A car is just like a child. If you want to own a car, you should take care it the same way as you take care of a baby. It needs this regular care that we call maintenance, and it requires a gentle treatment. The better you take care of your care, the better and more it can serve you, so do your tires. The latter are considered essential when it comes to a comfortable and safe driving experience. They need to be changed every 3, 4, or 5 years, depending on your driving conditions. However, tires are really expensive, so in order to prolong their lifetime to avoid their high cost, here are some tips that can help you:
Drive safe, avoid drifting and speeding: if you’re a speed lover who loves aggressive driving, you’re in the wrong place. You should know that reckless driving, drifting, aggressive turns, and off-roading lessen your tires lifetime. Thus, aggressive driving and tire lifetime extension can’t really meet in a certain point, so you have to put in mind that you have to change your driving habit if you like speeding and drifting but you want to expand your tires lifetime. However, if you're a calm driver, you win in this game.
Check the tire pressure: your tire pressure monitoring system isn’t just for show on your gauge cluster. It monitors your tire pressure so that you check it regularly, so if there’s something wrong with the pressure, you should adjust it. Note that the weather affects it as well: the cold weather lessens the tire pressure, while the hot weather increases it.
Rotate the tires: You shall rotate your tires every 10 000 to 12 000 Km of range, so that you distribute the tire wear rate equally. This would contribute in increasing your tires lifetime. Your front tires are subjected to more wear and tear, especially when cornering, or braking, and when you have a front-wheel-drive system. In case you have a RWD system, the rear tires are subjected to more wear and tear. In car you an AWD or 4WD system, rotate your tires on shape of X because they are all subjected to the same amount of wear and tear; however, the front tires might have a slightly more wear rate because of braking and cornering.
Balance and align your tires: make sure to balance your tires after rotating or changing them so that the weight is distributed equally. Also, aligning the tires ensures that the tires are in contact with the road straightly at the right angle. Thus, the weight of the car is distributed evenly on all tires together. As the tires play an important role in car stability and comfortable driving, correct weight distribution is a must. Proper weight distribution distributes damage to also distribute the wear evenly, thus to extend the tires lifetime.
Each car has its specifications for the tires that suit it best. These tires are often recommended by the manufacturer. You must always make sure to use the appropriate tires for your vehicles weight and driving experience and behavior. Make sure the tire size is neither too big nor too small, and check the correct tire tread for your vehicle. Making sure to buy tires from a well-known brand is a plus. Sometimes buying what is cheaper is not a good choice. Buying the right choice at a higher price will make your tires serve you longer and better.
In case you felt that your tires need to be changed, there are several signs for that, including excessive vibration, high road noise, continuous low tire pressure, worn tire tread, and so on. Note that ignoring your tires and not changing them in the right time may cause their explosion while you’re driving, and this may endanger your life.
Hani started his career in Automotive Journalism when he was 10 years old as a talented photographer for automotive, hanging around cars all the time has created a passion for the automotive industry since day 1.
He is now a full time auto journalist and content creator for Motor 283.