For the most part, tires go widely unnoticed until one of them is suddenly flat. Properly maintaining the tires on your car helps prevent unexpected flats from wear and tear, excess fuel usage, and decreased rolling resistance, which means it takes less effort to move your car down the road. Ultimately, proper care of your tires helps save you time and money later. If tire care is new to you, here are a few important tips you need to know. 

How to Extend the Life of Your Tires

1. Make Sure They’re Properly Inflated 

If your tire is low on air, it wears down the outer edges at an accelerated rate. Low pressure makes your vehicle work harder, ultimately burning through more gas. Checking your tire pressure is easy and should be done each time you fuel up. A digital pressure gauge makes it easy to check the PSI. If you aren’t sure what the correct PSI is for your tires, you can usually find it on a little sticker on the driver’s side doorjamb. 

2. Rotate Them Regularly

Driving wears the tires down. Nothing can be done to stop that, but rotating them regularly helps slow down the process. Rotating them evenly distributes the wear and tear. Uneven wear can also lead to poor handling of your vehicle. It’s generally recommended that tires should be rotated every 6,000 miles, but each car manufacturer will have their own recommendations. Be sure to check the manufacturer guidelines for your particular vehicle.

3. Watch the Tread

It’s a good idea to visually inspect your tires for signs of damage or keep an eye on the tread. Put a penny into the tread groove, Lincoln’s head side down. Optimally the tread will come to Lincoln’s forehead, just below his hair. If you can see all of his head, the tread is too low, and it’s time to replace your tire. 

Maintaining the health of your tires is important—not only for safety reasons but the overall health of your vehicle. Davis Tire in Chillicothe, OH, knows this and are here to help. From alignments to oil changes, plus a wide variety of tires to choose from should you need new ones, this auto repair shop does it all. Visit them online to learn more about their services, or call (740) 774-3363 to schedule an appointment.