Learn some tips and tricks about tire care. At Cranbrook Dodge, we care about your tires and vehicle safety.
Need tips about about tire care? Most people don’t realize their tires make contact with the road with an area that is roughly the size of an average adult male’s hand. That’s four handprints worth of traction to brake, turn, and keep your 3,000 lb. vehicle and its occupants safely under control. Tire manufacturers spend an enormous amount of time and resources maximizing the balance between adhesion, durability, and performance, so your vehicle performs the way it was engineered to perform.
Here’s what you can do:
- Have your tires rotated according to your owner’s manual or at the first sign of irregular wear. Rotating tires ensures that they wear evenly as a set and maximize the life of your tires.
- Inspect your tires for unusual wear or damage at least once per month or before a long road trip. Tires with even the slightest damage may give way under evasive maneuvers.
- Maintain proper air pressure. Tires that are underinflated by as little as 6 PSI can cause a reduction of 3-4% in fuel economy and significantly reduce the life of your tire.
- Have your wheel alignment inspected regularly and adjusted when necessary. Front end components should be inspected every two years or 32,000 km. Ensure that your vehicle is handling to factory specifications.
- Makes sure that your tires are properly balanced. Eliminate ride disturbance and increase the life of your tires.
- Replace your tires after 6 years, regardless of the remaining tread. The rubber compounds in your tires break down over time, reducing your tires’ performance and increasing their susceptibility to failure.
More than half of all drivers do not perform the above preventative steps on tire care on a regular basis. That means their tires cannot perform as expected. Even with the latest integrated technology, worn tires, unbalanced/misaligned wheels, and over/underinflated tires all have a significant impact on the safety and performance of your vehicle.
