Category: Tires

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!!

The force and friction experienced by your tires cause each tire on your vehicle to wear differently than the next.  Depending upon the type of vehicle you drive, whether its front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, 4wd, or even all-wheel drive, cornering and rolling forces will vary.   Because of the varied levels of wear on your tires and to solve the problem of uneven wear, a tire rotation is necessary.

A tire rotation requires the wheels and tires of your vehicle to be removed from your car and then replaced in different positions on the vehicle.  Here at Auto Clinic of Franklin when rotating your tires, we take time to rebalance both wheels and tires since they have had to be removed from your vehicle anyways.  When we perform a tire rotation coupled with a rebalancing we then even out the patterns of wear on each individual tire, which ultimately gives them longer functionality and a greater lifespan.

Tire Rotation Schedule

As a rule of thumb, you should have your tires rotated at every 5000-6000 miles. Since tires can be quite costly, failure to rotate the tires routinely can cause them to wear out and even ruin them well before their actual useful, functional life would typically expire.  If you fail to rotate your tires, you will see tread damage appear in a consistent wear pattern for a constant wheel position.  The wear may appear on both the inside and outside edge of the tire, on the sidewalls, or even in the form of a lumpy tread. Once the deep wear pattern occurs, you cannot repair it or perform a tire rotation at that time expecting to resolve the problem.

When tires are not rotated, they can become uneven and worn out which is quite dangerous.  Worn out tires can cause your vehicle to pull to one side or even wander and can significantly reduce the cornering ability of your vehicle especially when attempting to go around a curve.  The only solution to this problem caused by failure to perform routine tire rotations is the replacement of the tires and that can surely be quite expensive in contrast to a scheduled rotation of your tires and a balancing which can somewhat inexpensive.

Trust Our Professionals

Here at Auto Clinic of Franklin we are all about the happiness, satisfaction and safety of our clients.  With that said, our highly skilled and trained automotive techs take tremendous pride in all of our top of the line, affordable automotive repairs and services, and that includes tire rotations and balancing of tires for all types of vehicles.  We know full well the importance of shifting positions of your tires and the impact not doing so can have on your tires’ performance and the safety of your vehicle and its passengers.

We provide the highest quality automotive products, services and repairs this side of Franklin and are steadfast in our commitment to ensure the overall satisfaction and safety of our valued clients.  Whether a routine oil change, tire rotation and balancing, a cooling system checkup, replacement of hoses or brake service and installations, our team of professionals are on hand and equipped to handle it all.

There is no repair or service need too big or too small for the highly skilled technicians here at Auto Clinic of Franklin.  Our automotive shop provides not only state of the art products and effective solutions to your automotive repair issues, but we provide them at prices that are competitive and affordable and in timelines that meet with the individual needs of all our valued clients.

For all your automotive repairs and services look to the professionals here at Auto Clinic of Franklin.  You’ll be more than glad you did!

Now that you have invested in a new set of state of the art tires that offer you the highest performance ratings and warranties, it’s time to take steps to protect your investment.  If you want to enjoy your tires, keep them in high performance shape and get the most out of them, the folks here at Auto Clinic of Franklin have some useful tips on how to properly maintain tires.

Important Tips to Maintain Tires

• Ensure proper inflation – You should routinely check the inflation of your tires before you begin driving. Investing in a small pressure gauge can help you to accomplish this.  If your tires are not properly inflated additional strain and wear on your tires will occur which ultimately affects their performance and their lifespan.
• Proper alignment – Proper alignment of tires contributes to the health and performance of your vehicles driveline components. When tires are properly aligned, they will wear evenly and performance will be heightened.  In addition, alignments help to maximize the design of your tire treads.
• Proper rotation of tires – Since the weight distribution on any vehicle can vary, it is important to have your tires rotated when you have your typical oil change performed. This will prevent any uneven wear on the tires and will provide a much smoother ride.
• Ensure tires are properly balanced – When tires are properly balanced you get a much smoother ride and wear on the tires is minimized. This task can be performed routinely whenever you have your tires rotated.
• Proper maintenance and care – Be sure to keep your tires clean and free of all types of debris and keep proper air levels in the tires at all times. Be sure to also maintain and care for the hubcaps, rims and tire valves on your tires as well.  You should be sure to keep the valve caps on at all times and be sure that they are not broken or cracked since this can lead to leaks in the tires.
• Pay attention to parking – During the summer months avoid parking your vehicle on the hot asphalt for extended periods of time since this can actually cause heat damage to the tires. In addition, in the colder months parking your vehicle on dirt roads and gravel can cause damage to the tires and even warping.
• Adding weight to the vehicle – When you add weight to your vehicle this causes extra strain on your tires. With that said be sure anything that you are hauling behind your vehicle, whether a trailer or anything else, falls within the weight limits of your newly purchased tires so as to prevent any flats, blow outs or any other type of damage to your tires.

Be sure you keep up with your vehicle’s oil changes and routine maintenance since this will help to maintain tires, add to their performance and extend their life expectancy as well.  It is typically a good idea to have scheduled maintenance checkups to your vehicle every 3000 to 5000 miles driven.  When driving, always be on the lookout for any damage to your tires, tread changes or other signs of uneven wear that can occur.  If you maintain your new investment properly, your tires can last as much as 5+ years.

To learn more about how to maintain tires and their proper care, or to schedule your routine maintenance or any other type of automotive repairs, reach out to the professionals here at Auto Clinic of Franklin today.  We look forward to serving you and to providing you with the highest quality automotive products, services and repairs this side of Franklin.