Tire Safety

Tire maintenance is one of the most important safety items for you and your vehicle. Your tires are the only contact between your vehicle and the road.

Typical maintenance schedule for tires:

·         Check tire inflation once a month and before long trips. Remember to check the spare tire

·         Rotate tires every 5,000 miles

·         Visually inspect monthly, check for uneven tire wear, check for any object that may have punctured a tire and check for any bulges in the tires

·         Check tread depth every 10,000 miles

·         Alignment, if your vehicle pulls to one side or if the steering wheel is off center. You will need to take you vehicle to the repair shop and have them inspect it

When you check the tire inflation, do this when the tires are cold. The term cold does not apply to the outside temperature. A cold tire is one that has not been driven on for at least three hours. When driving, your tires heat up which increases the pressure inside the tire and this will give you an inaccurate reading.

Most manufactures place decals either on the driver’s door or the driver’s door opening showing proper tire size, inflation recommendations and weight limits of your vehicle. To check the tread depth, you can use the penny method. To use the penny method, take a penny and place Lincoln’s head upside down with Lincoln facing you. Now, stick the penny in the tires tread. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, you probably need new tires.

Maintaining your tires will:

·         Help prevent tire failure and blowouts

·         Improve fuel millage

·         Increase the longevity of tires

·         Improve handling

As you can see, not only will maintaining your tires keep you and your family safe but you will also save money by improving your gas millage and tire replacement cost.

The above schedule is a good place to start but please note that tire maintenance can vary from manufacture to manufacture. You may want to check your owner’s manual or contact your dealer before adopting any schedule.

To Find Collision Centers and Body Shops in Texas, visit:
www.CollisionRepairLocator.com

** Please note that this is for general information only **