Check the car tires regularly and before you head out on a car vacation

all-season tires

The tires on your car should always be checked before a long trip, but also on a regular basis. Checking t10he tires ensures that they are free from damages that can cause problems as you are driving. Your tires are extremely important for ensuring that you are safe as you drive. They provide the grip and traction and without them you would not have much performance left from your vehicle. This is why tire selection is very important and ensuring that you find the best tires for your vehicle.

All tires are not the same, despite that they look quite similar. You have special tires depending on the season. You have all-season tires for the summer and any other warm conditions. You have winter tires that are made for coping with cold conditions including snow and ice. Then you have a hybrid tire that can handle any type of weather conditions, that is the all-weather tires. By looking at the tires you might not be able to tell the difference between them. In addition, you have also off-road tires and tires for larger vehicles including SUV tires, truck tires and industrial tires. If you don’t know what tires will fit your vehicle you might want to use a tire selector that can be found online, where based on your vehicle type, model and engine size, you can see what tires are recommended. Make sure to select tires that have proven test results in the conditions that you aim to travel in, have low rolling resistance as that impacts tyre wear, fuel consumption and emission of carbon dioxide. Cheaper tires tend to have higher rolling resistance.

In addition to purchasing the right tires and size for your vehicle, you will need to make sure that you maintain them properly. Maintenance basically includes to ensure that you are using the correct tire for the season, checking that the condition is ok and that they have a remaining tread depth of more than 5/32 inches. You will need to check the difference in wear between the rear and front tires and evaluate if there is a need for rotation of the tires. Rotation should be done when the difference is more than 5/64 inches. A visual inspection should be done very often to make sure that the tires look good and are free from any damages. There shouldn’t be any cuts or cracks on the sidewall, check that the wear of the tread is even across the surface, as deviations here might be caused by faulty shock absorbers or wheel alignment.

The final step to ensure that the tires are well maintained is to ensure that the tire pressure is in accordance with the recommendations in the owner’s manual. Low tire pressure increases the rolling resistance and as seen above that can be costly neglect of the tire’s maintenance. Try to check the tire pressure when you stop for fuel at your gas station and if you plan to go on a car vacation, measure it before you leave with the car full of luggage and all the people that you going with you.

For more information regarding the importance of proper maintenance of your tires, visit: nokiantires.com