Visual Tire Inspection Before Mounting

Park on a flat surface in good light. Walk around the vehicle and look at each tire from the side and from behind the wheel. Check the tread surface for embedded objects, uneven wear, and depth. Look at both sidewalls — inner and outer — for cuts, cracks, bulges, or bubbling. Check the valve stem for cracks or damage. Then check the pressure with a gauge. The whole process takes under five minutes and is worth doing monthly.

Three things: cuts or gashes (particularly any that expose the underlying cords), cracks in the rubber (which can signal age-related degradation or ozone damage), and bulges or bubbles. Shallow scuffs from light curb contact are usually cosmetic. Cuts deep enough to show the fabric layer beneath, or any visible bulge, mean the tire needs professional inspection immediately and most likely replacement. Sidewall damage cannot be repaired.

Indentations — slight depressions in the sidewall — are normal on radial tires. They occur where the internal cord layers overlap in the construction and have no effect on performance. Bulges are the opposite: they indicate that air has forced its way between damaged cords in the internal structure. A bulge is a safety issue that needs immediate attention. A straightforward way to remember it: indentations are normal, bulges are not.

Look for the built-in treadwear indicator bars, which sit in the main grooves at the legal minimum depth. On Michelin tires, a small Michelin Man symbol on the sidewall marks where the indicators are located. If the tread surface is level with those bars in any groove, the tire is at the wear limit and should be replaced. For a more accurate reading, a tread depth gauge inserted at several points across the tire's width shows how evenly the tread is wearing.

Yes, and do it a few days before you leave rather than in the parking lot as you pull out. That gives you time to act on anything you find. Check pressure on all four tires and the spare when cold, inspect the sidewalls and tread on each tire, look for embedded debris in the tread grooves, and confirm the spare is inflated and in good condition. If tread depth is close to the wear limit, replace before the trip rather than managing a tire issue on the road.

No. A thorough visual inspection catches surface damage and obvious tread wear, but internal damage from an impact — a broken belt, a compromised carcass — is invisible from the outside. A tire that looks fine can have structural damage that only shows up when it's removed from the wheel and inspected from the inside. Visual checks are essential and should be done regularly, but they work alongside professional inspections, not in place of them.