It appears a lot of people are bit reluctant to spend their hard-earned money buying tires for their car. I have met a number of customers who are even willing to compromise on quality for a poor standard tires just to save some money. Meanwhile, this shouldn’t be the case. Cheap is likely going to cost you twice or more, since you would have to replace them again sooner than expected. Also, like I have been saying, the nature of your tires are so important in ensuring road safety. So to avoid spending too much money on your tires, here are some key ways to make your tires last longer.
1. Check alignment. Alignment has to do with the state of adjustment, the proper positioning of your tires or how straight your tires are in their relative positions. Your car tires develop alignment problem when it hits a major pothole, obstacle or curb while speeding. Some major indications that should tell you your car has an alignment issue is when your car drifts towards the left or right when driving. When you realize that the treads of your tires are wearing unevenly. That is, one side of your tire is wearing much faster than the other side. Again, you would notice that your steering wheel is crooked when driving straight. Misalignment of your wheels can shorten the life span of your tires. It can increase your fuel consumption since it will require more energy to keep it going.
2. Maintain the right air pressure. During hot hours, air pressure is likely going to increase in your tires as heat will expand the air in it. Also as your car is running, your tires absorb heat from the ground. Again, your tires absorb heat as a result of friction between your tires and the road. This will then heat up the air in your tires causing it to expand. When your tires are under-inflated the car needs more energy to run. This will require more fuel consumption. Over inflated tires too can cause the middle of your tires to wear quickly. It can also increase the risk of a blowout. So regularly check your tire air pressure to ensure they match the specification of the manufacturer. The best time to check your tire air pressure is in the morning before your car hits the road or a couple of hours after parking. Check your tire air pressure at least once a month.
3. Rotate your tires. This means moving the tires at the rear-wheel to the front and moving the tires at the front wheel to the back. Sometimes the set of tires behind end up wearing or tearing faster the ones in front, vice versa. This could be a result of multiple reasons. Some could be the amount of load you usually carry behind which puts a lot of pressure on the back tires. Whether your car is a rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive could also be a factor. And also alignment issues can be the case. Hence, rotating your tires will see to it that your tires wear out evenly.
To conclude, I would say tires life expectancy vary due to a number of factors. Aside some of the major reasons listed already, you can also increase the life span of your tires by learning how to drive calmly. This is because speeding, force acceleration or aggressive breaking and steering could cause a rapid tread wear. Avoid bad or rough roads if possible. Keep your tires from direct sunlight when storing them, since that could cause cracks on the sidewalls and shoulder.
References:
https://info.kaltire.com/27758/
https://www.lesschwab.com/article/how-to-make-your-tires-last-longer.html
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