Some of the important tire maintenance 101 includes rotating the tires, maintaining the pressure, inspecting the tread depth, monitoring flat tires, and more. Take a look at this article for more details!
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Your vehicle's tires are one of the most important components you need to keep an eye for. While it's important to make sure that the engine is working properly, you are at risk of crashes without a working tire, and you might not be able to drive the vehicle at all.
Tires are susceptible to damage due to tear and wear since they are the only components in contact with the road. There is certain scheduled maintenance that you need to maintain to continue driving your vehicle without dealing with surprises that could put you in undesirable situations.
This article provides it with all that you need to know about the tire’s maintenance. In fact, this article intends to serve as tire maintenance 101 for any driver, even those who do not have any previous experience with tire maintenance.
Tire maintenance 101
There are certain items you need to check off your list continuously regarding tire maintenance. These items should be specified in detail in your vehicle's owner’s manual. Let's take a closer look at some of the comments and most important time maintenance items that you need to keep up with:
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Rotating your tires
One of the most important items you need to take off your To-D List is rotating your tires. Tire rotation must happen according to a certain frequency defined in your vehicle's owner’s manual.
When the technician rotates your vehicle's tires, they move the tire and the wheel from one location to another. The main reason for tire rotation is to make sure that your vehicle's tires are wearing out evenly, so you don't have to deal with problems in the suspension system and any other surrounding components.
During the tire rotation, technicians are also recommended to inspect the tires to make sure they are suitable for driving. For example, if they noticed any accelerated tire wear, they must detect the problem and term and its causes.
Some accelerated tire wear might be linked to a major problem that could not only cost you a lot of money but also puts your life at risk of crashes.
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Maintain proper tire pressure
In addition to rotating, the tires are inflated to the proper level specified in your vehicle's owner’s manual. When tires are not inflated properly, they can cause many issues, including:
- Problems with reduced fuel efficiency
- Issues with decreasing the lifetime of your tires by increasing tear, and we're
- Posing some risks of tires blowouts
- Getting your car involved in major car accidents
The good news is that automakers are now switching to installing what's known as the tire pressure monitoring system or the TPMS. This system is responsible for alerting you when the tire pressure drops below a certain level.
It's important to make sure that the TPMS system is working properly, especially if you rely on it as your only indicator of any tire pressure problem. Many experienced technicians are familiar with the TPMS system for your brand.
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Check the tread depth
The tread depth is a very important factor to help you determine whether your tires are in good condition or not. Unfortunately, many inexperienced drivers might not know this fact and might underestimate the importance of inspecting the tread depth.
When you notice that the tread depth is getting smaller and smaller, it indicates that your vehicle's tires are wearing out, and this can be a big concern, especially if one of the tires has the issue but not the other.
There is a quick trick to help you determine what your car's tread depth are is at its proper level or not. Here's what you need to do:
- Locate the tire that has the lowest tread depth
- Using a quarter, you can insert it into the tread depth what their head going first
- After inserting the quarter, look at George Washington’s head. If you notice that the threat is smaller than 4/ 32 inches, your vehicle's tire needs to be replaced immediately.
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Keep an eye on flat tires
Dealing with flat tires does not have to do anything with your legal age. For example, it won't matter if you own a brand-new vehicle or a ten-year-old car when it comes to flat tires. You might deal with this situation at any point in your vehicle's lifetime.
Therefore, you don't have to panic, though you need to keep in mind that flat tires must be taken care of immediately to prevent dealing with extremely risky situations.
One of the safest ways to fix a flat tire is using what's not as plugging a tire which might cost you somewhere between $10 and $15. The good news is that fixing tier won’t take more than 10 minutes which means that they shouldn't be any reason preventing you from fixing your flat tire at any clothes independent shop.
Many drivers still follow the old days' way of fixing flat tires using fabric-based plugs. However, these fabric plugs are not safe and can easily put you at risk of severe excellence that might end up with fatal injuries.
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Check the vehicle's alignment
Although the alignment does not necessarily have to do with the tires directly, it can significantly influence the overall tire lifetime.
Of vehicle that is not aligned properly causes pressure on certain tires more than the others. As a result, you'll notice that the tires on the side where the vehicle is leaning are wearing out much faster than the rest of the tires. Therefore, doing a tire rotation might not be a good option for you because most tires will be weird out anyways.
According to experts, your vehicle's alignment must be checked once every 12,000 miles. However, we still recommend that your mechanic inspect the alignment every time you do an oil change, not necessarily a detailed alignment check but just a general quick look.
When alignment is bad, it can easily put your life at risk of crashes, especially when causing issues with handling maneuvers and driving the vehicle.
What PSI is too high for tires?
While low pressure is one of the biggest concerns when taking care of your vehicle’s tires, too much pressure is not very good. According to experts, you need to maintain a tire pressure of no more than 44 to 51 PSI. Going beyond this limit can cause risks, and your vehicle will not perform as it should.
We also still recommend that you follow your vehicle's owner’s manual regarding some details. For example, the manual will accurately specify the exact range for tire pressure for your vehicle.
What is the average life of a tire?
No matter how much you take care of the tire, there will be a point of time where it will expire. In other words, tires are not designed for them to last forever, and you need to be prepared for replacing the tires immediately after they go bad.
According to experts, the general life of a tire is about 50,000 miles. However, this number might be significantly different depending on your tires brand, your driving style, and the environment that you're driving in. Sometimes a brand of tire might blow out because of an issue with the on-paved road.
Does tire shine ruin tires?
Some drivers might even take it to the next level and apply some tire shines to protect their tires and enhance their appearance. However, while tire shines are a good addition to your tires, it might not be the best option, especially if you're driving an old car.
Most older vehicles will develop a strange Browning color to your tires that might turn into a dry layer, causing some cracks around the tire. Therefore, you recommend that you consult a professional mechanic and see whether it's worth adding the shine to the tires or not sure you might also need to stay away from tire shine, especially if you know that your vehicle is old enough.
Tire maintenance 101 checklist
If you would like to maintain your vehicle's tires, you can use the following checklist as a rough estimate about doing certain scheduled maintenance. Of course, you're always recommended to refer to your vehicle's owner’s manual to confirm if the frequency is sufficient for your vehicle's brand.
Let's take a closer look below
- Perform wheel alignment at least once every 15,000 miles
- Have your vehicle's alignment checked once every year, even if you didn't hit the 15,000 miles yet
- Inspect the vehicle's tire pressure regularly
- Keep an eye on the spare tire and make sure that it's in good condition all the time
- If you're planning to repair a tire tread, make sure that the mechanic performs there appears at the shoulders but not on any of the sites
- If your tire goes bad once, you can get it repaired. However, if it goes bad for the second time, it is recommended that you replace the tire to stay on the safe side. In shorts, third-time tire repair is not recommended.
- Tubes and sealants are not recommended for tires repairs
- Never use fabric plugs to fix tires problems because they're not safe
- Keep a copy of your vehicle's owner’s manual and become familiar with it to get a better idea about when exactly to perform tire maintenance
Is overinflating your tires bad?
Yes, over-inflating the tires above a certain threshold can be very dangerous. When the tires have too much pressure, it does not only cause higher risks of damages and affects the overall shape of your vehicle's tire. Thus, you'll notice that your vehicle is not driving as smoothly as before.
With overinflating the tires, expect more damages and sooner timing to replace all the tires
At what PSI will a tire explode?
If you don't already know, your vehicle's tires can really explode at some level of air pressure.
According to experts, your vehicle's tires might explode at 200 PSI. In general, the standard recommended tire pressure is between 30 and 35 PSI. However, many drivers might go up to the 41 and 50PSI without any major problem.
Once you hit the 200 PSI, you are in a super dangerous situation that might involve your tire exploding.
Conclusion
Your vehicle's tires are one of the most important components that you need to maintain to prevent serious accidents and costly repairs.
This article serves as tire maintenance 101 by providing you with some important tire maintenance items to check off your list so you can maintain a working vehicle. Some of these items include rotating the tires, maintaining the pressure, checking for any flat tires, and inspecting the tire tread depth.
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