Over time, you can expect a reasonable amount of wear and tear on your vehicle. Between regular maintenance and oil changes, you can prevent a lot of damage; however, some drivers forget to give this same level of attention to their tires. While you’ll need to get new tires eventually, you can extend their life span by avoiding a few behaviors.

3 Habits That Cause You to Need New Tires Prematurely

1. Ignoring TPMS Light

Your tire pressure management system (TPMS) system is designed to alert you when your tires are over- or underinflated. Improper inflation leads to uneven wear in the best cases and a blowout in the worst. While occasionally the light illuminates for other issues, don’t assume that’s the case; always measure the tire pressure for all four wheels with a gauge. Only measure the pressure after the car has been parked for a few hours as the heat generated by friction could cause the air inside the rubber to expand, which will give you an inaccurate reading.

2. Skipping Tire Rotations

When you’re driving, your tires do not wear down evenly. For example, cars with front-wheel drive will see tread depletion on the front tires first, and vice versa with rear-wheel drive cars. By rotating the tires about once every 5,000 miles, you can minimize uneven wear. To make this easy, ask for this task to be done every time you get an oil change. If uneven wear continues, it will create a bald spot on the tire, which could cause slipping or hydroplaning, and you will need new tires.

3. Accelerating & Braking Quickly

While occasionally you’ll need to accelerate or brake quickly to avoid an incident or merge onto the highway, these actions should be done sparingly. The friction caused by the quick action wears down the rubber. Additionally, squealing or whining is caused by tires spinning without moving, which means they are wearing down the material without going anywhere. Whenever possible, take your foot off the gas and allow your car to slow down before depressing the brake, and speed up at a reasonable pace.

If you need new tires, visit Phil's Tire Shop in St. Louis, MO. They sell both new and used tires, and they also patch flats when possible to reduce your costs. Patches will cover 99% of damage to tires, and the repair will last throughout the rest of the rubber’s usable life. They also offer 30-day warranties on all new tires and repairs. Visit their website to learn more about their services, and call (314) 544-3181 to schedule an appointment.