Category: Tires

Understanding Tire Wear

Tires are the only point of contact your vehicle has with the road, making them one of the most critical components for your safety and driving performance. However, tires don’t last forever. Understanding the factors that contribute to tire wear and how to mitigate them can significantly extend the life of your tires, saving you money and keeping you safer on the road. Here, we’ll dive into the essentials of tire maintenance and provide practical tips for maximizing tire longevity. Plus, discover how Auto Clinic of Franklin can assist you in keeping your tires in top condition.

Key Factors Contributing to Tire Wear

1. Improper Inflation: Tires inflated below or above the manufacturer’s recommended levels can lead to uneven wear, reduced fuel efficiency, and even blowouts.
2. Misalignment: When your vehicle’s wheels are not aligned correctly, it can cause uneven wear on your tires, leading to premature replacement.
3. Driving Habits: Aggressive driving, such as hard braking, fast acceleration, and sharp turns, can wear down tires more quickly.
4. Lack of Rotation: Tires wear unevenly due to their position on the vehicle. Regular rotation helps distribute wear more evenly, extending tire life.

Tips for Extending Tire Life

1. Maintain Proper Tire Pressure: Check your tire pressure monthly and before long trips. Inflate your tires to the recommended pressure listed in your vehicle’s manual or on the sticker inside the driver’s door.
2. Regular Tire Rotation: Have your tires rotated every 5,000 to 7,500 miles to promote even tire wear. This is often done during oil change appointments for convenience.
3. Align Your Wheels: Get your vehicle’s alignment checked annually or if you notice uneven tire wear, your vehicle pulling to one side, or steering wheel vibration.
4. Balance Your Tires: Ensuring your tires are balanced correctly can prevent uneven wear and extend tire life. Have them checked with every rotation.
5. Drive Mindfully: Avoid fast starts, stops, and turns. Be cautious of potholes and road debris. Gentle driving can significantly reduce tire wear.
6. Inspect Tires Regularly: Check for signs of wear, damage, or foreign objects lodged in the tread. Early detection of issues can prevent further damage.

How Auto Clinic of Franklin Can Help

At Auto Clinic of Franklin, we’re committed to helping you get the most out of your tires. Our comprehensive tire services include pressure checks, rotation, alignment, balancing, and inspections. Our experts can advise you on the best practices for tire care and recommend when it’s time for replacements, ensuring your safety and extending the life of your tires.

Schedule Your Tire Service with Auto Clinic of Franklin Today. Don’t let worn tires put you at risk or force you into premature purchases. Let Auto Clinic of Franklin help you maximize the life of your tires with our expert services. Proper tire maintenance is not just about extending the life of your tires—it’s about ensuring your safety and the safety of others on the road—Trust Auto Clinic of Franklin to keep your vehicle running smoothly and your tires wearing evenly.

By understanding the factors that contribute to tire wear and taking proactive steps to counteract them, you can significantly extend the life of your tires. With the support of Auto Clinic of Franklin, maintaining your tires has never been easier. Reach out to us today to keep your tires in peak condition and enjoy a safer, smoother driving experience.

If you have recently purchased a car and find yourself faced with a flat tire, you may be in for an even bigger surprise. Many of the manufacturers now no longer include a donut tire or spare tire in their new vehicles. With that said, it may be a good idea to keep a tire repair kit in your trunk.

We have all experienced a flat tire at one time or another. Certainly, a flat tire is not the end of the world. There are simple tire repair kits that you can use to fix a small tire puncture. With a tire repair kit, you can patch the puncture whether a tear or a hole, inflate the tire and then continue to drive on it until you can get yourself down to our trusted automotive facility here at Auto Clinic of Franklin. With that said, we want to share some quick and easy tire fix steps to take that will help keep you on the road.

Quick and Easy Fix

Here at Auto Clinic of Franklin, our team of highly skilled and certified automotive techs is on hand to help with all your automotive needs. We want to take this time to help our customers understand how to use a simple tire repair kit to hold them over.

If you get a flat tire and want to be able to make it to your automotive shop, then a simple small patch may be the perfect solution. Car repair kits come with a sealant and a small air compressor. The sealant is used to cover over a small tire puncture and the air compressor to inflate your damaged tire. Though this is an effective tire fix, it is only a temporary fix. Our team wants to share some quick steps you can take to patch your damaged tire temporarily. This quick and easy fix should be just enough for you to drive your vehicle down to our trusted facility to replace that damaged tire.

How to Patch the Tire

The steps to patch a tire are quick and simple:

• Determine which tire is losing the air and then remove any dirt or debris that has made its way into the puncture or hole. Typically, damage is caused by a nail or some other piece of metal on the road surface.
• Be sure to keep the tire mounted on the rim as you expand the hole and apply lubricant needed in order to insert the actual plug.
• Once expanded, insert the repair retread tool and the plug all the way into the hole or puncture.
• Remove the tool, leaving the plug firmly in place.
• If necessary, trim the plug to ensure that it is flush with the tire wall.

Replace Your Tire at Our Top-Rated Automotive Facility

Here at Auto Clinic of Franklin, we take tremendous pride in providing our clients with only the highest quality automotive parts and services this side of Franklin. We understand full well that your car is one of the biggest investments you will make in a lifetime, which is why we are committed to helping you keep your vehicle healthy and on the road. If you have experienced a flat tire and have used a tire repair kit, remember that these kits are not designed to provide a forever lasting solution. The kit can certainly provide you with a temporary solution and time enough to drive to our trusted facility.

We offer a wide range of high-quality tire services including affordable tires, trusted alignment services, balancing and other emergency repairs as well. Although you have managed to perform a quick tire fix, be sure to schedule your appointment as soon as possible to replace that damaged tire and enjoy safe traveling in your vehicle again. Don’t put yourself, your family or your passengers in harms way. Come on down to Auto Clinic of Franklin today, your go to place for all your automotive needs.

Certainly, summer is upon us and the scorching hot temperatures have made their presence known. With that said, the team here at Auto Clinic of Franklin wants our valued clients to understand that one very important aspect of your car care and maintenance is that of tire care. Since your tires are the point of contact between the road surface and your car, it is imperative that you give them proper attention so as to enjoy smooth and safe driving. Our highly experienced and skilled team of automotive specialists wants to share some important but simple tips on how you can achieve peak tire performance all summer long.

Pay Attention to Tire Pressure

All the driving you did all winter long and even in the early spring months can cause fluctuations in your tire pressure. As the summer temperatures and weather come into play, it is more important than ever to make appropriate adjustments to your tire pressure. If your tires are underinflated, you may find yourself faced with poor handling, excessive and quick tire wear as well as minimized fuel efficiency. If, on the other hand, your tires are overinflated you will experience a much harsher and difficult ride along with reduced tire traction. Reach out to one of our specialists to determine what the recommended tire pressure is for your vehicle and perhaps even invest in a reliable and trustworthy tire pressure gauge that allows you to check, monitor and adjust your own tire pressure as needed.

Inspect and Monitor Your Tires

Season after season your tires can experience all types of wear and even damage that is not visible to the naked eye. Our team of professionals highly recommends that you inspect your tires routinely looking for cuts, sidewall bulges, punctures or any other damage. Each of these occurrences can greatly compromise the safety and integrity of your tires. When inspecting be sure to also check the tread depth of each one of your tires. If you are unsure of how to perform this task or what the proper tread depth should be, be sure to come on down to our trusted facility and let one of our friendly techs help.

Be Sure to Rotate Your Tires

One simple but important task in order to achieve peak tire performance is that of routine tire rotation. Regular rotation of your tires is very important to provide for even wear of your tires while in use and also for extending the life expectancy of your tires as well. As we all know, during difficult winter weather driving tires can fall prey to uneven wear and tear as a result of the very strenuous road surface conditions. When you rotate your tires, you help to distribute and provide even wear for each tire which contributes to much better handling, traction and, yes, peak tire performance.

Visit Our Trusted Team for All Your Automotive Needs

Here at Auto Clinic of Franklin, our team of skilled professionals is steadfast in their commitment to meet the individual needs of all our valued clients. We take tremendous pride in our competitive yet affordable prices, our attractive turnaround times and our overall commitment to 100% customer satisfaction. If you live in the Franklin area and find yourself in need of premier automotive services including brakes, transmission, muffler, and heating and

cooling system services to name a few, look to the pros here at Auto Clinic of Franklin. For more information about our premier services or to learn more about achieving peak tire performance for your vehicle, give a shout out to one of our team today. We look forward to serving you and to ensuring the overall performance and safety of your vehicle season after season, year after year!

We would all agree that our vehicles play a very important part in our day to day lives. With that said, it is important to take steps necessary to ensure the overall health and safety of your car. From tune-ups and oil changes to brake installations and transmission repairs, there are a number of auto services that contribute to the health and safety of your vehicle. Here at Auto Clinic of Franklin our team of skilled auto techs would like to take some time to help our many valued clients understand the importance of proper tire pressure.

Keep These Pointers in Mind

Keeping tire pressure right and in line requires a few simple pointers. Let us share some of these pointers here with you now.

• · You should always set the pressure in your tires to that which is specified in your owner’s manual. Different vehicles have different vehicle safety requirements and that includes varied pressure settings.
• · Before you set out on a long trip or a long drive, be sure to always check the pressure in your tires to ensure it is adequate. You certainly don’t want to get a flat tire and find yourself stranded on the highway.
• · Be sure to use a high-quality pressure gauge when checking the pressure levels in your tires. Most vehicles are equipped with a monitoring system that will alert you if your tires are below the required pressure levels or if they are losing air. Our team recommends that you always keep a gauge in your vehicle regardless of whether or not it is equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). This ensures that you are always getting a consistent and proper reading. If you have a TPMS system in your vehicle and find that it is malfunctioning, come on down to our trusted facility and let our team of experienced techs fix your faulty monitoring system for you.
• · As most of us know, various temperatures can have an impact on tire pressure. The brisk cold winter weather will more times than not cause the pressure in your tires to drop. The warm summer temperatures will typically cause pressure in your tires to increase. With this in mind, get in the habit of checking the pressure in your tires each time there is a seasonal change. Be on the safe side and ensure proper pressure at the start of each new season.

Overinflation of Tires Explained

When your tires are overinflated, they are very stiff and rigid, reducing the amount of rubber from the tires that actually meet the roadway. Overinflated tires make for a much more difficult and harder ride and can contribute to uneven tire tread wear. The most common type of tread wear in overinflated tires is a center tire wear. This is when the center of your tire is extremely worn out and smooth, but the sides of the tire still have plenty of tread. When your tires are overinflated, they can be easily damaged by various road conditions, including, but not limited to, potholes and surface imperfections.

Understanding Underinflated Tires

When tires are underinflated, they are unable to hold their shape and become flatter and closer to the ground surface. In this case, there is much more of the tire itself that comes in contact with the road. When this occurs, the shoulders of the tires begin to wear out prematurely. This shoulder wear presents with a normal tread down the center of the tire with the shoulders being worn out and extremely smooth. Underinflated tires minimize fuel economy.

Bottom Line

Keeping your vehicle properly maintained, scheduling routine service and giving close attention to the health and integrity of your tires can all help to ensure that you are never without the use of your vehicle. Here at Auto Clinic of Franklin, our team of highly experienced automotive techs is committed to providing only the highest quality automotive parts and services to all our valued clients.

We understand full well how important it is to have your vehicle on the road every day. With that thought in mind, we want to remind you to always pay attention to your tire pressure and make certain that your tires have healthy treads and are not worn out. For more information on proper pressure levels for your tires, to talk with one of our techs, or to schedule a service appointment give a shout out to one of our staff today.

When you set out to purchase new tires for your vehicle there are a few important factors to take into consideration.  Be sure to check out the tire specifications, as well as the performance ratings, and product warranties offered.  Once you have invested in your new tires, you want to take necessary steps to protect your investment and get the absolute most wear and performance out of your tires.  The team here at Auto Clinic of Franklin want to share some simple tire maintenance tips to keep those tires in tip top shape.

SIMPLE MUST DO’S FOR YOUR NEW TIRES

• Adequate inflation – Be sure to check your tire inflation regularly. Proper inflation benefits the performance of your tires.  If tires are not properly inflated they can cause additional wear and strain on the individual tire thereby minimizing the lifespan and having an impact on the overall performance.
• Proper tire rotation – The distribution of weight in your vehicle can vary from time to time and would, therefore, require regular tire rotations to prevent uneven wear on the tires and to promote better performance and a better ride. Typically, as a rule of thumb, you should have your tires rotated at your routine oil change service.
• Tire balance – It is important to keep your tires balanced properly to ensure a smoother ride and minimize any additional wear on the tires. It is good practice to have your tires balanced when you have them rotated at your routine oil change service.
• Practice good driving habits – How and where you drive your vehicle is a very important component that contributes to the performance of your tires. Excessive braking of your vehicle, acceleration, and constant stop and go traffic affect the way your new tires will wear.  Be sure to avoid potholes and debris in the road and travel over curbs or speed bumps with caution since each can cause damage to not only the tire but the side walls as well.
• Proper care and maintenance – Be sure to keep your new tires clean and free of debris and keep dry, clean air in the tires at all times. Proper tire maintenance coupled with adequate maintenance of your tire rims, valves and hubcaps contribute to a long lifespan of your investment.
• Give attention to parking – When your vehicle is parked on hot asphalt during the scorching hot summer months heat damage can occur to your tires. When parked on dirt roads or gravel surfaces in extreme cold, tire damage and warping can occur.  If your vehicle is parked for weeks or months at a time, your tires can be damaged and can actually break down.
• Weight bearing – If you have to tow a trailer with your vehicle, be sure that the load being hauled is within the weight limits of your new tires and your vehicle. Adhering to the appropriate weight limits will prevent flat tires, damage or blow outs from occurring.

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE

To further ensure the health, safety and lifespan of your new tires, be sure to practice routine, tire maintenance, typically every 3000-5000 miles.  Be aware of any indicators of uneven wear on your tires, tread changes or other types of damage.  When you perform proper tire maintenance, they will generally last near to 5 years.

For more information about tire maintenance, contact the highly skilled and experienced automotive technicians here at Auto Clinic of Franklin today.  We look forward to serving you with only the highest quality automotive products, repairs and services this side of Franklin.  From our team here at Auto Clinic of Franklin to all our valued clients, we send along wishes for a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year!!