Tires are often the most neglected part of the car. Interestingly, they are the only thing that is in full contact with the ground at all times.
Not only the car tires affect vehicle handling, but they are also responsible for your overall safety. A worn tire can even lead to accidents.
Still, people rarely give them any special importance. Most people even wait for the tire to worn out entirely before they replace them. In this post, we will discuss some of the best tire maintenance tips and how they can help you remain safe on the roads.
Tire Maintenance Tips You Must Know
If you drive over potholes, debris, speed bumps, and even broken roads regularly, you need to inspect the tires.
Tire maintenance is essential for the optimum performance of your vehicle. The more often you inspect, the easier it will be to find problems with your tires and stay safe on the roads.
Have All-Season Tires
Unless you live in Canada, Greenland, Iceland, or other all-winter season countries, you should have all-season tires on your vehicles. Why?
These tires are made to bear all types of weather temperatures without breaking down. Moreover, these tires have moderate tread depth and can work well in winter, summer, and even in rainy weather.
Before you buy tires for your car, make sure you get them inspected from a car service shop in your area. In most cases, your tires would need replacement even if they don’t show any clear signs of wear and tear.
Tip: Do you know tires need to be replaced every 12,000KM or 6,000 miles or 6 months to 8 months?
Heat Kills Everything Even Tires!
Your tires may be perfect, but if you are not too careful, heat can still damage them.
In scorching heat, if your car tires are underinflated, overloaded, or you push them above the regular speed limits, they can melt. Yes, you read that right. Car tires can melt at higher speeds.
Or, the tires can explode if they get too hot. This is because the air trapped in the tires can expand at a higher heat, taking more space in the tire, and ultimately exploding.
- To counter this, always make sure that you don’t drive for too long in the scorching heat.
- Always keep the moderate air pressure in car tires. Use a pressure gauge to know how much pressure your car tires require.
- Don’t drive too fast in hot weather; you never know what pointy objects are on the road.
- Don’t park your car in the open during sizzling temperatures.
Don’t Overload Your Car
Cargo can be the biggest enemy of car tires, especially if loaded above the limits. Although cars have varying cargo loading limits, it is better to check the condition of the tires and make decisions accordingly. If the tires are underinflated, or if the tires are in poor shape, it is better to avoid loading cargo, then the tires can handle. According to research, one of the major causes of accidents of vehicles is because of overloading of cars.
If you have to overload the vehicle regularly, then choose a tire set that can handle excess pressure. Tires have varying qualities, and your car dealer will be able to better guide you on this.
Always Keep a Spare Tire
A spare tire can be your savior in unlikely places. Think about it.
What if your tire gets flat in the middle of the interstate highway, far from a gas station, in the middle of the night?
What will you do?
Spare tires can help take your car to the nearest gas station.
The spare tire doesn’t need to be of the same size and tread depth. Any tire that can take you for 40 to 50 miles is enough.
Many modern vehicles don’t have a spare tire. Although most of these tires don’t carry spares, some models have run-flat tires, which allow you to take your car to the nearest tire shop even after getting punctured.
However, if your car doesn’t have enough space for a spare tire, you can keep a sealant kit that still does the same job. Sealants can’t be used on side puncture, though. If the sidewall is punctured, you will have to buy a new tire. So, for longer trips, ALWAYS keep a spare tire and tire sealants.
Tip: You need to inspect your car tires thoroughly every month to avoid any haphazard on the road.
Enough Tread to Travel
How much tread depth does your car tire have? Worn tires have reduced tread depth, which can become a problem on wet roads. So, before driving, make sure to observe the tire tread depth.
Here is how you can measure the tread depth of your car tires.
If you can see the top of Abraham Lincoln’s head (on the coin), then it is time to get the tire checked by a professional.
However, sometimes the car tires have uneven wear. In such cases, you will need to measure the tread depth in a cross, i.e., on all four points. If the uneven depth looks apparent, get it checked from a professional.
When buying used cars, make sure to check the tread depth to ascertain if the tires will need replacement in the next few months. If they do, you can add tire prices to the bargain as well.
Sometimes, the tire depth looks evident because of the misalignment of the wheel. Your local area mechanic will be able to fix that problem.
Tip: Do you know that you need to align your car wheels every 25,000KM or every year, to avoid uneven tread wear.
Learn About Vehicle Maintenance
While all these tips are essential for traveling safely on the roads, more important is to stay aware of what can and what can’t happen to your vehicle. The more informed you are about your vehicle, in particular, the better decisions you will make eventually. This will help you reduce car maintenance expenses while staying safe.
