Your tires are one of the most important parts of your car. If they are in poor condition, at best you may find yourself stranded on the side of the road. At worst, you could have a blowout and end up in a life-threatening accident. That's why it's so important to make certain your tires are well-maintained. Keeping your tires in good condition can also help them last longer. In fact, experts say that you can get as much as 50 percent more life out of your tires if you maintain them properly!
Make Certain They Are Properly Inflated It's very important to make certain your tires are properly inflated. If they are under-inflated, they actually create excess heat as they move over the pavement. This can create a blowout or weaken the tires, making them more susceptible to being punctured. Also if your tires are under-inflated, they'll take extra wear and tear. The center tread will wear out more quickly than that on tires that are fully inflated, so you'll have to replace them earlier than expected. Over-inflation is just as bad. If there's too much air in a tire, it can also easily lead to a blowout. The tread will take extra damage and wear down more quickly. Some people believe that an overinflated tire rolls more easily, thus increasing your gas mileage. However, while you may see a small fuel economy increase, the extra damage to your tires and the chance of having a blowout more than offset what little gain you might see.
The Importance Of Properly Checking Their Inflation Remember that you can't tell if your tire is under-inflated or over-inflated by simply looking at it. You need to use a small tire pressure gauge to properly check the pressure. Note also that the air pumps you find at most gas stations may be incorrectly calibrated. You shouldn't trust them to give you a correct reading. You also need to know what the correct pressure for your vehicle is. You can usually find this information in either your vehicle's owner's manual or on the tire sticker found on the driver's side door.
When Should You Check Your Tires? Note, if you check your tire's air pressure after you've driven on them, you won't get a proper reading. When the air inside the tires is heated from being driven on, it expands. This, in turn, increases the tire pressure and results in an incorrect reading. The best time to check the pressure is when the tire is cold or when it has been driven less than a mile.
Be Sure To Have Your Wheels Aligned Another issue that can damage your tires is having the wheels out of alignment. If you have a new tire(s) put on, be sure to also have your wheel alignment checked and adjusted if necessary. This will insure the tire treads wear out evenly. Otherwise, one part of the tire will become weaker than the rest and can more easily be damaged. Tires also need to be rotated regularly to prevent this type of uneven wear.
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