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A car is a complicated piece of machinery. Almost every piece and part has a job to do to keep the car moving forward. Some parts, like the tires, are more important than others. Keeping your tires in the best possible condition can improve fuel efficiency and allow you to feel safer on the road. The team at Keith Pierson Toyota has put together this guide of tire care tips to show what you can do to help.
How Long Do Tires Last?
Although their technology has improved tremendously over the years, tires don’t last forever. Unfortunately, there is no single answer to how long they last. Tires will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and are impacted by variables such as driving style, climate, and road conditions. Tires on a car that’s driven around town are probably going to last longer than those on a vehicle driven consistently at high mileages across the country.
If you drive on average between 12,000 and 15,000 miles a year, you should be able to get about three to five years out of your tires, according to both Bridgestone and Goodyear. As your tires age, that’s when you should pay particular attention to some of these preventive care tips. You want to replace tires before they get into critical condition. Michelin says that tires should never be driven beyond 10 years no matter their condition.
Avoid the Potholes
You can’t control the conditions of the roads you drive, but you can adjust how you approach them with an eye toward extending the life of your tires. Stay vigilant for potholes and other types of road hazards, and try to avoid them if you can. At a minimum, take them at lower speeds to reduce the wear and tear on your drywalls.
Another preventive measure for tire wear is planning out your route so you can be sure you’re driving on roads in good condition. Don’t drive on roads that you know need smoothening, and stay away from uneven or unpaved surfaces. Every time you drive over or through a roadside hazard, you can accelerate tire damage and reduce a tire’s life span.
Certain driving habits can also hasten the decline of your tires. Consistently driving at a high rate of speed, hitting the brakes hard, and going around corners with reckless abandon can all cost you tread in the long haul. Eliminate these habits and you may add miles to the life of your tires.
Keep Them Filled
Inflation is bad for the economy, but it’s good for the lifespan of your tires. Each tire comes with a recommendation from the manufacturer on how many pounds per square inch of air they should carry. Falling substantially short of or going over that recommendation can be disastrous.
Under- or over-inflation creates unnecessary friction at the point of contact between the tire and the roadway, which leads to greater wear on the rubber. Under- or over-inflation can also cost you at the pump — as you won’t be getting optimal gas mileage — or cause safety hazards. That said, you cannot check your tire pressure too often; a good rule of thumb is to take out the tire gauge at least twice a month.
Rotate Regularly
Tires do not exhibit wear and tear uniformly. They break down at different rates and in different patterns, based largely on their position on the car and whether you have an all-wheel drive or front-wheel drive vehicle. Those transmissions distribute power and deal with force in different ways.
Regularly rotating your tires can help extend their lifespan by making sure that the wear is distributed evenly across all four tires. If you always keep your tires in the same position, some will age more quickly than others and, as a result, might need replacements sooner than you think. Rotating your tires at regular intervals is a good habit to start.
Keep the Car in Alignment
Your tires work with the car’s suspension as a system, with the elements operating together in harmony as the car goes down the road. Everyday driving or just hitting a pothole wrong can cause the system to fall out of alignment. This means the tires are no longer sitting straight in the suspension system and you might have to angle the steering wheel to make sure the car moves forward as normal.
Let this go long enough and you will start to see your tires wear unevenly, which reduces their lifespan. If your car’s steering wheel vibrates, or the car drifts right or left even though you’re on a straight road, it might be time to invest in a professional realignment. Doing so will help extend the useful life of your tires.
Maintain Balance
Another structural issue involving the suspension that can cause premature tire wear is when your tire or wheel assemblies carry different weights. As you might imagine, having one assembly weigh more or less than the others can cause imbalances in how the car runs.
Unfortunately, it’s your tires that shoulder this imbalance, leading to uneven wear and tear. Having an unbalanced car can cause other mechanical problems. Unusual vibrations inside the car, either in the steering wheel or through the seats, can be a prime indication of balance problems. Keeping your car in balance can help keep your tires in service longer.
Keep Your Car in Top Shape at Keith Pierson Toyota
Whether you need routine maintenance or unexpected repairs, trust the service technicians at Keith Pierson Toyota, serving Jacksonville and other areas of North Florida. We can help keep your car on the road for as long as possible. While our team specializes in Toyota models, we service cars of any make.
Keith Pierson Toyota is a full-service dealership. We offer new Toyota sedans, crossovers, full-size SUVs, and trucks, as well as one of the area’s largest inventories of used or pre-owned vehicles from all the major manufacturers. Need help with financing? The experienced professionals in our finance center maintain relationships with major local lenders and can get you a payment that works for your budget.
Family-owned and -operated, we offer two years of complimentary maintenance on every new vehicle. Call us or contact us online to discuss your needs. We’d love to see you.
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