Don’t forget about your tires when it comes to automotive maintenance. It’s important to keep an eye on all four tires regularly to make sure that you have plenty of tread left and that they aren’t low in air pressure. CAR FIX can help you maintain your tires so you get guaranteed mileage out of them. The better you take care of your tires the better they will take care of you. Let’s talk more about this below.
Air Check
You should check the air in each tire every two weeks to make sure that they measure at the right PSI. If any of the tires are low, inflate them to the recommended PSI and nothing more. Don’t drive on underinflated tires, as you will cause tire tread wear on the edges. Never overinflate the tires because you can damage them on the inside and cause uneven tire tread wear in the center.
Inspection
While you are checking the air in each tire, make sure to inspect the tire tread to see if it is wearing down unevenly. If it is, there is something going on with your tires themselves or the wheel balance or alignment. We will talk about maintenance next that can help prevent your tires from wearing down unevenly. It’s also important to check the sides of the tires for bubbling or cracks.
Tire Rotation
The first preventative maintenance is a tire rotation. The general range for getting your tires rotated is every 5,000 miles to 10,000 miles. Check your owner’s manual as well as the tire manufacturer’s recommendations to see when is best to get your tires rotated. Some people do it every other oil change so it is done every 6,000 miles.
Wheel Balance
You should also have your wheels balanced when you get the tires rotated. This ensures that the wheel and tire weight is even across your vehicle’s axles. You want this weight even so that the tires make even contact with the road. If it’s been a long time since you’ve had your wheels balanced and your vehicle vibrates as you pick up speed, your wheels are out of balance.
Wheel Alignment
Wheel alignment does not need to be done quite is often. In fact, most drivers can go two years between wheel alignments. It’s important to have your wheels aligned if they are not aligned, and a sign that your wheels are aligned is your vehicle drifting to the side. It’s also important to have the wheels aligned when you put a new set of tires on your automobile.
CAR FIX is found in Oak Ridge, Crossville, and Cookeville, TN, and we are your one-stop shop for all of your automotive service and repair needs.
