Tips To Prolong Tire Life & Signs They Should Be Replaced
Tires are extremely important; in fact, unattended or worn tires are a major contributor to vehicular accidents. The following guide will reveal some signs that might help you prevent an accident by prolonging the life of your tires.
Guide To Prolong Tire Life
Consider some of the following to prolong the life of your tires:
- Check your tire pressure every month (and more frequently during extreme temperatures, as those temperatures affect tire pressure).
- Be sure to rotate your tires every 7,500 miles to ensure leveled wear of the tire tread, or ask your auto care specialist if you should rotate more frequently.
- Have your tires aligned when you rotate them.
- Do your best to drive the speed limit, as speeding can wear down your tires faster.
- Try to slow down before you stop to avoid wearing your tires with abrupt stops.
- Make sure your suspensions or shocks are properly maintained, as worn ones might add pressure to your tires.
You can talk to your auto care specialist about other things that you can do to make sure your tires last you as long as possible.
Signs That You Need New Tires
Your tires, even with proper care, are not meant to last forever, meaning you should know some of the signs that it may be time to change your tires.
Be sure to look out for the following:
- You see cracks or uneven tread wear in one or more of your tires.
- There are bulges or blisters on the surface of your tires.
- You feel vibrations, or your car leans towards one side of the road while you drive.
If you notice any of the aforementioned signs, it might be time to change your tires.
Another sign is bad tread-depth, and you can check on this by learning a simple tread-testing technique, which uses a penny. Try the following:
- Wait until your tires have cooled down if you were driving recently.
- Insert a penny into several tread wedges in your vehicle with the Lincoln's head facing inwardly toward the tire.
- You want to make sure that Lincoln's head disappears into each wedge in your tires. If it doesn't, you need to replace that particular tire as soon as you can.
Hopefully these tips help prolong the life of your tires. This should also help keep you safe while you are on the road. For suggestions about how to maintain your car's tires, talk to a local auto care specialist like those at Pete's Service Center.
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