Your tires are an important part of your car. After all, you’d be going nowhere without your tires. However, drivers also tend to overlook them, which often times leads to accidents. As a result, it’s important to practice good tire maintenance. Thankfully, this maintenance isn’t all that complicated…
Tire Maintenance: What To Check
Tire pressure
Your tire pressure is an important part of tire maintenance. As you drive, your car’s tires gradually lose their air pressure over time. This lack of pressure ends up reducing the overall effectiveness of the tires. In fact, under-inflated tires drastically increase a driver’s chances of getting into an accident.
Therefore, it helps to check your tire pressure at least once a month. Your car’s manual and tire placard should both have the recommended PSI level for your tires listed. Properly inflated tires are also a good way to improve your overall fuel efficiency.
The treads
It’s also important to check your tire’s treads when performing tire maintenance. The treads are what give your tires their grip on the road. This means that if your tires have lost too much tread, then your car is less secure on the road. This is especially dangerous when the roads are slippery due to rain, snow, or ice.
In general, your treads should be at least 2/23 of an inch deep. There’s a nice little trick you can use to check if your treads are in good shape or not. Take a penny and insert it into a groove on the tire. If the groove covers up some or all of Lincoln’s head, then your tread is good. If not, then you know it’s time to get your tires changed.
General damage
When most people park, they don’t give their car a second glance as they walk away. However, it might be a good idea to do so as part of your tire maintenance. Not all roads are as safe as others, and as a result something on them could potentially cause damage to your tires.
Some common culprits of tire damage include nails, screws, and other sharp objects. Potholes and rough asphalt can also lead to cuts or bulges on the tire sidewall. Once you see your tires are damaged, it’s best to get them changed as soon as you can.