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Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Car Maintenance: 4 Tips to Help You Extend the Lifespan of Your Tires

When it comes to car maintenance, many car owners are primarily focused on maintaining what’s under the hood. This means that their car’s tires are an afterthought—usually until something goes wrong. Fortunately, having tires replaced in Portland is a simple process thanks to auto dealerships, like McLoughlin Chevrolet, that have their own auto service centers.

After you’ve had your tires replaced, you’ll definitely want to make sure that your new set lasts as long as possible. Contrary to what you may initially believe, extending the lifespan of your tires is a relatively simple task, as long as you follow these quick tips:


Keep a Close Watch on Tire Pressure

One of the fastest ways to wear out your tires early is by ignoring tire pressure for long periods of time. Tires need to stay inflated at the recommended level for your vehicle to ensure your tires are able to handle the stress of the car’s load. Otherwise, your tires may suffer from uneven tread wear. Take the time each week to use a tire pressure gauge to check the air pressure in each tire. If you are unsure of how much air should be in your tires, you may check the recommended level by consulting a small sticker attached to the side of the driver’s door.

Avoid Overloading Your Car

It can be difficult to avoid overloading your car in certain situations, such as when you’re moving into a new home or you recently just purchased something large like a sofa or refrigerator. However, make sure you don’t overload your car often. An overloaded car tends to place unnecessary stress on your tires. As you can imagine, regularly overloading your car can easily wear out your tires prematurely, as well as other parts of your car like your suspension. The effect only gets worse if you drive overloaded vehicles on bad roads.

Inspect Your Tires for Debris

Rocks and other debris can easily get stuck between the tread of your tires. It may not seem like much at first, but having debris stuck there reduces the tread’s ability to wick away heat generated by the friction from the road. Aside from small rocks, you should also try to look for nails or screws that you may have run over. These can easily lead to air leaks that mess with the tire pressure. If you find any, you can easily take your car to any service center to have your tires vulcanized.

Have a Mechanic Rotate Your Tires

Tire rotation refers to having your front and back tires switched. Why do this? It’s because tires tend to wear out unevenly on a natural basis, with the front tires wearing out faster since these tires are subject to the movements of the steering wheel. To extend the lifespan of all four tires, it’s best to have an experienced mechanic rotate your wheels after every 5,000 to 8,000 miles. This assures you that your tires are wearing out evenly, helping you avoid having to replace a pair of tires more often than the other pair.

About McLoughlin Chevrolet: McLoughlin Chevrolet is proud to be one of the best auto dealerships serving Milwaukie, Portland, Beaverton, and Hillsboro, OR. Aside from offering a wide range of new and used cars, we also have an in-house auto repair service. McLoughlin Chevrolet is proud to have certified mechanics dedicated to providing top-notch auto service for all Chevrolet vehicles.

Sources:

How to Extend Tire Life, consumerreports.org
Tips to Maximize Tire Life, goodyear.com

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