Tips to Make Your New Tires Last as Long as Possible
When you spend the money on new tires on your car or truck, you want the tires to last as long as possible. Many tires have mileage ratings on them, but the rating is dependent on your maintaining the tires properly. A tire requires some maintenance to ensure even wear, but you can easily keep the tires on your car in good shape with just a few checks each week.
Proper Inflation
Proper inflation of the tires on your car is one of the easiest things you can do to extend the life of the tires. Every tire has an inflation suggestion from the manufacturer and every car has an inflation recommendation specifically for the vehicle model.
Tire Information
Look for a sticker on the inner door frame of the vehicle that lists the tire size, the rim size, and the recommended inflation of the tires, both warm and cold. This information is also in the owner’s manual but is easy to find on the door frame.
If you are using the right tires for the care, this information will help you understand the amount of air pressure the tire needs to properly support the weight of the car and perform as the manufacturer intended. Properly inflated tires last longer, wear more evenly and ride better, so check the tire pressure weekly and adjust it as required.
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Proper Rotation
The tires on your car can unevenly wear if there is something off in the suspension system, but rotating the tires will help keep the wear even from one tire to the next.
You may hear differing opinions on when to rotate your tires, but most tire manufacturers recommend to do it with every other oil change or around six thousand miles. Some tire manufacturers also recommend a tire rotation every six months, but for a high mileage vehicle, that may not be often enough to keep the wear even on all the tires. Look below to see the different types of rotation.
Four Tire Rotation
The most common tire rotation method is a four-tire rotation. This means rotating the tires that are on the vehicle, but not the spare tire. In modern cars, the spare tires are a temporary tire and adding it into the rotation is not beneficial.
The proper pattern for rotating four tires depends on if the car is front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or four-wheel drive. You need to look at your owner’s manual for the pattern or have a tire shop rotate them for you.
On one-ton trucks with dual tires on the back, the pattern is a little different because the wheels are not the same on the front and rear of many trucks. Check with the tire shop for proper rotation of the tires on a heavy-duty truck.
Five Tire Rotation
If you have a full-size spare tire, you can add it to the rotation if you choose. It can keep the spare tire in the same wear range as the other tires, and that can be beneficial if you need to put the spare on and use it for an extended period of time.
Proper Suspension Alignment
The suspension system plays a critical role in tire wear. A suspension that is out of alignment will cause the tires to wear quickly and in many cases, the misalignment can destroy the tire far earlier than it should.
A car that does not handle properly, pulls left or right, or shakes over bumps in the road may have suspension problems and alignment may be in order. Take the car in for an alignment check if you suspect there is a problem.
Ramona Tire & Service Centers can help you with all your tire-related work. From tire rotation to replacement and upgrades, our technicians can recommend the right tire for your car or truck and help you understand how to keep them in great condition. Come and see us today for a tire rotation, oil change, or front end alignment.
