Three Essential Tasks to Maintain Your Tires Health

Vehicles need plenty of TLC if we want them to run efficiently and safely. That’s why we get regular oil changes, change our filters, and promptly resolve problems. In addition to these regular vehicle maintenance tasks, there are three tire care tasks that are essential to a smooth and safe drive.

Tire Rotation

Tire rotation is one of the simplest yet most essential tasks for your tires. Plain and simple, rotating your tires involves changing the position of the tires. As you drive, each of your four tires will wear differently. Front tires, for example, will generally wear more quickly than rear tires because the front of your vehicle carries the weight of the engine. Other factors, such as alignment, balance, and driving habits can wear tires differently. Regularly rotating your tires helps your tread wear more evenly, which in turn guarantees better handling and a smoother driving experience.

While many essential tasks for your tires will require more experience and some unique tools, you can rotate your tires in your driveway. If you don’t feel confident rotating your tires, though, don’t be afraid to take your vehicle into the shop. When it comes to vehicle care, you’re always better safe than sorry. Dig out your vehicle’s owner’s manual to check your recommended tire rotation schedule. Unless your manual says otherwise, it doesn’t hurt to rotate your tires whenever you change your oil.

Tire Alignment

Rotating your tires every time you get an oil change will certainly help your tires, but it’s not all they need. You should also have your tires aligned regularly in order to preserve your wheels, reduce uncomfortable vibrations, improve your handling, and keep you safer on the road. Alignment doesn’t necessarily touch your wheels, but rather adjusts your vehicle’s suspension system and in turn changes the angles of your tires. By adjusting those angles, alignment changes how your tires contact the road, which affects how your tires ride and wear.

It’s best to have your wheels aligned annually, but you should bring in your vehicle for an alignment sooner if you notice:

Drifting to the right or left despite steering in a straight line
Uneven wear on your tire tread
Your steering wheel vibrating aggressively

Tire Balancing

While alignment adjusts the suspension to ensure that your wheel touches the road evenly, balancing your tires equalizes the weight of your entire wheel assembly so it rotates smoothly when you’re driving at high speeds. Mechanics balance tires by placing the wheel on a balancer, spinning the wheel at high speed, watching how the wheel acts, and then placing weights in certain places to even out the rotation. An imbalance in the wheels can result in bumpy and unsafe driving.

Unless you’re noticing any unusual vibrations, it’s safe to have your wheels balanced every 3,000 to 6,000 miles.

If you want to keep your driving smooth and safe, make these three essential tire care tasks a priority. If it’s time for you to have your wheels rotated, aligned, or balanced, come down to Van Nuys Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM.