Everything on your car or truck which moves wears out eventually. That’s why you regularly replace your oil, check your brakes, and so on. The same is true of your vehicle’s tires.

Here are some things to check for basic tire maintenance.

Look for Signs of Unusual Tire Wear

If your tires were under-inflated for a long enough time, you may see excessive wear on the sides of the tread. The tread might look fine in the middle, but be worn too low on the sides.

On the other hand, if your tires are over-inflated for a while, they are likely to show lots of wear in the middle of the tread, even though the sides seem to be fine.

Not sure how much tread is enough and when you need to be concerned? Use the penny test.

If the tire tread shows much more wear on one side than the other, your wheels may be out of alignment. If there’s not too much wear, getting a wheel alignment may get you moving again. In any case, if you see this type of wear on your tires, you need to have your wheels aligned before you replace the tires or you’ll see the same problem crop up again – shortening the life of those new tires you just bought.

If the tread wear is ‘spotty,’ concentrated in some areas, but not evenly, there are a couple of possible causes. Your wheel may be out of balance. Another common cause for this is worn-out shock absorbers or other suspension parts.

Examine the side walls, inside and out, and look for any bulges or raised sections. That might indicate that one of the belts has separated from the others, and the tire is unsafe for driving.

Pay Attention When You’re Driving

Does your vehicle pull to one side or the other when you are trying to drive straight ahead down a road? Sometimes this is a result of bad wheel alignment or a brake problem. It can also be caused by one tire which is drastically under-inflated or damaged. If that is the case, your car or truck may pull towards the side with the problem tire.

Do you hear a thumping sound or feel a vibration when driving which didn’t use to be there? That can be a sign of an out of balance or damaged tire.

How is Your Tire Pressure?

Many things can affect the pressure inside your tires. Changes in the temperature may increase or decrease the tire pressure. If you hit a bump driving down the road, a little of the pressurized air inside your tire may escape, lowering the tire pressure.

Don’t forget to check your spare tire, too. Over time, with changes in the weather, it may have dropped its pressure without you even knowing it. When you need to use your spare is not a good time to find out it doesn’t have enough air!

That’s why you want to check the pressure in your tires regularly. Use a simple tire pressure gauge and make sure you don’t have too much or too little air in your tires. That helps them last longer and perform better.

Need new tires? We sell them, and we can make sure you get the right tires for optimal performance on your vehicle at the right price. At Elder Cedar Creek Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, we’re here to help you with everything you need to maintain your car or truck, including the tires. Give us a call at (903) 713-8676 or come on by at 309 N. Gun Barrel Lane, Gun Barrel City, TX 75156 .