While talking about vehicle maintenance, taking care of car tires is one of the most important things. With good care, your tires will serve you incredibly long, saving a lot of your money and time at car services. And of course, the condition of tires directly influences the stopping distance and traction making it a crucial safety matter also. Here are some tips to make sure that you take good care of your tires.
Track car tire pressure
Depending on many factors such as suspension, steering design, the weight of the vehicles, and some others, car tire pressure is strictly specified by a manufacturer for every vehicle. You may always find the actual numbers in your owner’s manual or on a sticker at the driver’s door jamb. Most modern vehicles also have detectors and announce to you as soon as the tire pressure is imbalanced. Never ignore those indicators and try to adjust the tire pressure as soon as possible.
Check tires’ treads
When you have to drive on a wet or slippery road, tire treads are crucial for maintaining traction on the road. However, after some time they inevitably wear off and you have to change your car tires. Manufacturers usually provide recommendations on how often you should change tires, but the conditions may be different and the change may be required much earlier than the announced time. A simple penny or so-called “Lincoln’s test” may help you check the condition of your tire’s treads. Place a penny inside the treads with Lincoln facing down. As soon as you see part of his head covered, your treads are fine, but if you see the full Lincoln’s portrait, it is time to change your tires.
Rotate tires
Due to extensive work, while you take turns, the tires on your front wheels will wear off faster than those on the back wheels. Therefore rotating your tires from time to time you extend their overall lifetime. Mechanics usually recommend performing the rotation every 6,000 miles to make sure that all 4 tires eventually wear off evenly and the whole set serves you longer.
Align the wheels regularly
Wheels alignment is one more factor crucial for a tire’s lifespan. While driving you inevitably hit bumps or potholes from time to time. Even if you are lucky enough to drive through perfect flat roads, the weight imbalance, abrupt stops, and many other factors eventually knock your wheels out of alignment at some point. Not to mention those vehicles that drive up-state through bumpy country roads and in severe weather conditions. Wheels that are out of alignment wear the tires off much faster. So regular annual visits to your mechanic to adjust the wheels alignment is also an important tire-care measure.
Quality tires are a serious investment not only into your driving performance but the overall safety. It is very important to take good care of your tires to preserve your money and get the most from your driving experience. But not every imbalance is always obvious or can be detected and eliminated independently. That is why here at OHS Body Shop we are always happy to offer our routine check-ups and diagnostics services as well as special tire maintenance services. Our branches are located all over Montana’s Greater Flathead Valley – in Kalispell, Whitefish, Polson, and Columbia Falls. For your convenience, we also offer care products and comprehensive customer service so you may take good care of your vehicle between visits. And in case a flat tire or any other mishap may occur in the middle of nowhere, our towing service is available 24/7 for your safety and comfort.
