The Importance of Tire Inspections

Tires, like many other parts of your car, will wear out as a result of normal use.  Unlike windshield wipers or oil filters, it can be very dangerous if a tire fails while driving.  A tire in poor condition will and can make it more difficult to control your vehicle.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says over 78,000 crashes occur annually due to tire malfunctions.  Fortunately, for your safety, tires will rarely wear out without warning.  Tires are also very good at telling you why their life may be running out too quickly.  

When do I check my tires?

At least once a month or before long trips, tires should be inspected for needed repair or replacement.  There are two main parts of a tire, the tread and the sidewall.  The tread has steel belts that help protect from puncture and give structure.  The sidewall does not.  It is very important to carefully examine the sidewall for cuts, bubbling, or cracking.  If you find these signs, take the tire to one of our professionals for further inspection.  Next you should carefully check the treads.  The first thing to look at is the depth of the treads.  This will tell you how much life is left before new tires are needed.  One easy way of judging proper tire tread depth is to grab your spare change.  Find a penny and hold Abe’s body between your thumb and forefinger.  Place the penny in the grooves between the tread ribs of the tire.  If the top of Abe’s head is still covered, your tires are still good.  If you can see the top of Abe’s head or the tread is barely touching it, it’s time to replace your tires.  It is important to check tire tread depth on multiple locations of the tire.  If your tire’s tread is wearing unevenly take a note of where this is occurring.  One of our mechanics or tire professionals should be able to determine the source and help correct the uneven tire tread wear while the tire still has some useful life.  

What causes tire wear?

Four common causes of premature tire wear are improper inflation, misalignment, lack of rotation and front-end wear.  If tires are under-inflated, there will be more wear on the outside of the tread.  This may also result in excessive heat, which accelerates wear and may cause a blowout.  Conversely, over-inflated tires will wear more on the center of the tread.  Often, appropriate tire pressure will be listed on the sidewalls of the tire or on the driver’s side door frame.  If tires are wearing heavily on one side and have normal inflation, your wheels may be out of alignment.  Another aspect of the tire inspection is comparing tread depth between the front and rear tires.  Front tires will wear faster due to increased friction while turning.  A simple solution for this is regular tire rotation.  Swapping the front and rear tires every 6,000 to 8,000 miles will keep the life of your tires even.  The final test in this inspection is looking for even tread depth through the circumference of the tire.  Poorly balanced wheels and failing front-end components may cause the tire to wear more on one side than the other.  If you notice this type of uneven tire wear contact our professional repair facility for a thorough diagnosis.  

Other effects of worn tires.

A proper tire inspection will not only keep you safe but will help your tires last longer.  Correcting wearing issues on your tires can improve your fuel mileage.  Many of the factors that increase wear on a tire are due to higher friction with the road surface.  This higher friction will make a car work harder and burn more gas to travel the same speed.