Tips on How to Maintain Tires and Keep Them Performing Year Round

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.