TIRE MAINTENANCE
You spend a lot of money on tires, so you want them to last. What should you do
to get the most mileage out of them?
TIRE TIP NO. 1
Rotating and rebalancing your tires every 6,000 miles or six months will
maximize tire life and minimize wear to the shocks and struts.Rotation and rebalancing is a simple service that can dramatically extend the
life of your tires. Tires are made out of rubber, and they naturally wear with use.
Each tire has a different wear factor, depending on its mounted position on the
car. Rotating the tires every 6,000 miles or six months gives each tire equal time
at each position on the car, minimizing wear. It is important to rebalance the tires
every time they are rotated. When the tire is new, it is balanced based on the
mass of rubber present at that time. As the tire wears down, the rubber mass
diminishes, throwing off the balance. This causes a “tramping” (or bouncing)
effect as the tire rolls down the road at highway speeds. This motion creates a
choppy wear on the tread, causes tire noise, and escalates wearing (not to
mention that it causes premature wear of the shocks and struts!).
TIRE TIP NO. 2
Regular alignment checks and adjustments every year or 12,000 miles will
maximize tire life.Wheel alignment: Have your wheels checked for alignment every year or
12,000 miles (whichever comes first). The alignment angles in your car’s front
and rear end change as parts wear and poor road conditions jostle the steering
and suspension. On cars with four-wheel independent suspension or front-wheel
drive, get a four-wheel alignment. Why? Because these cars have adjustable
alignment angles at each wheel that are affected by the same forces mentioned
above. When the rear or front wheels get out of alignment, the tires want to track
against each other. This causes pulling, drifting, dog tracking (the rear of the car