While you may know how to change your tire, and that you should never drive on a spare tire for too long, do you know how to tell if you need new tires? Arguably one of the most important elements of your car, especially in terms of safety, your vehicle’s tires should never be ignored. Today, our team gathered 5 of the most important tips to remember when it comes to taking care of your tires all year long.

5 Tips to Keep Your Tires Safe All Year Long

1. Know the Warning Signs

One of the most common warning signs that something may be wrong with your tires includes rough vibrations while driving. Most apparent on rough roads, cars vibrate while being driven. If your car is producing serious vibrations, it’s important to have your car inspected as soon as possible. From damaged suspension to tire damage, a professional will inspect your vehicle’s body and tries to understand the cause of your driving issue. If your car begins to have tire issues, you’ll more often than not feel it while you are driving. When paying attention, these signs are easy to spot.

2. Visually Inspect Tires Regularly

Knowing how to properly check your car’s tire pressure is a useful piece of knowledge. It’s important to check your car’s tire pressure when the tires are cool, as the heat can increase the pressure in your tires by quite a bit.

If you’re unsure how to check your tire pressure, or you’re unsure of the exact PSI your make and model requires, give one of our local shops a visit! Tires lose pressure naturally, so it’s important to check your tire’s pressure at a minimum once a month, especially before a longer trip. If you have a car that has been made in or after 2008, your dashboard should have a low tire pressure warning. If this light lights up, visit a professional auto mechanic, or fill your tire via a gas station air pump.

Aside from tire pressure, it’s important to visually inspect your tires. You want to make sure you get into a habit of glancing at your tires before you operate your vehicle. Drivers often find bulges, scratches, scrapes, punctures, or cracks in their tires. If you find any one of these warning signs or if you suspect the loss of air pressure in your tries, have them inspected for any damage by a trained auto mechanic, so the issues can be addressed quickly!

3. Never Skip Routine Tire Maintenance

The key to keeping your tires safe all year long is routine maintenance. Not only does our team check your tire pressure, but we’ll make sure to inspect your tires to ensure they are free of physical damage. Our team will make sure you have the proper maintenance services completed to keep your tires in great condition.

Tire rotations are one of the most important services you can have completed for your ride. Not only do tire rotations help save you money on potential maintenance costs, but the rotation of your tires also helps ensure your car drives smoother and stays safer on the road. Even though all of your car’s tires are always making direct contact with the road, they all wear at different rates. In fact, your front tires wear far faster than your back ones. When you have your tires rotated, you are making sure your tire’s surfaces stay relatively even, which helps maintain your car’s handling and traction. You should always have your tires rotated every 5,000 miles or so. It’s easiest to remember this rule is by having a tire rotation completed after every other oil change.

Discover more tips via our #CarTalk video about servicing your car’s tires on our blog here.

4. Don’t Carry Too Much

Labeled on your car’s door frame, your car has a max capacity when it comes to carrying large loads. The max weight limit informs you of how much your car can carry safely; thus, it should never be ignored. Overloading a vehicle, especially when the tires are old or flat, can cause tire failure. While the tires may not pop, your driving, car body, gas mileage, and safety can be greatly impacted.

5. Get New Tires Sooner Rather Than Later

While tires can prove to be expensive, you should not drive your tires into the ground before you get new ones. While tires aren’t the most fun thing to purchase, having a new set of tires ensures you and your family are safe behind the wheel.

One of the easiest ways to tell if you need new tires is by the amount of tread on them. One of the easiest, and most famous, ways of checking your tire tread is via a penny. When you place a penny upside down into the tread of your tires, you shouldn’t be able to see the top of Lincoln’s head on tires with appropriate tread. If you can, it’s likely time to replace your tires.

At the end of the day, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends having your tires replace every six years minimum, regardless of the number of miles driven. This is one of the many reasons why it’s important to know the age of your tires, as they should never be driven on if they are 10 years or older.

Your Local Tire Specialists

Your tires are key to keeping you safe on the road. Whether you’ve noticed any of the warning signs discussed or you're long overdue for a tire rotation, be sure to turn to Christian Brothers Automotive. Our professional auto mechanics offer a variety of tire maintenance services to keep your car and family safe on the road.

From tire rotation to wheel alignment, our team offers all the services you need to keep your car safe on the road. Not only does our team ensure your tires are in a drivable condition before you leave for the safety of yourself and others on the road, but our team also ensures your tires are calibrated to be as efficient as possible for your vehicle.

Schedule your tire services with our professionals today by locating your nearest Christian Brothers Automotive here.