by Biloxi Von Lutz

Created on: May 10, 2010

Tire maintenance is an often overlooked portion of overall vehicle care, but its importance cannot be stressed enough. After all, tires are the only part of your vehicle touching the ground. There's a lot more to tire maintenance than just occasionally wandering around your car and making sure they aren't flat and that there's still some tread left. Poorly maintained tires can affect your wallet, ride quality, and most importantly, your safety.

The first step to maintaining the tires on your vehicle is having the proper tires to begin with. On the inside of the the driver's side door on every car, there is a placard that states what size, speed rating, and load index the tires on a vehicle should be. Even if you decide to change sizes on your car, it's important to stay within the speed rating listed on the placard so the handling characteristics will remain the same.

Once you've selected the proper tires for your car, you should make sure they are properly inflated. The recommended front and rear inflation pressure is also listed on the placard inside the driver's side door. You should check the tire pressure at least once a month because tires will leak down over time, especially when the seasons are changing and daily temperatures fluctuate wildly. Tire pressure should always be checked before driving, since driving will cause the tire pressure to increase due to heat build up. 

Anytime you have the tires on your vehicle replaced, you should have the front end alignment checked. This will ensure that your front wheels are perfectly parallel so your tires do not wear prematurely. Throughout the life of the tires, keep an eye on the wear patterns of the front tires. If one shoulder of a tire is wearing fast than the other, you should have the alignment checked to rectify the problem.

Tires should also be rotated front to back every 5000-6000 miles. This will help prevent the tires from wearing excessively. Regular rotations can also help you spot irregular wear issues before they cause too much damage to the tire. Check your owner's manual for the exact rotation pattern for your car, but take note that vehicles equipped with larger rear tires than the front cannot be rotated.

Although tire balance is more of a ride comfort issue that a safety issue, you should still have the balance of your tires checked occasionally to ensure that you get the best ride possible out of your tires. Inspecting a tire while on the balancer is also a good time to see if a wheel is bent or if a tire has a broken belt that might not be visible when the tire is sitting still. 

Tires are expensive, and a little simple maintenance every month or so can help ensure that you get the maximum life and value out of your tires. The cost of maintenance is far less than the replacement cost of a new tire and can be priceless if it helps prevent an accident.

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