Moving to Florida? Tire Tips for New Residents

Welcome to Florida. Your car needs a few things too.

Moving here comes with a long list: utilities, schools, a new address on everything. Your car has its own list, and it has deadlines. Then there's what South Florida's climate does to tires, which surprises a lot of people who drove for years up north without thinking about rain or heat.

Here's both: the paperwork FLHSMV requires, and the tire changes worth making in your first few months.

Part 1: The paperwork and its deadlines

All of this comes from FLHSMV's page for new residents. Check it for the current details before you go, because requirements can change.

• Driver license: 30 days. You must get a valid Florida driver license no later than 30 days after establishing residency to drive on Florida roads.
• Insurance, title and registration: 10 days. You must get insurance from a Florida-licensed insurance agent and title and register your vehicles no later than 10 days after establishing residency. Ten days goes quickly during a move, so line up the insurance before the moving truck arrives.
• What counts as residency. FLHSMV's list includes starting a job or business here, enrolling your children in Florida public schools, registering to vote, filing for a homestead exemption, and living here more than six consecutive months.

The VIN verification

Vehicles coming from another state need their vehicle identification number physically inspected and verified. FLHSMV says that can be done by:

• A law enforcement officer
• A military police officer
• A licensed Florida dealer
• A county tax collector employee or a Division of Motorist Services compliance examiner

The form is HSMV 82042, the Vehicle Identification Number and Odometer Verification.

Part 2: The tire changes that matter here

If you drove up north on winter tires

Snow tires and winter tires have no job in South Florida. Michelin's winter tire guide explains why they shouldn't stay on: the compound that makes them effective in cold weather wears faster on hot summer roads, which is why they should be swapped off before warm weather returns. Here, warm weather never really leaves.

If you moved with a set on the car, plan to replace them with all-season tires in your vehicle's placard size. Our guide to all-season vs all-weather tires explains the difference, and Find My Tires shows the sizes for your vehicle.

Get ready for the rain

The National Weather Service in Miami defines the South Florida wet season as May 15 to October 15, the months when 60 to 70 percent of the average yearly rainfall falls. Much of it comes in short, heavy afternoon storms that leave standing water on highways and ramps.

That makes tread depth more important here than in many places. Tires are legally worn out at 2/32 inch, but as tread wears, its ability to clear water drops. Check yours:

Our guide to hydroplaning explains what happens in standing water, and our post on why 4/32 matters in Florida rain makes the case for replacing earlier.

Watch the pressure, and the heat

Pressure moves with temperature. USTMA says it goes up or down by 1 to 2 psi for every 10°F. A car that arrives in July from a cooler state will read higher in the afternoon. That's normal; set the pressure cold, in the morning, to the number on the driver's door placard. Never let air out of warm tires to match the placard.

Heat and sun also age rubber. NHTSA lists exposure to sunlight and a warmer climate among the causes of tire aging, and says aging is a greater concern in the southern Sun Belt. Our guide to Florida heat and tires covers what to do about it.

Know FLHSMV's tire guidance

Florida's own tire safety page is short and worth knowing:

The six-year line is stricter than many tire makers' guidance; Michelin and Bridgestone recommend replacement at ten years with yearly inspections from five. Our guide to how old is too old for tires compares them.

Hurricane season is a car issue too

Hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30. If you ever need to evacuate, it will be by car, often on I-95, the Turnpike or I-75. Our hurricane car prep checklist starts with the tires.

Your first-month checklist

1. Get insurance from a Florida-licensed agent, the VIN verification, and the title and registration, all in the first 10 days.
2. Get your Florida driver license in the first 30 days.
3. Swap any winter tires for all-season tires.
4. Measure tread depth in three grooves on every tire.
5. Set pressure cold to the door placard, spare included.
6. Read the DOT date on each tire.
7. Save *347 in your phone; it reaches the Florida Highway Patrol and FDOT's Road Rangers.

Need tires for your new home?

Not sure your tires are up to Florida weather? Do I Need Tires Yet? walks you through it. When it's time, shop by size or vehicle. In Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach we install at our Sunrise shop or at your new place with our mobile van. Shipping is free to the 48 contiguous states and DC.