Can you get the most use out of your tires? You can if you pay attention to them and think about what tires mean to your daily drive.
The tires on your car are the only part of your vehicle that actually touches the road during a drive. They need to offer the perfect balance between friction to grip the road and lubrication to give you good fuel mileage. Your tires are some of the most important parts of your car, making them important. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of them.
1. Monthly Tire Pressure Checks Are Necessary
You might think of your tires as inflatables that never lose air, but that’s not the case. Much like a balloon long after the party is over, your tires can lose some air pressure during your drive. In most cases, tires lose about one PSI per month while driving. If you check your tire pressure at least once a month, you’ll ensure that your tires last a lot longer. This should be an easy check that you can do at the gas station on a monthly basis.
2. Rotate Your Tires Regularly
If you’ve got tires that are all the same size on the front and rear axle, rotating them will help you get the most use out of your tires. The front tires are responsible for turning and steering, which causes them to wear down faster than the rear tires. If you fail to rotate your tires regularly, the front tires will often need to be replaced much sooner than the rear tires. Rotating allows the tires from the front to last longer.
3. Ensure Your Wheels are Aligned Properly
You should have your wheels aligned after about 25,000 miles of driving. Riding on the road can cause your wheels to become misaligned, especially if you hit a pothole here or there. The unevenness of pavement and obstacles can throw wheels off and cause your tires to wear unevenly. The more even your tires wear, the safer they can be and the longer they will work for you. Get your wheels aligned and feel the difference during the drive.
4. Regularly Inspect Your Tires
Every time you walk out to your vehicle, take a quick look down to see if anything seems out of the ordinary about your tires. This helps ensure you don’t drive out on the road in a vehicle that’s not safe for your ride. When you wash your car, which you should do about every two weeks, check the tread depth of your tires to make sure you have enough tread to continue to drive safely. This is a good opportunity to look for cracks, bulges, and objects in your tires.
5. Measure the Tire Tread Depth Properly
If you regularly wash your car, rotate your tires, and check the tire inflation level, you’ve got several opportunities to check the tread depth of your tires. This is one of the best ways to get the most use out of your tires. All you need is a penny. Turn the penny upside down with Lincoln’s head pointed down. Place the penny in the tire tread. If the top of Lincoln’s head is visible, you’ll need to replace your tires soon.
6. Balance Your Tires Regularly
It seems that rotating your tires means you shouldn’t have to change the balancing, but that’s not the case. Have you ever noticed the small weights attached to the inside of your wheels? These are balancing weights, and they can sometimes come off while you drive. Whenever you buy new tires or have them rotated, you should have your tires balanced to ensure the ride is smooth and your tires wear evenly. This is an important part of working to keep your tires much longer.
7. Watch How Much Weight is In Your Vehicle
Everything you put inside your car causes more stress on your tires. When you want to get the most use out of your tires, remove any weight from your car that you can whenever possible. An overloaded vehicle can cause tire failure and create a problem that requires a new set of tires to make things work right. You’re better off making two trips than overloading your tires with more stuff than you should take in your car.
8. Don’t Mix and Match Your Tires
Sometimes, you don’t have a choice but to visit a used tire store to replace one tire that went flat, but that’s not a long-term solution. It’s a good idea to have all four tires the same and installed at the same time. This might mean a more expensive replacement every time you get new tires, but you’ll do so less frequently than if you buy one or two tires at a time. Having mismatched tires leads to rapid and uneven tread wear and could lead to mechanical problems with your vehicle.
9. Don’t Wait Too Long to Replace Your Tires
One of the worst ways to get the most use out of your tires is to ride on them until they are bald and have no grip on the road. If the tire tread is gone, the grip you have on the road is compromised, which could lead to an accident. You can’t predict the weather or road conditions. Riding around with bald tires puts you and other drivers at risk for an accident because you’ve got a compromised situation.
10. Properly Store Your Spare Tires
If you put a set of winter tires on your car and take off the three-season models, you’ll want to keep your tires stored properly for the next season. Keep them in a clean, cool, and dark location, away from sunlight and heat sources. This is a great way to make your tires last a lot longer. When you store them outdoors, put them in a place that’s off the ground and cover them with a tarp to avoid moisture getting to your tires.
These ten tips can help you get the most use out of your tires, which offers better fuel economy results and a safer daily drive.
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