Helping your tires to last as long as possible means battling their biggest enemy: uneven tread wear. Here’s what Allman’s Automotive wants you to know about your tires and why they might be wearing unevenly.
Tire Pressure Is Off
Tire pressure is one variable that you can have so much more control over than you might realize. Just by checking the pressure in all of your car’s tires a couple of times a month, you can help to improve your car’s gas mileage and extend the life of your tires because you’re reducing uneven tread wear. Double check the sticker in the driver’s side door or the section in your car’s owner’s manual that lets you know what your tire pressure should be.
Your Tires Need to Be Rotated
The four corners of your car place different demands on the wheels and the tires in those different corners. That’s just one of the reasons that car manufacturers and tire manufacturers recommend that you have your tires rotated on a regular basis. You’re going to want to consult your car’s owner’s manual for details on the pattern of rotation and frequency of rotation recommended by the manufacturer so you’re able to stick to the right routine.
Your Wheels Need Balancing
Unbalanced wheels are a bigger issue than they might appear to be at first. When a wheel is out of balance, the tire isn’t turning at the same speed consistently. That means that the tire hits the road unevenly, which then causes the engine to work harder to propel the car. It also means that the tire isn’t matching up with the road evenly, which contributes to uneven wear patterns.
Your Wheels Need Aligning
Alignment issues create similar problems as balancing issues can create. Whereas the balance issues tend to create problems for the tire in a front to back direction, alignment issues can create more problems in a side-to-side direction on the tires. When the wheels are out of alignment, the tread isn’t squaring up properly and certain parts of the tire are hitting the pavement first. That means they’ll wear out first, creating uneven wear.
Don’t let uneven tread wear cause you to replace your tires before you should really need to. Give us a call today at Allman’s Automotive in Groveland, MA and we’ll help you to find out why your tires are wearing unevenly. We’ll also help you to put together a plan of preventative maintenance that protects your tires in the future.