the car. It is more profitable to sell tires separately: if they are “attached” to the car, it will certainly not rise in price. And another option is when the car was stolen or smashed.



Buying from private individuals has its advantages: but here you need to be careful and a lot depends on luck. There is a category of car owners jealous of their cars. They will definitely replace the tires, for example, after 8 or even 5 years, even if you can still skate a couple of seasons on it. “Running” into such sellers is a clear success.

The negative side is the impossibility of checking the quality of the product. It is unlikely that the seller is eager to ride with you to the tire shop so that you can make sure that the tire is in good condition. In addition, scammers are common, who disappear after receiving an advance payment. Well, of course, no one will give you a guarantee for tires.

To buy or not?

This is an unreliable business, especially if you buy a “used” tire not from a friend, a neighbor, but in the market. “Shoeing” a car in tires already used by someone is a temporary measure. For example, if there is no money for new tires, but you need to drive. Skating a season on used tires is quite acceptable, but taking them for the future is too risky.