How to Keep Your Tires in Good Condition Over the Summer

We’re getting closer and closer to the unyielding heat and humidity of summertime in Georgia. The heat takes its toll on people in many ways—comfort, utility bills and, of course, vehicle reliability and safety. There are many common vehicle issues that pop up much more frequently in the summer months, but tire blowouts and other tire issues become especially likely in the summer compared to any other time of year.

When the weather gets hot, it exacerbates the buildup of heat in and around your tires and weakens the rubber, which makes it more likely that there will be abrupt (and potentially dangerous and catastrophic) failure of the tire’s structure. On a hot 90-degree day, you can expect the surface temperature of roadways and parking lots to be significantly higher even than that. While you’re sitting inside a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle cabin, your tires are still fully exposed to the heat in the air, plus the heat generated by friction in contact with the ground.

The best thing you can do to avoid making too many trips to an auto shop in Athens County, OH with tire issues is to keep your tires inflated to the proper air pressure. This will help you keep the temperature of your tires within an acceptable, serviceable range.

Over the years, we have seen many vehicle owners who simply do not know how to inflate their tires to the correct pressure. Under-inflated tires are usually the result of irregular pressure checks. However, some people tend to overcompensate with regard to the air pressure in their tires. They’ll use the sidewall rating as their guide for tire inflation, but this rating gives the maximum tire pressure, not the pressure recommended by the manufacturer, which usually is listed inside the doorjamb in your vehicle.

Therefore, if you are to get the best results from your tires and avoid problems caused by inflation and overheating, we recommend you take these steps:

• Check the pressure: You should occasionally check the pressure of your tires just to make sure they’re at an appropriate level. Do not do this after the vehicle has recently been running—wait to check until the tires have sat at least three hours and are sufficiently cool so you can be sure you have an accurate reading. You should aim to check your tires at least once a month, as tires tend to lose up to one psi each month, as well as one psi for every 10-degree temperature drop.
• Inflate: Inflate your tires to the setting recommended in the tire information placard most frequently placed inside the doorjamb on the driver’s side of your vehicle. This information might also be in your vehicle’s manual.
• Use a good gauge: You should purchase your own high-quality gauge, as well as a good compressor that will work based off your vehicle’s own power outlet.
• Check tire quality: Keep in mind that tires can also lose air pressure to small punctures, so if there’s one tire that you routinely have to fill up, you should make sure it’s actually in safe and usable condition.

For more information about keeping your tires in good condition, contact an auto shop in Athens County, OH.

Categorised in: Auto Shop

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