Living (and Loving) Life
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Do you own a vehicle? If so, it’s a sure bet that you know how expensive it is to replace worn out or damaged tires.
Depending on the vehicle, a new set of tires can cost anywhere from 200 dollars to several thousand dollars once you pay to have them installed.
Even on the low end, that’s a lot of money!
Luckily, there are things you can do to make your vehicle’s expensive tires last as long as possible:
1 – Keep a regular check on the air pressure in your tires.
Every tire has a recommended air pressure that the tire performs best at.
Air pressure that’s too low or too high can cause a tire to wear out prematurely. And in severe cases it can even cause a tire to blow out and cause an accident.
It’s very easy to check the air pressure in your tires yourself, even if you have zero experience or aptitude for mechanic work.
All it takes is an inexpensive air pressure gauge and about 5 minutes of your time.
If you’ve never checked the air pressure in your tires before, here’s a short video that shows how it’s done. Hint: It couldn’t be easier!
Note: As always, you can watch the videos in this post at full screen by clicking the “square” icon that will pop up in the lower-right corner of the video after it begins playing.
Pretty simple, right?
Just compare the recommended air pressure that’s printed on the label inside the driver’s side door with the reading from the gauge and then add or remove enough air to bring the air pressure to the right level.
It’s a good idea to check your tires’ air pressure at least once per month.
2 – Have your tires rotated every 5,000 miles.
The tires on the front of a vehicle never wear at the same rate as the ones on the back.
Rotating your tires (i.e. swapping the positions of the front and rear tires) will help even out the wear and increase the life of your tires.
This is something you might want to consider paying a garage to do on your behalf since it typically costs just a few bucks.
But that being said, you can easily do it yourself if you know how. Here’s a short video that demonstrates the procedure:
3 – Have your vehicle’s wheels aligned every two years (or more often if circumstances require it).
A vehicle’s wheels being out of alignment can cause one or more of its tires to experience unnatural wear.
And that wear can be severe, often causing one or more tires to become completely ruined in a very short period of time.
In addition to the “every two years” time frame mentioned above, you should also have a wheel alignment done any time you notice unusual tire wear or if the vehicle starts “pulling” either to the left or right.
Unlike checking the air pressure in your tires and rotating them at the proper intervals, this is one task that you’ll have to have done by a garage or tire center since it requires specialized equipment and skills.
4 – Have your wheels balanced if you begin to notice a vibration in the steering wheel.
There are several things that can cause a wheel to get out of balance, but the result is almost always the same: Your steering wheel will vibrate and the tire that’s out of balance will experience unusual wear.
As with a wheel alignment, you’ll probably need to have your wheels balanced by a garage since it requires specialized equipment and skills.
The good news? It’ll only cost you a few bucks.
Bottom line: Replacing worn or damaged tires is a major expense. The tips mentioned above can help you put off your next tire purchase as long as possible.
To finish up, here’s another short video that explains eight ways to avoid costly repairs to your vehicle. Check it out!