A new, comfy pair of shoes can make you feel like you’re walking on a cloud; it makes your whole body sing. On the contrary, a worn-out, tattered pair can cause a multitude of problems, leaving your joints and muscles achy. The same principle applies to your tires. Keeping up on tire maintenance is imperative to the overall health of your car, and not maintaining them could become the root of a multitude of problems to your vehicle.
You can quickly do a visual inspection of your tires as often as you get behind the wheel. Before you hop in the driver’s seat, glance at all four tires to make sure they are properly inflated. However, you can’t always tell if a tire is deflated by looking at it. That’s why it’s always a good idea to have a tire pressure gauge on hand. Your owner’s manual will let you know what pressure to keep your tires at, both front and back. If you are unsure about anything, take your vehicle in to your local Greensboro tire center to get looked at. After all, properly inflated tires can improve your vehicle’s overall performance and gas mileage.
Valve caps also help in maintaining proper inflation. They also keep dust and other particles out of the air valve, which can cause air loss. If you are missing any valve caps, take your car to your local Greensboro tire center or Greensboro auto repair center to get replacements.
The tread of your tires is also important to look at. Low tread can be problematic and flat-out dangerous in adverse conditions, such as rain and ice. You can check the tread of your tires with a technique called the “penny check”. Place a penny in the tread of your tire—with Lincoln’s head upside down and facing you—and if you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, then your tread is extremely low.
If you do find that your tires have uneven pressure or low tread, take your vehicle in to your local Greensboro tire shop or Greensboro auto repair center to have the alignment, balance, and tires checked professionally. If your tires have uneven wear, it may be a sign of misalignment and indication that you need replacement tires.
These same rules apply to your spare tire. Life happens, and chances are you’ll need that spare one day. You don’t want to be stuck with an ineffective spare when a tire blows out.
