Maintaining good tires help improve your car's gas mileage, improve tire life, and give a smoother ride. It is vital that you consistently inspect your tires to make sure that your vehicle is safe. Three key aspects to watch for are wear, inflation and pressure. This guide will help you monitor these conditions and help your vehicle operate at its best.

Things you'll need from your garage or your local NAPA store:

• Tire gauge
• Tread depth gauge
• Penny

 

Tire Wear - You should check your tires for wear at least once a month and before and after road trips. There are many factors that contribute to wear on tires. Your tires' treads will help determine whether it is time for tire adjustments or complete replacements. Remember, the tires are the only contact that your car has with the road, and proper maintenance is key to happy, safe travels.

1. Locate a tread groove toward the center of your tire. Place the metal rod of the tire depth gauge in the grove and push the casing down until it touches the tire. Check the tire reading. If it reads 2/32 or less, you should replace your tire.

2. Once you have checked that section of your tire, you need to repeat this process, checking four points per tire. Compare the measurements to make sure that the tires are wearing evenly. If they are not, this may indicate a problem with your tires or suspension system.

3. If you do not have a tread depth gauge, you can use a penny. Insert the penny into the groove of the tread with Lincoln's head face down. If you see the top of Lincoln's head, you should replace your tire.

4. Another point of inspection should involve checking your tire for punctures, nails and weathering conditions, or any unusual wear, such as cupping or uneven wear on the edges which would indicate a balance or alignment issue. Either of these conditions will have to then be diagnosed and repaired by a professional.

  

Tire Inflation & Pressure - Before you begin to assess your tires, make sure that the tires are cool. This will ensure that you get a more accurate reading, as warmer tires are more inflated. Tires automatically lose pressure through time and bumps and hard surfaces you encounter while driving. Each tire is different, so it is important to check your owner's manual for the recommended tire for your vehicle.

5. Make sure your tires are cool prior to inspection. Park your car on a flat surface to get the most accurate reading.

6. Remove the cap from the valve of your tire. Press the tire gauge on the valve to get the proper reading. Compare this reading with the recommendation from your owner's manual. There is also a sticker near the driver's door on most vehicles that will give you the proper inflation pressure. You may have to press hard to ensure that you have it inserted correctly. If you hear any air escaping, the gauge is not in accurately.

7. If you determine that your car needs air, insert the air pump into the valve and fill it to its recommended pressure level. If you have over-filled, don't worry, you can release air from your tire by pushing on the metal stem in the center of the valve with a fingernail or pen tip. Most tire gauges also have a way for you to let air out of the tire as well.

8. Once the air has been adjusted to the proper level, replace the cap and check the remaining tires in the same fashion.

• Check your tires for wear at least once a month and before and after road trips.
• When checking tire pressure, make sure tires are cool and your car is parked on a flat surface to get the most accurate reading.
• Check your owner's manual or ask your local mechanic for tire rotation recommendations.
• Increase fuel economy, make your tires last longer and give a smoother ride by inflating your tires with Nitrogen. There are many places now that offer this service. Nitrogen, an inert gas that has a much larger molecule than oxygen, does not come through the tires as regular air does over time. It runs cooler, and it does not fluctuate with temperature. Regular air changes 1psi for every 10 degree of temperature change, meaning a 40-degree morning/afternoon change will have a 4psi difference just during the day. That is enough in many cars to set the Tire Pressure Monitoring System light to indicate low pressure. With nitrogen in your tires, you will need to take it back to the place you had it put in for them to add when needed, but this is very seldom. The advantages of it will be a 3% to 5% increase in mileage in many cases, 10% to 15% increase in tire life, and a much smoother ride! If there is nitrogen installed in the tire a GREEN cap will then be on the valve stem, this is the indication that nitrogen is in there.