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The tires on your car can make or break your driving experience. A good set of properly inflated tires is the key to good fuel efficiency, safe stopping distances, good traction on the road, and a strong performance for your car.
What goes into a good set of tires? You’re about to learn the answer to that question and much more. We put together some helpful tips and tests to keep your tires spinning forever!
Penny Test
The first way to keep your tires healthy is by using the “penny test”. You might have heard of this phrase before. It’s a way to use a single penny to check your tires’ health.
Grab the penny so Abe is facing you, upside down (the top of his head is pointing towards the ground). Insert the penny into the tread of your car and look at the penny. Is the rubber of your tire covering any of Abe’s head? If so, then your tires are healthy.
If you can see all of Abe’s head, then you don’t have enough tread on your car. It’s time to replace your tires and see if something is mechanically wrong with your wheels.
How does this test work? Your treads need a certain thickness of the rubber to be efficient. Use a penny test to measure the thickness of the rubber you have.
Check the Pressure
Checking your pressure should be a daily, if not weekly, event. It takes a few seconds and doesn’t take much effort at all.
For some cars, you can see a digital readout of your tires’ pressures on your dash. If you have to go old school, there’s a simple physical method. Grab your tire pressure gauge and take it to one of your tires. Unscrew the valve stem cap from your tire.
For reference, the valve stem is the black rubber tube that sticks out of your tires. They have a threaded cap on the end that you can use your fingers to unscrew.
With the cap off, you should see a shiny tip to the valve stem. This is where you insert the gauge and read the pressure. Not sure what pressure you need? Open your driver’s door and look at the exterior wall near your seat. There should be a piece of paper that has recommended tire pressures printed on it.
You don’t want too much or too little tire in your pressure – either option will result in worse performance from your car.
Rhino USA Heavy Duty Tire Pressure Gauge (0-60 PSI) – Certified ANSI B40.1 Accurate, Large 2 in.
Tire Rotation
Every time you change your oil, you should rotate your tires. This method is different depending on which wheels are driving your car. Keep in mind that any time you move a tire from the driver’s side to the passenger’s side, you need to reverse the tire on the rim.
Rotating your tires ensures even wear across the tires. Having uneven wear can result in your car swerving and further wearing your tires unevenly.
Front-Wheel Drive
This process is specific to FWD cars, make sure you do so carefully:
- The Front left goes to the rear left
- The rear left goes to the front right
- The front right goes to the rear right
- The rear right goes to the front left
Rear and Four-Wheel Drive
Again, this process can only be done on RWD or 4WD (or AWD) cars.
- The front left goes to the rear right
- The rear right goes to the front right
- The front right goes to the rear left
- The rear left goes to the front left
Directional Tires
Your car might have directional tires. This means the tread pattern is different on the left and right of your tires. In this case, you want to swap the tires along the same side of your car.
In other words, go to the driver’s side of your car and swap the front and rear tires. Do the same for the passenger’s side.
Repairing a Puncture
What about if your tire gets punctured or goes flat? There’s an easy solution. You can find a tire patch repair kit for less than $20 online or in your favorite automotive store.
The kit will come with a handled prodder, rubber, and rubber cement. This is really all you need to path a puncture. The kit will have instructions that tell you how to operate it.
Keep in mind, not all punctures can be repaired. You cannot repair a puncture if:
- The hole is larger than 1/4 inch in diameter
- Two punctures are within 16 inches of one another
- The puncture is on the sidewall or shoulder of the wheel
In these cases, you’ll need to opt for a replacement.
Spend More to Get More
Speaking of new tires, this is an industry where it saves you money by spending more money. A high-quality set of tires will last longer and drive better than a cheap pair of tires. The suggestion is always to spend extra for a good set of tires if you want healthy tires for longer.
Conclusion
Now you have some methods to keep your tires healthy. Remember – healthy tires result in the best possible driving experience for you. Go further with healthy tires.
