Tires are one of many absolutely essential parts of a working vehicle, and we at Chicago Towing understand that they can be costly. So we want to help our customers increase their tire’s longevity, so that they can save money by not having to replace them often. Here’s our professional tips for ensuring the continued healthy maintenance of your tires.
Air Pressure Maintenance
If you check your tire pressure regularly, you can make sure they keep working properly and prevent incurring any serious or even light damage. When your tire air pressure drops, your car’s engine has to work harder to keep your wheels moving, which will eventually cause interior damage and eventually wear your tires down even faster at an exponential level since the friction increases.
Even if you don’t own an air gauge, you can simply take your car to any local auto shop to check it. It’s the best to check air pressure once your tires are cool, as it can be somewhat risky to quickly take the inflation outside of a hot tire. Tires are prone to air loss, averaging around a pound of lost air per inch about once a month. It’s important to check air pressure every few months, and always before embarking on any long car trips on the road.
Suspension Alignment
If your tires are perfectly and symmetrically aligned together, they get much less road friction, allowing your engine to run easier for every rotation of the tires. Tires often get knocked out of alignment when they hit any sort of road obstacle, or fall into a pothole. By aligning the suspension of your car, you will improve the way it drives – the toe, caster, and camber of a tire will be readjusted, rendering them properly aligned again.
Cleanliness
Even when most people pay extra attention to keeping their cars clean, they often don’t clean the tires. By cleaning off tires with soapy water or official tire cleaner, you can make the tire’s tread last longer, and reduce any chances of getting a flat tire (as you’ll notice any rips in the process) – as well as keeping your car looking pristine. It’s smart to ask your local auto shop their opinion on which cleaner to use on your car tires, as some are much stronger than others are and can actually cause damage to the rubber of the tires.
Tire Rotation
Tires normally wear down even with normal driving habits. Based on the make of the car combined with the driving technique used, they might wear down on one side more than another. We recommend ensuring the uniform wear of tires on each side by having your tires rotated. This can be done at home, or even better, by professionals who will remove, turn around, and reconnect the tire. Certain automobile manufacturers have an official recommendation for the amount of necessary rotations per year, but we generally belief in the efficacy of having a rotation for every 6000 or 8000 miles.