The best part about living in California is that although temperatures can get a little cold, they are nowhere near as cold as they are in other parts of the country. Now that fall is in the air, you can do a few different things so your tires don’t get too low, pop, or just fail fast.
In between a big football game or a fall lager, don’t forget to take care of your car’s tires. Let’s take a closer look at a few things that you can do.
- Check Your Tire Pressure
When the temperature drops about 20 degrees (even over the span of a month or two), you may notice that your tires are a bit low. To make sure that you don’t drive on flat tires this fall, make sure that you check your tire pressure. If your tires are low on air, you should fill them up as soon as possible.
But before you drive to your local gas station and add too little or too much air to your tires, we have a few tips for you.
Step 1: First things first, make sure that you check how much pressure your car’s tires need. To do this, look at the inside of your driver’s side door, and it should tell you how many pounds per square inch (PSI) your specific car needs.
Step 2: Slowly fill your tires up and measure the PSI every 10 seconds or so to make sure that they don’t get too full.
If your car has an automatic tire pressure sensor in it, a professional may need to turn it off, or if you are too nervous to check the pressure on your own, don’t hesitate to take it into a professional tire shop.
- Have Your Tires Rotated
To make sure your tires last all the way through fall and winter, you should have them rotated. Typically, with an all-wheel drive car, you rotate the tires from the front to the back and from the back to the front.
The main goal in rotating your tires is to ensure that they wear down evenly. When tires are uneven, they can get slick and may not have enough traction on a wet, slippery road. Also, when they are uneven, you are more likely to get a flat tire.
- Check Your Tire Tread
When you have your tires rotated, the tread will also be inspected to make sure that it is thick enough. Over time, the tread on your tires naturally wears down. Although you may be fine with low tread on your tires during the summer, when it starts raining more outside, low tread can be dangerous because the water has nowhere to go which can make the road extra slippery to drive on.
An easy way for you to check the tread on your tires from home is to use the penny test. To do this, simply take a penny and insert it in between the ribs on the tire with Lincoln’s head facing down. If you can see his entire head, then this is a sign that you need new tires. If, however, a lot of his head is still hidden, then you should be good to drive on them for a little bit longer.
With the temperatures starting to get cooler, don’t get into a rut with your tires. The last thing that you want to do is end up on the side of the road with a flat, low, or popped tire.
Call our Evans Tire & Service Centers’ office to schedule your next tire rotation or inspection.
