Check Your Tires

Here are two maintenance practices you can follow to make sure you get the most from your tires:

Tires are not only one of the biggest investments you make in your vehicle, they are also among the most crucial components that will ensure your vehicle performs well and handles safely. Here are two maintenance practices you can follow to make sure you get the most from your tires:

1. Check Your Tire’s Pressure

Keeping your tires properly inflated is a very important aspect of tire maintenance, so check your tire pressure regularly. Find the correct tire pressure for your tires in your owner’s manual. You may see a tire pressure number stamped on the tire, but that number is the maximum pressure. You want to go with the recommended pressure instead. If you don’t have a tire gauge, you can pick up a digital model pretty inexpensively.

Remove the valve cap and press the tire gauge on the valve stem. You will probably notice a hissing sound when you first press down, but it stops once you press the gauge all the way down. Only a few seconds are needed to obtain an accurate reading. If your tires need air, you can fill them with either a portable compressor, or you can use the air pump at your local gas station for a nominal fee. The filling process is similar to checking  the pressure – instead of pressing the gauge to the valve stem, you’ll be pressing the fitting on the air hose to the stem. Check the pressure as you inflate until you reach the right pressure number. If your tires are over inflated, you can remove air from the tires using your gauge. Remember the hissing sound? When you hear it, let it go for a bit, then recheck the pressure. When you are finished, put the valve caps back on each tire.

2. Check Tire Tread

Make it a habit to check tires for tread wear or damage. The “penny test” is an easy way to check tread wear.

Hold a penny so you can read “In God We Trust” across the top. Insert it into five different sections of the tire and look at Lincoln’s head.  If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, your treads are excessively worn, and it is time for a new set of tires. If Abe’s head is covered to about the forehead hairline, the tread is in good shape and you probably do not need new tires.

For more information on how to help your tires last longer, visit Merrimack Auto Center in Merrimack, NH & Nashua, NH!