Caring For Your Tires in Cincinnati the Right Way!

Tires are one of the most fundamental parts of your vehicle and have a large impact on your performance in both handling and power. Tires serve as both essential support and navigation tools for your vehicle. One must understand tires in order to truly understand their vehicle, and there is a lot to understand about tires. To properly care for your vehicle, one of the first things you will need to know is how to care for your tires in Cincinnati the right way.

Why Tire Care is Important

Tires not only make your cargo, but they also take care of handling, shock absorption, and weight support that are all key components in car safety. Knowing how to care for your tires may not only save your money but save your life. By doing even the most basic tire maintenance like checking the tire pressure often, you will be able to prolong their lifespan and save yourself a fair amount of cash.

As an example tires that are over or under inflated will never last as long as a tire at the right pressure. If you drive a car with under-inflated tires for about 20% of the time, you will probably take over 20% of its lifespan away. Not only will this force you to buy more tires, but it will also cost you extra fuel money since low performing tires will have to work harder, and may even lead into an accident.

Overall this is just one-way improper care of tires can lead to unexpected consequences that will hurt you in the long run. Even the most simple of maintenance routines are essential when it comes to tires.

How to Extend the Lifespan of a Tire

Now that you understand how important tires are, you will surely want to know what you can do to keep them as strong as possible for as long as possible. Tires in Cincinnati specifically have a few maintenance routines that must be performed as suggested by the owner’s manual of your vehicle. So here is a breakdown of what the key maintenances routines are, and why they are vital.

Check Pressure

The importance of checking your tire pressure was lightly touched upon, but there are a few more things that need to be noted. Tire pressure of both regular and spare tires should be monitored every 2,000 to 3,000 miles or monthly to ensure they are at the right level. You will see each vehicle has a set psi, or pounds per square inch, that they require for their tires. Most consumer vehicles require 32 psi or 35 psi when cold. Many gas stations these will offer free tire stations that will tell you what level your tire is at, and automatically fill it for you. Most modern cars even have a built-in tire pressure monitor for extra convenience. It is important to note that temperature has a large effect on pressure and you should always fill your tires when it’s cool out since hot tires add a few psi.

Tread

Treads are those groove pattern in your tire. Treadwear will cause a number of issues with your driving mostly involving an inability to keep their grip on the road. As you may have assumed, this would be extremely dangerous especially in winter or rainy conditions. Most don’t even know this, but there is a legal tread depth in the United States of 2/23nd’s across the central three-quarters of the tread with and around the circumference. If you are caught with less than this, you could even be fined.

The best way to test tread damage is with the easy penny test. Get a penny and hold Honest Abe’s face upside down. You will then put the penny in the tread and see if you can see Abe’s head still clearly, your tires are in need of some serious care, if you can’t, then you are legal and ready for a few more miles.

Rotation

Rotation is basically when your tires are removed and moved to a different location. This will prevent them from being worn down in one specific area and wasting their overall potential. Tires in Cincinnati should be rotated every 6,000 to 10,000 miles or every two or three months. This helps with equalizing tread wear.

Alignment

Alignment is when you make small adjustments to the suspension components in order to minimize wear and tear, improve handling, and maximize comfort. The camber, caster, and toe are the main components that will be aligned during this process. This process should be done at least every 4,350 miles.

Balance

Balancing tires are exactly what it sounds like; it is making sure the weight of your tires is evenly distributed to prevent excessive wear and tear. You should get your tires balanced whenever you replace a tire or get a new one. A professional will balance your tires in Cincinnati by using a balancing machine that will determine where the weight is being distributed and then attach weights to the exterior or interior of the wheel.

Visual Assessment

This may seem simple, but it is also always important to do casual assessments of your tires. There are plenty of visual signs that can show you that your tires are in need of maintenance. Bumps on the surface and unusual tread patterns are some of the clearest signs of an unreliable tire. This is maintenance you can do every single day.

Changing a Tire

Almost every single driver has at some point needing a tire change. Most will just get it done by a professional, but it is always helpful to at least understand how to put on your spare in case of an emergency. The process is simpler than many inexperienced drivers assume. In fact, as long as you have a quality spare, a lug wrench, and jack always on hand, you should never have to fear being stranded. Here are the basics of changing a tire:

Safety park the car out of the way and put on hazards if in a place with flowing traffic

Find your spare, a jack, and a lug wrench which should be somewhere in your vehicle

Remove the hubcap and loosen (don’t remove) the lug nuts

Use the jack to lift your vehicle

Fully remove lug nuts

Align the holes on the spare with the bolts

Replace lug nuts and tighten

Lower the car

Tighten the lug nuts again

Get back on the road!

Who to Trust with your Tires in Cincinnati? McCluskey Chevy!

At McCluskey Chevy in Cincinnati, we want to be the best provider for all of your vehicle needs, including your all-important tires. We offer everything from used cars to the parts that make them last, and we just want you to feel secure in your service. We respect all feedback and pride ourselves on our ability to offer transparency and reliable information. At McCluskey Chevy, we are here for you, and your every automotive need. So the next time you need tires in Cincinnati, you can trust that McCluskey Chevy can provide high-quality solutions paired with the best customer service around! So, when you need tires, don’t delay! Head over to McCluskey Chevy and inquire about our current deals and incentives.