Are Your Tires Safe For All Seasons

Tire safety is something many don't take into consideration, until their tires fail them. Most forget that their tires are the only contact between their vehicle and the road and therefore how critical they are.
Maintaining proper tire pressure, observing tire and vehicle load limits (not carrying more weight in your vehicle than your tires or vehicle can safely handle), avoiding road hazards, and inspecting tires for cuts, slashes, and other irregularities are the most important things you can do to avoid tire failure. Regular maintenance of your tires will also help with:
• Improving vehicle handling
• Protecting you and others from avoidable breakdowns and accident
• Improving fuel economy
• Increasing the life of your tires.
Properly maintained tires also improve the steering, stopping, traction, and load-carrying capability of your vehicle. When your tires are under inflated and overloaded, this is when you can face serious tire failure. To avoid flat tires and other types of tire failure, here are a few things you should do:
1. Check Tire Pressure - Keeping tires properly inflated can boost fuel efficiency by one mile per gallon. Before any long trip and once a month, check the pressure of each. The carmaker's recommended tire pressure is on the tire placard and can be found near the driver's doorjamb, on the glove compartment door or in the owner's manual. Tire information placards and vehicle certification labels contain information on tires and load limits. These labels indicate the vehicle manufacturer's information including: Recommended tire size, recommended tire inflation pressure, Vehicle capacity weight (VCW-the maximum occupant and cargo weight a vehicle is designed to carry), Front and rear gross axle weight ratings (GAWR- the maximum weight the axle systems are designed to carry).

2. Rotate Tires Regularly. Regular rotation helps extend the life of your tires, saving time and money in the long run. Rotation ensures your tire's wear is even and therefore helps your tires last longer. If no period is specified in your vehicle's owner's manual, tires should be rotated every 6,000 to 8,000 miles. 

3. Keep Proper Vehicle Alignment. Alignment generally refers to the adjustment of a vehicle's front and rear suspension parts. Proper alignment helps ensure that your vehicle handles correctly and will help increase the life and performance of your tires.

4. Keep Tires Balanced. To get optimal performance from your tires, they should be balanced. When tire and wheel assemblies are unbalanced, vibration from the wheel assembly shakes from side to side or the tire and wheel assemblies hop up and down. It is important that these assemblies are in both static and dynamic balance.

5. Check Tire Tread Depth and Replace Worn Tires. In most states, the minimum legal tread depth is 2/32 of an inch. If you place a penny with the top of the head facing down into your tires' shallowest groove and you can see the top of Abraham Lincoln's head, it's time to replace your tires.

By practicing these few simple steps and becoming in the habit of them, you will save yourself money and more importantly keep yourself and those who ride with you safe.