With almost everyone in the country prepping for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this festive season brings the best discounts on pretty much everything.

Right now, your phone is probably buzzing with notifications that have titles like Price Cuts, Discounts, and Sales. Deals and offers are always an absolute grab, irrespective of what’s on offer, but we’re here to talk about the discounts on tires.

Why is it important to have good tires?

Tires, much like clothes, tend to gradually wear out over a period of time. And while we go out shopping for new clothes the moment our ensemble begins to resemble something worn by a vintage Raggedy Ann doll, we often fail to do so for our cars—especially the tires.

Don’t believe it? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that that worn-out tires contributed to more than 700 fatal accidents in 2017, which only implies that lives could have been saved if someone had checked their tires before getting out on the road.

If that reason isn’t good enough, bumpy roads and potholes make life miserable, and the constant damage leads to lower air pressure, flat tires, and blowouts. Worn-out tires also consume more fuel, which means if you think you’re saving money by not changing those tires, think again.

How to determine whether you need new tires?
Say you want to change your tires but how do you know if it’s really needed. The NHTSA mentions two methods to do this, and it’s best to check it at least once a month:

• • Check the tires’ treads
    The tread of the tire is important as it provides friction and traction, preventing your car from sliding when on a wet and slippery road. To check if the treads on your car aren’t worn out, you can simply run a penny into the tread with Lincoln facing you. If you can see the top of his head, you know it’s time.

• Check the tread wear indicator
  Generally, tires have raised sections between the treads. If the treads have worn down to that section, you need to get those babies changed.

If your tires meet both or even one of these criteria, you need to start looking up for new tires, which brings us to the next section.

Tips to save up on tires
Maintaining a car is an expensive ordeal. And despite being important, tires contribute to a substantial portion of that expense.

• • Always negotiate
    To save up, you can always begin with negotiating for a “lower than listed” price. There’s a high chance that you would succeed in getting a great deal!
  • The Internet is your friend
    Online stores tend to have massive discounts during festive occasions and even generally tend to have listed prices lower than that of an actual auto shop. It’s important to do a comparative analysis and find out which deal works best for you. If that does not seem to work, you can look for deals in places other than the Internet, like local classifieds and listings.

• ‘Tis the season
  Look out for those seasonal discounts. With winter and wet roads around the corner, you will see major markdowns in listed prices. Top tire manufacturers like Michelin, Firestone, Hercules, Good Year, Continental, Mickey Thompson, Pirelli, and Toyo offer deals on their products and services to increase their customer base and improve sales performance.

The most important thing to remember is that at the end of the day, your safety is what matters!