How to Take Care of Your Tires

Car tire care is one of the most important aspects of maintaining your vehicle. With the proper care, a new set of car tires can last for an incredibly long time, helping keep you safe on the road by reducing your stopping distance and improving your vehicle’s traction.

Below, we’ll look at some tips on how to take care of your tires in order to make them last for as long as possible.

Rotate Your Tires Regularly

The tires on the front of your vehicle will typically wear out faster than the tires on the back due to the front tires turning when you go around turns. Therefore, it’s important to rotate your tires about every 6,000 miles to ensure that all four tires wear evenly and at the same rate.

Check Your Tire Pressure

Every vehicle has unique specifications for how much air pressure should be in each tire based on the vehicle’s weight, suspension, steering design, and other factors. Look up the recommended tire pressure in your owners manual or on the yellow and white sticker on the driver’s door jamb. Then make sure to check the pressure in each tire using a gauge. If the pressure in one of your tires is either higher or lower than the recommended pressure by more than 5 PSI, it needs to be adjusted accordingly in order to improve your vehicle’s performance and prevent excessive wear.

Check Your Tires’ Treads

The treads on your tires are essential for helping you maintain traction on the road, especially during wet or slippery road conditions. Over time, though, the treads on tires will wear down, requiring the tire to be replaced. To check and see if the treads on your tires are worn down to the point that your tires need to be replaced, take a penny and place it inside the tire’s treads with Lincoln’s head facing down. If part of Lincoln’s head is covered by the tread then your tires are still fine. If, however, you can see the entirety of Lincoln’s head then your tire’s need to be replaced.

Align Your Wheels Annual

Hitting bumps and potholes in the road can knock your wheels out of alignment. Even if you are driving only on smooth surfaces, though, your wheels can eventually shift out of alignment over time. When your wheels are out of alignment it can cause excessive wear on your tires, reducing their lifespan. To prevent this from happening, it’s recommended that you take your vehicle to a mechanic once a year to have your wheels aligned.

Conclusion

At Hawthorne Auto Square, we want your driving experience to be as safe and as enjoyable as possible, and proper car tire care is a big part of ensuring that you are safe on the road as well as ensuring that you get as much as possible out of the tires you invest in.

If you are in search of a new vehicle rather than just a new set of tires, we invite you to browse our inventory today. At Hawthorne Auto Square, we have a wide selection of vehicles, offer easy financing options, and are trusted by thousands.