There is no doubt that tires are an extremely important part of your car. After all, without tires, no vehicle can run. Which is why tire care and maintenance is serious business and should not be ignored.
Like all parts of a car, even the tires come with a shelf-life and the occurrence of wear and tear is only normal.
Phoenix Summers are Brutal
However, if you live in a place where temperatures drop below freezing during winter or hit extreme highs during summer months (in Phoenix, Arizona summer temperatures can easily touch 110 degrees and asphalt on the road heats up and beyond 130+ degrees!) caring for your tires becomes even more important.
If you are not careful about car tire maintenance, your tires will experience a greater degree of wear and tear and the only option you’ll be left with is tire replacement – which is not cheap!
Considering these facts, the best option would be to adopt certain best practices in tire care as a way of extending the lifespan of your car tires. This way you get to drive more miles without having to shell out big bucks for tire replacements. Consider the following tips:
Number 1 – Tire Pressure
The entire car body is metal, except for the tires which are made of rubber. This makes them vulnerable to damage from friction, heat, bad roads, and speed. The damage can be worse if your car tires don’t have the necessary tire pressure.
The reason tire pressure matters so much is because without the correct degree of inflation, the wheels will not be able to sufficiently support the weight of the car and they’ll experience tremendous levels of uneven wear and tear.
If the tires are unable to perform at optimal levels, the engine will also face a lot of stress. Here’s what you need to know:
- Monitor tire pressure as and when the seasons change.
- The pounds per square inch (or PSI) of a tire adjusts by 1 pound for every 10-degree change in the temperature
- So, if the temperature outside rises by 10 degrees, tire pressure also increases by 1 PSI; the opposite happens if the temperatures drop.
- The temperature change outside will affect the rate at which tires lose air.
- Air pressure for all tires should be checked each week and tires which need more air, should be inflated to the correct level.
Visually Inspect Your Tires
Tire damage can happen due to objects such as little rubble or glass lying on the road.
- Check your tires for damage from rocks or nails or look for signs of unusual amounts of wear and tear on a weekly basis.
- Run your hands on the tires to check for damage from leaking or a puncture.
Maintenance and Cleaning
When it comes to cleaning and routine maintenance, here are our tips:
- Have your car tires professionally rotated on a regular basis.
- This is necessary to ensure that the wear and tear experienced by the tires is evenly distributed.
- Wheel alignment is another vital aspect of tire care as a way of preventing uneven wear.
- Ensure you clean and scrub the treading to remove all debris that may have accumulated on the tires.
Tire Maintenance is Fundamental
Car tire replacement costs money. However, if tire replacement is necessary, then you cannot avoid this cost. The good news is that with proper care of your tires you can easily prolong tread life by almost 50 percent.
All you need to do is to follow the steps above to effectively increase the lifespan of your tires and save replacement costs.
You don’t want to be stuck on the side of the road with a flat!