Tires are four things you need to make sure you don't neglect because they are extremely important with regards to getting you to your destination safely. You want to recognize when to have new ones put on and what to look for. Here is a short guide that can give you information to help you out.

What indicates the need for new tires?

The tread on the tires is what grips the road to prevent your car from sliding all over. The best way to understand how a lack of tread can cause sliding is to think about drafting cars. These are the cars that slip and slide all over for entertainment. Their tires have little no no tread, which is how they slide around so easily.

When you drive your car, you want the complete opposite of this, so when you see the tread is worn on your tires, then you should go in and talk to a professional regarding the safety of your tires and whether they do in fact need to be changed.

While checking the condition of your tires, you should take a look at the sidewalls of your tires to see if you can spot anything that is wrong such as cracks, separation of tread from the sidewalls, bubbles, or anything else that doesn't look normal. If you notice any of these issues, then it is time to replace the tire before you have a blowout.

What's the best way to go when you need one or more new tires?

When you need a new tire, it is actually best to replace all four of them. You should use the best of the four as a spare if it is in better condition than your current one. The reason for replacing them all at the same time is so they can match, and so they have the same amount of wear. Matching tires are good for everything from saving gas to enjoying a smoother ride. 

If you decide you can't replace all four tires, then you should at least go with a set of two new tires. If replacing just two, you are going to want to have those two put on the back of the car if your car is a rear-wheel drive car, or on the front for front-wheel drive. This allows the newer tires to handle better in conditions like rainy days, or really just for driving safely on any roadway because they will grip best.

Think you might need to replace your vehicle's tires? Call a tire shop near you for more information.