Every day, we get in our car, drive to some destination,
and give little thought to the big, round rubber things
getting us there - tires! While tires provide the ability
for us to move about, they do need to be maintained,
just as with any other part of the car. For starters, you
always want to check the air pressure of your tires. As
a rule, tires will lose between one and two pounds of
pressure each month during the cooler months and more in
the hot, summer months. If the air pressure is not
maintained properly, you could have less gas mileage, find
the car more difficult to handle, or worse, experience a
sudden and unexpected blowout.
We recommend you check the pressure in your tires once a
month, to include the spare tire in the trunk. Just
remember that altitude and temperature both play a role in
how the air pressure holds up so when there are sudden or
extreme changes, the tires should be checked more often.
To check the air pressure, simply use a tire gauge, which
is pressed into the uncapped valve on the tire. A stick
like part of the gauge will pop out, showing you the number
of the current pressure. On the side of your tire, you
will see numbers before or after PSI, which is Pounds per
Square Inch. The gauge and the tire pressure should match.
In other words, if your tire holds 32 pounds of pressure,
when you test the tire with the gauge, it should read 32.
Another important aspect of car tires is the alignment.
Chances are you have hit a pothole or two while driving.
Each time, you put the car at risk of going out of
alignment, even a small amount. However, enough potholes
or curbs would make a difference in how the car handles.
Therefore, about every 18,000 miles, the alignment of the
car should be checked, which is about the same time you put
on new tires. Of course, if you notice that one tire or
one side of the car has tires that are wearing down quicker
than the other tires this could indicate a problem with
alignment.
Slow leaks can occur in tires at anytime. They can pick
up an unknown nail and then come out making the tire's
air leak out slowly. Or you may find a bubble on the side-
wall of a tire, if you see this take it to your tire shop
immediately because this can become a serious problem. A
weak tire leak may be fixed by a can of fix a flat at your
local auto parts dealer. If not, the you will need to have
it checked out. Tires put on wrong at the shop can cause a
vibration within your car when you get to a certain speed.
If this occurs, take your car back immediately and have
them fix and balance your tires properly.
Finally, to help the life of your tires last longer, you
should have them rotated about every 5,000 to 8,000 miles.
The reason is that typically, one tire will begin to wear
out in a certain pattern, depending on the weight it is
supporting. Therefore, by rotating the tires, you are not
stressing one particular tire but allowing them to wear
more evenly. In addition to the money saved, this also
reduces risks when driving.
Ray Granders operates the website and is a writer for
Dana Tires,
a site totally dedicated to researching Tires
related topics and contains details of the latest
Tire products. Please visit
http://www.danatires.com if you have any questions or
comments concerning this article.