Basic Tire Maintenance

By Ellen Knight

For many of us, vehicle maintenance is not something we think about until something bad happens. Whether it is the "check engine" light or a flat tire, many of us tend to think that everything is just fine until something goes wrong.

With a little basic tire maintenance, you can improve the quality of your ride, save some gas and avoid some problems that ignoring tire maintenance can create. It is not a lot of work. And you are sure to regret not taking care of your tires if you go out to get into your car and find that tire is flat. Of course, this always happens at the most inconvenient time possible. Luckily, maintaining your tires is not extremely difficult and does not take a lot of time.

Although it may seem that the most common type of tire problem is a hole or a nail in the tire, it is actually under inflation. If you do your best to make sure your tire is always properly inflated, you are already one huge step ahead of the game. In doing so, you are avoiding the biggest cause of tire problems. When you take steps to keep your vehicle's wheels properly inflated, you not only avoid the leading cause of tire failure, you may also save money on gas. With gas prices what they are, this should be a very appealing incentive to maintain your tires.

Another thing you can do to get the most out of your vehicle's tires is to have your tires rotated regularly. This will help to avoid uneven wear on the tires. With all of the turns and manuevers made when driving, it makes sense that some tires may show more wear than others. This is the reason for tire rotation. You want to wear all of the tires evenly so that you can extend the life of your tires. When this is not done regularly, you may find yourself replacing tires sooner than you should have. Although your vehicle's owners manual should tell you how often to rotate your tires, most manufacturers recommend doing so every 5,000-10,000 miles.

Another step you can take to avoid uneven wear on your tire is to go in to your chosen auto mechanic once a year for a tire alignment. Of course, if your tire is pulling to one side as you are driving, you will need to get an alignment immediately.

With some simple and basic maintenance, you can extend the life of your tires, drive safer and save some money.

Proper maintenance can avoid a lot of potential problems. However, if you find that you are in Austin, Texas and need a tow, contact Harpers Towing Austin. They have a conveniently located south Austin towing office that serves all of Austin and the surrounding areas quickly and efficiently.

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