How to Check Your Tires for Safety

You might not pay much attention to your tires compared to some of the other important parts and systems in your vehicle, but the truth is that the tires are among the most critical components of your vehicle. After all, they’re all that stands between your vehicle and the road, so it’s important to make sure your tires are in good condition, and that you settle for nothing less than high-quality tires when replacing them.

Poorly maintained tires can lead to deadly situations, or at the very least some difficulties with handling your vehicle. Therefore, you should frequently inspect your tires to make sure that they’ve been inflated to the proper levels, that the sidewall conditions are sufficient and that the tread depth is in a good state. These quick checks can go a long way toward not just keeping your tires in good condition, but also making sure your vehicle as a whole is safe to drive.

Here’s a bit of information from an auto shop in Athens County, OH about how you can make these simple yet important checks to your tires.

Air pressure

There are many vehicles on the market today that automatically alert drivers if the air pressure in any of their tires dips below ideal levels. However, whether you have such a feature in your vehicle or not, it’s a good idea to keep a manual pressure gauge in your vehicle so you’ll be able to double-check your tires’ air pressure yourself.

Generally, the ideal air pressure for your vehicle’s tires will be listed inside the driver side door jamb of your vehicle, but it should also be listed in your owner’s manual. Using this information, check to see if your tires’ PSI is within a normal range, and if not, inflate them to be the correct PSI, making sure not to overinflate.

Sidewall damage

Checking for sidewall damage to your vehicle should be pretty simple. Cracking can start to occur when the tires start to degrade from normal wear and tear and from long-term exposure to the elements. While the formation of cracks isn’t necessarily going to be an issue on the sidewalls or tread blocks, you should not be able to see any cords or air leaving the tire. It’s also a bad sign if the treads are starting to pull away from the rubber. These are clear signs you need to swap out your tires.

Tread depth

Worn-out tire treads can make it difficult for you to maintain traction on the road, especially when conditions start to become slippery. This can make it difficult for you to properly brake in an emergency stopping situation. The common test used to investigate tread depth is the penny test. Place a penny between the tread blocks with Lincoln’s head facing upside-down. If you’re able to see any space between Lincoln’s head and the edge of the penny, the tread has worn down too much and you need new tires.

For more information about how you can check your tires for safety, reach out to Dana’s Tire Center or visit our auto shop in Athens County, OH today.

Categorised in: Auto Shop

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