When you buy a set of tires for your car, SUV, or pickup truck, you expect them to last at least 40,000 miles or more. However, if you do not take proper care of your tires, you can greatly lower their life expectancy. In fact, tires can get damaged and need replacing after just a few thousand miles with poor maintenance. Here are some helpful passenger car tire care tips to give you longer and better service.
Pressure Checking
Most people understand the importance of checking passenger car tire pressure regularly. However, it is easy to procrastinate or forget this important task and if you forget your tires may suffer. Set an email reminder or make sure to do a routine maintenance check on your car on the first of each month. This can prevent you from forgetting.
Rotation
If a passenger car tire stays in one place its entire life, it can wear unevenly. This is why you need to rotate your tires. Most people have their tires rotated with every other oil change. This is a good way to remember to rotate tires and keep them in good condition.
Inspection
When you check the air in your tires, take some time to examine the tread and sidewalls. Look for signs of uneven wear. For example, if a tire is worn on one side of the tread, you could have an alignment or suspension problem. Worn spots in the tread usually indicate bad shocks or struts.
Maybe your tires are worn along the outer edges of the tread. This usually means the tire was underinflated for a long time. If the center of the tread is wearing out your tires were overinflated for many miles. Make sure to look at the sidewalls for cracking or splitting as this may mean the tires are getting old.
