How to Make Your Tires Last Longer

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, it’s necessary to replace your tires as soon as your tread depth drops to 2/32 of an inch or less. Many tires now incorporate tread wear bars to tell you when it’s time to trade up for a new set, but you can always use a tread gauge if you want a reliable measurement.

Every driver wants to enjoy long-life tires—and taking good care of your tires will help you get more enjoyment out of every mile! If you want to learn how to make your tires last longer, just take advantage of the following guide!

Four Steps to Long-Life Tires

Tires generally last for three to five years before they need to be replaced, but you can ensure that they last as long as possible by incorporating these four items into your service schedule:

1. Check Your Tire Pressure Monthly: Keeping your tires at the correct pressure helps to improve your traction and maximize your fuel economy. It’s also an easy way to ensure that your tires last for as long as possible. The proper pressure is usually listed on the inside of the driver’s side door jamb, and your tire pressure monitoring system can tell you when one or more tires is off the mark.
2. Rotate Your Tires On Schedule: Tires don’t necessarily wear down at the same rate. If you don’t rotate your tires according to the schedule laid out in your owner’s manual, you may find that you need to replace your front tires before the rear, or the left before the right. Tire rotation reduces the risk of early expiration—and when you replace all four tires at once, you can often benefit from special pricing.
3. Get Your Tires Balanced: Due to a variety of factors, your vehicle’s weight may not be evenly distributed across all four tires. Since this imbalance can cause one or more tires to wear down at a faster rate than the others, you should request tire balancing when you schedule service.
4. Check the Vehicle Alignment Twice Yearly: Does your vehicle pull to the left or the right on Lafayette or Logansport highways? There’s a good chance that your tires are misaligned. Misalignment often occurs when a driver hits a pothole or a curb, and it’s relatively easy to fix. Request this service to ensure that your tires don’t work any harder than they have to.

You Can Learn A Lot from Your Tires

All tires wear down over time, but the way that they wear down can actually tell you a lot about potential problems with your vehicle. Here, we’ve highlighted the five main types of abnormal tire tread wear and what each type tends to indicate:

• Inner & Outer Tread Wear: If the inside or outside of your tires are wearing down more quickly than the center, your tires may be misaligned.
• Center Wear: If the center of the tire is wearing down faster than the edges, it’s likely that the tire is overinflated.
• Edge Wear: Excess wear along the edge of the tire—extending past the tread—is likely a product of underinflation.
• Cupping Wear: Diagonal, scalloping wear along the tire is often caused by a misbehaving suspension system. This issue can be serious, so you’ll want to get it checked out by a professional as soon as possible.
• Patchy Wear: If your tires are not properly balanced, you might see patchy, uneven wear at various points along the tire. Ask your mechanic to balance your tires with your next rotation.

We’re Monticello’s Tire Service Experts

If you’re based anywhere near Monticello or Winamac, we’re here to help you make your tires last as long as possible. Take advantage of our service specials whenever you need to make an appointment, and find MOPAR® tires right here at our dealership!