- Summertime is Summer Tire Check Time: 7 Tips To Combat 11,000+ Tire-Related Accidents Annually — and Keep Tires Rolling for Longer
- 10 DIY Tips to Add Years to a Vehicle’s Life & Minimize Expensive Repairs
- Defensive Driving Tips to Avoid Costly Repairs As Wintery Driving Conditions Continue to Plague Roads
- AutoPartsWarehouse.com 2013 Child Passenger Safety Tips and Resource Guide
- Top Five Parts to Make Your Vehicle More Fuel Efficient
9 Things That You Should Remember About Tires
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a car enthusiast or not. If you own a car or are planning on buying one soon, you should know a lot about tires. Check out these 9 facts about tires that will help you maintain yours and keep your car looking great parked or on the road!
9. White tires?
As you know, tires are made of rubber and natural rubber is actually colored white. So why are our car tires black? This is due to carbon black. Carbon black is added to the tires to prolong its quality and life span!
8. Artillery wheels.
Back in the day, cars used artillery wheels that had the tire bolted to the wheel. We bet drivers back then dreaded to get a flat tire because changing the tire is no piece of cake.
7. Cracking and bulging of your tires
If you see this, it only means one thing: you might be hitting quite a lot of potholes, curbs, and debris. It’s probably time to be more aware of the road and avoid these as much as possible because, as you know, buying new tires can be quite expensive.
6. Feathering.
Notice feathering in your tire? Best check your car’s toe setting. But if your car’s alignment is correct, then your suspension bushing could be damaged and worn which might have resulted in your car’s alignment shifting while you drive.
5. Run- flat tires.
Run- flat tires are mostly used by BMW in their vehicles. This kind of tire allows you to temporarily drive while it’s out of air!
4. Tire Waste
Each year there are millions of tires that get discarded but these tires get recycled and used for asphalt or shredded for garden mulch, while other tire companies use them to make new car tires. But if you want to recycle your old car tires, you could do so by making cool furniture out of them just like the photos below:
3. Thread-wear Indicators
Thread-wear indicators let you know when it’s time to buy new ones and let the old ones rest. Here is a trick to figure out if your tire has neared the end of the line: you could use a penny and if the head on Lincoln is entirely visible then the fire is worn to approximately 2/32″. According to tirerack.com, “The final 2/32″ of a tire’s tread depth isn’t part of the equation when it comes to calculating tread depth percentages because the tire is already legally worn out with just 2/32″ of remaining tread depth.” Safe to say it’s time to buy new tires!
2. Cupping or Scalloping.
Cupping or scalloping of tires is usually caused by the damaged and worn out suspension components but it can also be caused by anything that connects the wheel to the car. This is why you should be careful in identifying the cause because it could be confused as a feathering or as a heel-toe wear.
1. Rotate your tires.
Rotating your tires or moving one of your tires to another location is important because it will help it to wear evenly. Plus, doing so will also lengthen the lifespan of your tires!