Your vehicles tires are what separate you from the road. Lately, you’ve heard a lot of talk about keeping them inflated to the right air pressure for your car as a gas-saving measure. That’s true, but it goes beyond that; a tire inflated too low wears faster than one with the right pressure – up to 10% more wear in a year.
Not only does a properly inflated tire help save you money, but your vehicle’s suspension, and handling, depends on it. With the wrong pressure, you will likely encounter trouble with steering and braking. Pretty crucial elements to driving, don’t you think?
And, it’s important to set the air pressure to that recommended by your car’s manufacturer, not what is embossed on the tire. One tire can fit many different cars, but the pressure at which your car will perform best is the one that the manufacturer designates.
But there are important factors other than just air pressure at play. Let’s talk tread – those squiggly little lines in your tire. When they are too worn, they not only affect the way your car handles, higher risk of hydroplaning, is one example, but they are also more prone to road damage. Those tire shreds you often see on the highway are not from a new tire; if you stopped to take a look at them (you shouldn’t, though), you’d see that the tread is almost entirely worn away. They also tend to go flat quicker than a new tire. How do you know when your tire tread is too worn? Well, the old coin trick still works fine, but newer tires now come with a “wear” indicator that will show you when you need to buy new ones.
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