We can only imagine how much you love your automobile. However, this compassion may all go to the drain if you do not take the right measures in its maintenance. Talking of maintenance, the welfare of your car tires comes to mind. To keep your vehicle running efficiently and smoothly on the road, you ought to take care of its tires.
These are essential parts of your vehicle as they not only help keep you going but also work to balance your vehicle and ensure your safety while on the road. The following are some of the main types of tire maintenance and their benefits:
1. Tire inflation
The pressure is a critical aspect of any tire. Without it, the movement will be almost impossible, and you will run the risk of wearing them out. Proper inflation of your vehicle tires helps reduce friction and, in essence, decrease your fuel usage. This is in addition to reducing screeches and noise while on the road.
Low pressure in tires can easily cause the vehicle to lose control and potentially cause accidents. Interestingly, sometimes a tire may not appear to be flat when indeed, it has lost almost 50 per cent of its recommended pressure. As such, it is always advisable that you regularly check your tire pressure using a tire gauge rather than manual inspection. As a rule of thumb, always make sure that your tires are cool before checking for pressure.
2. Tire alignment
Tire alignment comes in handy to help improve the balance and efficiency of your steering wheel. Poorly aligned wheels can be disastrous to your driving as it can pull the vehicle to one side or even cause the steering wheel to shake uncontrollably. Poor tire alignment also causes faster wear and tear to your tires. In most cases, the wear and tear will be uneven, thus leading to a shortened lifespan for your tires. Proper tire alignment leads to secure and convenient steering.
3. Tire rotation
For some reason, tyres tend to wear unevenly based on their positioning. Based on this, it is always advisable that you rotate your tires regularly to ensure even wear and tear, which ultimately helps prolong the lifespan of your tires. As a rule of thumb, you ought to rotate your tires after every 5,000 miles.
Rotating, in this case, means switching the wheel positioning in a given pattern. It would be notable that the front wheels, for instance, may perform lighter duties compared to the rear wheels. Notably, different tires would carry different amounts of weight based on their positioning. So, by rotating the tires, you will be slowing down the uneven wear and consequently prolonging their lifespan.
For effective rotation, it is advisable to follow a distinct pattern. For instance, an effective pattern for rotating a front-wheel-drive car is moving the tires in an X-pattern. Here, the right rear trades with eth left front tire and the left rear trades with the right front.
4. Check on the threads
As a vehicle owner, make it a habit to regularly check and measure your tire threads. The threading in your car tires is important in helping improve the friction between the tire and the road. When the threading wears in certain spots on your tires, this can means disaster as the usual grip on the road is lost. The moment your tire threads wear down to 1/16 of an inch, then you know it is time to replace them. You can easily note this then the built-in thread indicators appear on the tire.
Keeping the right tire tread depth is also vital in helping scatter water away from the tires during wet conditions. Make it a habit to check the state of your tire threads every week.
5. Correct tire size
It is always advisable that you get the right tire size for our vehicle based on the intensity of work it performs. Just like shoe size, getting the correct tire size for your vehicle helps avoid the strain on the road while also keeping them at optimum condition for longer.
Buying a good quality tire is a good move, but if you mess up on its maintenance, you will likely be going back to the dealer sooner than expected. Always stay conscious of the various conditions and situations than can easily lead to poor performance if your tires. The tires are the primary agents of movement for your vehicle, and you do not want to take chances. Proper maintenance of your vehicle tires not only helps reduce unnecessary expenses on a replacement but also helps keep you safe while on the road. You do not want to gamble with unroadworthy tires on the road. Always take your vehicle for tire check-up once in a while. This will give you the peace of mind that your tires are up to the standard required to be on the road.