For almost as long as cars have been on the road there has been an ongoing debate about whether you should always buy a new car, or, never buy new and go with a used car every time.  Both sides have good points to back-up their positions so the choice comes down to your own personal feelings. Must you have a new car always, or, can you go with something a little older and save money. One thing is for sure, that debate will continue.

But there is another area of the vehicle that involves new versus used that has not received much attention. That is the purchase of used tires for your vehicle.

I know what you may be thinking. Used tires, how can you even think about putting used tires on your vehicle? That can’t be safe. Well actually, not only can it be safe, but it also can be a very cost efficient alternative in this day of four-dollar-plus a gallon gas and ever-rising costs for maintaining your vehicle.

My first contact with used tires goes back many years. My father owned a small construction company. He had several vehicles of different sizes including pick-ups, heavy-duty trucks, dump trucks and various tractors and heavy equipment that needed maintenance and tire changes on a regular basis. He always purchased used tires for them. To my knowledge, he never had a problem with them.

In addition, I had uncles that were farmers. They farmed hundreds of acres raising grain and cattle. They also bought used tires for all of their farm equipment – tractors, combines, pick-ups – all of them. Even then, with gas prices at  under or around a dollar, yes it has been that many years ago, and the cost of maintenance being much less, the use of used tires saved hundreds if not thousands of dollars every year. That savings mattered and made a difference.

I personally have purchased used tires for my own vehicles. After being told by my dad that the days of his paying for all the maintenance on the vehicle I was driving at home was at an end, and, that I was now paying for it myself, I quickly realized just how expensive maintaining a vehicle can be. Fortunately we had a family friend that owned a tire shop and he always helped to find the right tires for me. Used tires became part of my regular purchases and I never had a problem with them.

For some people, buying used tires presents a bad image. They believe that used tires have little or no tread left because, why else would they have been discarded. That is not always the case.

So, lets take a look at where they come from, and how you can find and use these tires in a safe economical way.

First, perhaps we should take a page out of the car manufacturers own playbook. Instead of calling these – used tires, which gives us a bad image, we will start calling them – previously owned tires. Hey it worked for the car companies.

Normally, all four tires should be replaced at a time. Many times however, just one or two tires show some excessive wear for whatever reason, so people, doing what is recommended, will replace all of the tires even though not all the tires suffer from excessive wear.

On other occasions, people decide they want a different type or look of tire so they replace them even though the older tires are still in good shape. These still good tires become nice – previously owned tires ready for use again.

The number one lesson about changing tires is – never ever replace just one. If one tire blows out or is seriously damaged in some way, or if a tire has excessive wear, you never replace just that one tire. You always replace two tires. So, you have a situation where only one tire was bad while the other is still fine. This also creates a nice previously owned tire inventory.

The key to any previously owned tire is the tread. When buying new tires, people do not usually check the tire tread, unless they want to see the design. They know, because it is new, that the tread will be “unused” or diminished from use. When looking at previously owned tires, you need to become a tread expert.

There is a very easy tried and true test to see if your previously owned tire has sufficient tread to keep you safe and sound while giving you miles and miles of economical driving. And, it turns out the tester is right in your pocket. It’s called the penny test.

Take a Lincoln head penny and hold it with the head facing down. Place your thumb and forefinger so it covers Lincoln’s body. Place Lincoln’s head into one of the grooves anywhere on the tire to check the evenness of the tread. If any part of Lincoln’s head is obscured by the tread you more than likely have a safe amount of tread. Run the penny around the tire or check points where it seems the tread maybe worn to a lower level. If you can see anywhere above the head including the words “In God We Trust,” there is not enough tread on the tire so move on to the next one.

Do not run tires with different tread patterns. Make sure the tires are the right size required by the manufacturer. This will make your ride smoother and the wear on the tires will be more even.

In addition too checking the tread, look carefully at the sides of the tires. Look for cuts or gouges, which may indicate that the tire has been damaged in an accident or driven against a curb at some time. A thinning of the tread on the side of a tire creates a higher probability of a blow out at some point.

If possible, look inside the tire for tire patches. Many times when a tire has been punctured, causing it to go flat, it can be repaired with a patch. This is a safe and easy repair done often in the country. If you find a patch, check it thoroughly to make sure it is still firmly attached to the tire with no rips or tears. A well-applied patch can out last the tire. Just make sure it is still properly in place.

Where can you find previously owned tires. Most garages, tire retailers and some car dealers keep a large selection of these tires on hand. Use their extensive expertise in helping you too select the right set of previously owned tires for your vehicle.

In this day of tight budgets previously owned tires are a safe and economical way to help keep your vehicle on the road. Go for it!