Ahh Summertime!  Pool parties, backyard barbeques, family road trips, and the all too common shredded tires. 

Driving around the valley we see bits of tires all over the roads.  Keep yourself and your family from experiencing this frustration by following these simple Tech Tips to prolong the life of your car’s tires, improve safety and increase fuel economy.

Tech Tips from Lindsay Hauptman of Larry H. Miller Toyota of Peoria

Did you know the outside air temperature can affect the pressure in your tires?

When it’s hot the air expands and when it cools off the air contracts.  Believe it or not, this simple fact can wreak havoc on tires because over inflation or under inflation causes uneven wear and in extreme cases the tires may rupture because of excessive heat.  The good news is the fix is simple:  Check and adjust your tire pressure monthly.  And for anyone who does not want to do the dirty work themselves, we will gladly check and set your tire pressures for free on our service drive!  Oh, and another bonus…  Having proper tire pressure will help improve your fuel economy!   Another very important tip, especially for people going on a road trip, is to check your tire pressures every time you stop for gas because pressures can change one pound for every ten degree in temperature variation.  It is proven that lower tire pressure causes more damaging heat.  Using infrared photography you can see how the tire with lower PSI has more heat at high speeds than the properly inflated tire.

Did you know that the front tires will wear faster than the rear tires?  Think about it, every time you round a corner only the front two tires are turning. This is why rotating tires every 5 months or 5,000 miles is so important.

Did you know your vehicle can go out of alignment just sitting in the driveway?  It’s true.  When the vehicle sits, especially for a long period of time, the suspension components settle.  Most vehicles today have a supple suspension designed to absorb the road vibration and roughness.  It is literally designed to flex and adjust to give you the best possible driving experience.  What you may think is a small bump can have a huge impact on the suspension components.  And when the suspension is out of alignment this causes the tires to experience more friction, ultimately leading to irregular tread wear.  Having an alignment yearly is the best way to maintain proper rolling resistance to prolong the tire life as well as maintain the best MPG ratings.

Did you know a tire balance with rotation is helpful?  Have you ever rotated your tires then experienced a vibration in the steering wheel?  This is very common.  I use the analogy of a ceiling fan that is off balance…  It wobbles and makes a racket.  Tires are the same.  If they are ‘out of round’ the driver will experience a vibration in the steering wheel.  The fact that the front and rear tires wear differently is what causes this vibration because the changes in tread cause the tire to spin asymmetrically.  Balancing your tires every time they are rotated will prevent this and prolong your tire life.

This may sound like a lot of extra work, but in the end it is far better than being stranded or in an accident because of a situation that can be prevented.  Please, feel free to stop in and see us for a hassle free tire check up.

-Lindsay