Your car’s tires keep you rolling, and that means you need to be aware of how well they’re wearing throughout their time on your car. MotivWerks has these tips for you that can help you to keep an eye on your tires.
Look at the Tread
Something that’s really easy to do is to periodically look at the tread on your car’s tires. Doing this every couple of weeks at least allows you to keep track of how the tread is wearing, whether your tires seem to be sustaining more damage than they should, and whether they’re wearing unevenly at all. There are a few ways to measure the actual depth of your tire treads, but if you’re checking them often enough you might not need more than your own observations to realize that your tires need replacing.
Don’t Forget the Rest of the Tire
Lots of car owners overlook the rest of the tire, though, so don’t let that happen to you. The tread is literally “where the rubber meets the road,” but the whole tire is important. Make sure that you’re also looking at things like the color of the tires and how well the sidewalls are holding up. In terms of color, when you first get your tires, they’re probably dark and shiny. As they age, they start to look grayer. Along the side of the tire, look for anything that could indicate a weaker spot, like a blister or a spot that’s bulging. Scrapes from bumping a curb look superficial, but sometimes they can weaken the side of the tire, so pay attention to those, too.
Handling Is Another Big Clue
Your car is constantly communicating with you. In terms of your car’s tires, how the car drives and handles gives you a lot of information about tire wear and whether you need to think about getting new tires. The first thing you want to pay attention to is how the car feels. If you’re feeling wobbles or vibrations as you’re driving, that can be an indication that there’s some serious tire wear happening. But listen carefully, too. Thumping or whomping sounds can be a sign of uneven wear and of an imbalance in the wheel.
Not sure what’s happening with your tires? Let an expert take a look for you. Give us a call at MotivWerks in Chambersburg, PA and we can assess your tires and let you know how much longer they’ve got.