Local tire stores see uptick in customers coming in to change tires in midst of week’s storm

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.— We spoke to automotive experts here who say the most important things to keep maintained during weather like this are your windshield wipers, your lights, your automatic braking system, and your tires.

When the tread on tires wears down, the ability of your vehicle to handle curvy roads will deteriorate.

Over time, tires can also develop blow outs or air leaks.

Warning signs of tires breaking down include color fading, brittleness, and tire cracks.

“A tire is considered worn out when it hits 2/32nd of tread depth. The grooves are where we measure from and the wear bar gives it a visual indication of if it's getting close or not,” said Jack Heeber, Service Advisor for Big Brand Tires.

“He said it was about $130 to mount and balance the four tires. So it's not too bad,” said Chad Makela, who lives in Santa Barbara.

On average you want to change your tires every six years or about every 50,000 miles.

But you should never use the same tires for more than 10 years no matter how they look.

The quickest way to determine how worn out a tire is would be through what is called a wear bar.

The more level the wear bar is with the rest of the tire, the worse off the tire is.

You can also get a free consultation at most tire repair stores to see if your tires need to be changed.