Video Tips for How To Maintain Your Car Tires
September 26th, 2009 • Filed Under•64 views
Video Tips for How To Maintain Your Car Tires—Just like airplanes or human relationships, tires need frequent maintenance.
How To Maintain Your Car Tires
- Tips:If you don’t have a depth gauge, insert a quarter—with Washington is head-first—into the tread. If reaches the top of his noggin, you’re good to go.
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Comment by
2nd Commander on 26 September 2009:
How do I maintain my car tires? How do I check pressure?
some questions about tires. i’m always self concious about my tires, if it’s unaligned or not after running over small things… or if my tires have enough air or pressure or whatever. i know very little about cars. i’m gonna take a basic auto class soon, but i need your advices.
so does the tires lose pressure by itself? i live in california where it’s hot. so what am i supose to do? how do i take care of tires? when do i check? how do i check? and how often do you guys do stuff to ur tires? like fill up the pressure? or with air. i don’t get it. at all. education me.
[Reply]
September 26th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
A decent set of tires (does not include used tires) will hold their pressure almost indefinitely. There is typically some normal loss of pressure as time passes but this is more typical on a vehicle that sits in a storage like setting more than it is driven. Driving the car seems to keep the bond between the tire bead and wheel (rims) more “solid”.
Normal loss of pressure, a few pounds, is much like a balloon where the air molecules can escape through the rubber membrane and other slightly imperfect seals like the tire bead and valve stem.
A good rule of thumb is to have the tire pressure checked when you have any service done to your car like an oil change. Since most people have between two and four oil changes a year this is an adequate frequency to have your tire pressure checked.
If you run over things in the road or you plan on taking a trip then it is advisable to check the tires for damage and pressure so you don’t take a low tire or two on a long trip and have it go flat on you.
You can buy a relatively inexpensive pressure gauge and keep it in your glove box so you can check the pressure every so often yourself. I do not recommend any of those 99 cent pressure gauges as most of those are inaccurate and do not give proper readings. I’ve seen tires with 80 PSI in them and these 99 cent gauges read 20-30 PSI. The recommended tire pressure for your car should be posted on a sticker on the inside of the drivers door jam. The tires will also have a maximum tire pressure listed on the sidewall and you can put either the recommended pressure listed on the door jam sticker or the maximum pressure listed on the side of the tire. If you want the best miles per gallon then the higher pressure listed on the tire will help you achieve this. I prefer the higher pressure since I know that some air can leak out of the tire and I’ll still be good to go.
As far as rotating your tires and wheel alignments, you can rotate the tires every year and have the alignment checked every two years. If you feel an obvious pul to the right or left while driving down the Interstate then you can take it in to have it checked. Just tell them what you feel and what feels wrong or different to you. A good alignment will last for several years unless you hit some of those bomb crater sized pot-holes.
Good Luck!
[Reply]
September 26th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
The first thing is to get a tire pressure gauge at an automotive store. They don’t cost much.
Then check for the correct air pressure for your tires. It will be listed in your owner’s manual or posted on a door jamb.
Unscrew the cap from the tire valve stem. Place the gauge over the stem and press down. The gauge will now read the pressure that is in your tires. If they are low, then go to a gas station and get them aired up.
I try to check my tires every time I get into the truck. I look them over to see if they look low. Check the actual pressure when the tires are cool, or before you start driving. Do this at least monthly or whenever you might think that they are low.
Good luck.
PS. Don’t forget to rotate the tires every time you change the oil. If not, then at least every other time the oil gets changed.
[Reply]