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Parts Info Center > Extending the life of your tires
Extending the life of your tires
 Extending
the life of your tires is very important for many reasons. For one
thing, tires are expensive, and you certainly do want to have to
spend money to replace them if you do not have to. For another thing,
by extending the life of your tires, you are lessening the problem
of tire piles which are an eyesore; a place for diseases to fester;
and a possible source of a slow-burning, fast-polluting tire fire.
Here are some tips on extending the life of your tires:
· Keep your tires properly inflated. Proper inflation is
the first, and perhaps most important way to extend the life of
your tires. You can easily purchase a tire gauge for a small price
at your nearest auto supply store. Then you can check your tire
pressure yourself, right in your driveway. Be sure that you check
the pressure of your tires when they are cool, not right after you
have been on a long drive. The recommended maximum pressure can
be found directly on your tires, and you can also check your car
manual to see what it suggests. Check your tires every 2 weeks,
or at least every month.
· Rotate your tires. Generally, your tires ought to be rotated
every 6,000 to 8,000 miles, but you should check your car manual
or warranty to see what is suggested for your particular vehicle.
You can ask to have your tires rotated during your tune-up. Generally,
if you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle, your front tires are going
to get more wear than your rear tires, so moving your back tires
up front is a great start toward extending the life of your tires.
· Maintain tire alignment.
· Read your tread. You can tell a lot about your tire based
off of its tread. For one thing, if the tread is deeper along the
edges than it is in the middle, then your tire is over-inflated.
A sign of under-inflated tires is if the tread is deeper in the
middle. Deeper tread on one side than the other is a clue to poor
alignment.
· Replace your tires with care. Just because one of your
tires is worn out, it does not mean that you need to replace all
four of your tires! How do you tell if your tires are worn? If the
tread is less than 1/16th of an inch, you need to replace your tires.
You can check this measurement with a penny.
· Other tips on extending the life of your tires: Avoid excessive
braking and accelerating. Avoid overloading your vehicle. Use retreads
– they are just as safe as new tires are.
Extending the life of your tires can benefit you in many other,
less direct, ways, as well. For instance, by keeping your tires
properly inflated, your gas mileage will improve. So, by extending
the life of your tires, you will not only save money by not having
to buy tires as often, but you will also save money on gasoline.
Extending the life of your tires does not have to be difficult!
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