Swap worn tires for new, done as a service call

Not every worn tire announces itself the same way. The clearest sign is tread worn down to the built-in wear bars, the small raised strips molded into the grooves that become flush with the tread once you are out of usable depth. Sidewall cracking is a separate warning sign, and it shows up even on tires with tread left, since Ottawa’s swing between summer heat and deep winter cold speeds up the rubber aging that causes it. A tire that has been plugged more than once, or one with a tread depth noticeably different from the other three, is also a candidate for replacement rather than another repair, since mismatched tread can affect handling and traction. If a puncture sits in the sidewall or too close to the shoulder of the tread, that is a replacement call too, since a plug-patch cannot safely fix damage in that zone. If you are not sure which category your tires fall into, bring the vehicle in and we will give you a straight answer.