Tires are the hardest worked piece of equipment on your car. They’re often taken for granted, and not paid very much attention to until they fail. If you’re careful enough to watch for the warning signs that a tire is going bad, you can hopefully avoid a dangerous situation before it happens. If you take the time to do a quick inspection of your tires once a week, then you can save a lot of time, hassle, and might even prevent a terrible accident down the line.
We’ve put together a quick checklist of things to look for in your tires. If you see any of the following signs on your tires, get them into an auto repair shop as soon as possible! Make sure to look for:
- Cracking on the sidewalls.
- Excessive wear. When your tire goes “bald,” meaning it’s lost all tread, you’re not only in danger of a blowout, but you lose most of your traction and control on the road.
- Bulges or blisters.
- More wear on one side of your tires than the other.
- A lot of car vibration. Tires aren’t the only thing that could be wrong here, but they’re a very good place to start.
Any one of these problems on your tires indicates that you have a problem, and need to get a service station soon.
If you’re worried your tires may be overly worn, there are a couple of ways to check them. Most tires today have a tread wear bar located in the center grooves, and when this bar begins to show, it’s time to buy a new set. If your times don’t have a wear bar, then insert a penny into the groove, with Lincoln’s head facing down into the tire. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, it’s time for new tires.
Keeping your tires fresh and new is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to make sure you stay safe on the road. If you’re looking for a reliable, reasonably priced auto repair shop, Highwaytire Service & Repair, serving the Mooresville area, is your one stop shop for car maintenance and repair.