Heading on a road trip? Avoid car troubles with these quick maintenance checks!
While car covers are important for keeping your pride and joy cosmetically pristine, you should check your car regularly to keep it on the road too. Or maybe it makes more sense looking into buying junk cars.
There’s a lot riding on your car’s or truck’s tires! That’s why it’s important to make sure that you use the right care and maintenance. If you take that approach then you’ll be on the right track to maximize the lifespan of your tires. There are many issues to keep in mind in order to ensure the form and function of the tires are top-notch. Here are some of the most important issues to consider:
-
Tire Pressure
It’s critical to check your tires’ pressure at least once every month. This will help you to retain control of your vehicle when you drive it and help to prevent faster wear and tear on the tires. That’s a situation you’ll want to avoid since it could later result in you needing to spend money on new tires sooner than you normally would.
Why does tire pressure drop? There are various reasons including a dip in ambient temperatures around the tires, the natural escape of air molecules, and tiny perforations. It’s critical to check the tire pressure of your four wheels and the spare at least once per month. It’s also important before a long trip as it can be tougher to deal with tire problems when you’re on a country road, for example.
There are several benefits of checking your tires’ pressure at least once monthly. If the pressure is correct then your tires will work more effectively and you can save money on fuel costs. Another issue is if you over/under inflate your tires you can shorten the life of the wheels, boost the chance of damage and affect the performance. Those are all situations you’ll certainly want to avoid.
-
Wear/Depth
Your tire’s tread depth is a basic yet important issue to check on your tires. It’s quite easy to do but it should be done regularly to make sure the tread isn’t worn down a lot or the processing isn’t happening ultra-fast. If you take this basic step it will help to make sure that tire has the maximum amount of grip and traction. This is critical! The main reason is it will help to ensure that there aren’t any unexpected situations when you’re driving your car or truck.
If your tire’s tread depth is down to 1.6 millimeters then it’s time to change the tires. Sometimes the tires have a device on them that will indicate when the tread is down to that level. There are several reasons why it’s important to watch the tread depth.
Here are some key reasons. First, having the correct air pressure and regular car maintenance can help to make sure the tires function effectively for the long term. Next, the tread grooves remove water from under your tire, which helps to maintain control. Another benefit is if you have more tread depth the tires will be able to disperse more water and make your trips safer.
-
Wheel Alignment
It’s tough to know when you’re driving if the wheels/axles are aligned properly. However, if the car’s suspension isn’t correct the vehicle’s handling and safety can be negatively affected. If you notice uneven tire wear or you’ve contacted an object like a pothole or curb then it’s important to have a professional mechanic inspect your vehicle.
There are several benefits of wheel alignment. It can protect your tires from fast/irregular wear, provide better road handling, and conserve fuel.
-
 Balancing
The main benefits of balancing your tires are that it will help to eliminate vibration and help to avoid early wear and tear on your tires. Other benefits include protecting the vehicle’s bearings, steering system, and suspension.
There are certain times when you should balance your tires. They include when you buy new tires, a balance weight gets moved/removed, or a tire is replaced. What should you look for? Watch out when one area becomes lighter or heavier than the rest of the tire. This can cause several effects including:
-
- Vibration
-
- Front-end parts wearing down faster
-
- Uneven/rapid tread wear
- More stress on front end parts
These are some of the most important issues to handle in terms of your vehicle’s tire care and maintenance. If you deal with them effectively it can help to avoid lots of problems.
