Extend Your Tires Life.
Have you ever been driving and felt like your car pulls slightly to the left or right or maybe the car feels like it shakes or vibrates a little here and there. If so, your car may have an alignment issue. Typically if you bump a curb, pole or hit the parking block, it can cause your alignment to change and in turn, can reduce fuel efficiency and increase tread wear. Taking your vehicle in for maintenance every 6 months, or if something feels off, can save you a lot of money in the long run. The tips below will help your tires last longer which will also help improve gas mileage, extend your vehicles life and be safer to drive. A quick and free way to start that process is by checking your tire pressure and filling it up to the proper pressure. Doesn't take long right? and boom! You just saved yourself money and helped your tires right there! Read on to see other ways to extend your tires life.
The cheapest and easiest way to extend tire life is by maintaining the correct tire pressure. You can do so by checking the pressure in your driveway or at a gas station near you. On your tire it will show what the proper tire pressure is for your tire, just look for the # by the letters PSI, and when you fill up your tire make sure to not go over that # to ensure all of your tires are properly filled. Every month your tires lose about a pound per square inch of pressure and the heat and cold air can cause their own differences in tire pressure. In winter, colder temperatures can lower air pressure since the cold air compresses inside the tire. In summer, warm weather increases tire air pressure since the warm air expands inside the tire. When you keep your tires properly inflated, it improves fuel efficiency by up to 3% which is always nice. Underinflated tires cause you to pay more in gas since you get less miles per gallon, can cause you to have an increased stopping distance and be less responsive to changes in steering which can make it harder to avoid collisions. As well as increase wear and tear on the tire itself and potentially can cause a blowout.
Most cars only use 1 or 2 wheels to drive the car at a time which causes uneven tire wear. On front-wheel drive vehicles, front tires wear faster. On rear-wheel drive vehicles, back tires wear faster. Even all-wheel drive vehicles can see uneven wear, as most shift the drive from one wheel to another. When you take your vehicle to get its tires rotated, a technician will move them to different wheel positions. This gives the tires on the drive wheels a rest and gives them an even wear to help them last longer which is why you should do this every 5,000 - 8,000 miles.
I'm sure this goes without saying but, to maintain maximum fuel efficiency and tread life, all of your tires should be pointed straight. There are 2 ways your tires may point if they are misaligned. The first is called toed-out or “duck-footed”, this is where they point away from the middle of the car. The other is called toed-in or “pigeon-toed”, this is where they point in towards each other. You'll notice this if the car pulls to one side or if the steering wheel vibrates while you're driving. When this happens its a result of the tires jostling themselves, typically from driving over a pothole, bumping a curb or parking block too hard.
5. Don't Leave Your Rubber on the Road
Look, it may seem cool to peel out, do some donuts or burn-outs, but those sick moves end up wearing down the rubber tread. Occasionally when you hit a curb you can end up scratching the rubber off the walls of your tires. New tires have about 10/32 of an inch of tread and while it doesn't seem like a lot, it should be enough to cover you for many, many miles. Tires should be replaced when you get to 4/32 of a tread so you don't end up getting to the point where you can see the metal bars in the tire.
6. Remove Your Snow Tires in the Spring
Snow tires are meant for snow, as the name clearly states. They were made to help grip the pavement even when covered in snow which is why they have more slits and grooves on the tread. When the road is covered in snow, these tires are great to help get snow out of the way while driving but since they make more contact with the pavement, driving with them on while there is no snow can cause the tire tread to wear down quicker. So, make sure to remember to swap them out or you’re going to end up buying new snow tires next season.
7. Prevent Dry Rot
Dry rot is when the walls or tread of the tire end up cracking or splitting. When this happens it causes your tires to leak air and can lead to a blowout which is very dangerous. Dry rot happens when your vehicle is in direct sunlight, mainly when it’s left for a very long period without moving. The best way to avoid this is just making sure to move your vehicle from time to time if you don’t use it often or to keep it out of direct sunlight if it’s going to remain stationary.
So do yourself, your tires and your wallet a favor and make sure to keep up with regular maintenance on your tires and drive safely!
-Heather Jarkow