Car tire safety is no joke. The amount of knowledge that you have about basic tire care and how well you end up maintaining your car tires has a direct effect on your safety as well as the performance of your vehicle – right from repair costs to fuel efficiency. Here are some quick and useful tips for car tire safety:

1. Check the tire air pressure

When you maintain proper air pressure, it not only minimizes fuel consumption but also extends the longevity of your car tires. Test the tires at home every month using a tire pressure gauge, or head to your local tire retailer – most of them check tire pressures for free. The correct air pressure amount for your car tires can be found on the loading information placard on the driver’s side door jamb, on your tire, or in your owner’s manual. Make sure to check all tires no matter how they look. Since air pressure builds as tires heat up, the tire air pressure should always be checked cold.

2. Check tire tread

Bald tires could cause you to lose control of the car as they lose their grip on dry road surfaces; tires need to be checked for sufficient tread depth every month. The most certain way to do this is the penny test, where you need to place a penny on each of the tires’ vertical grooves with Lincoln’s head facing up. If the crown of Lincoln’s head still appears , you need to get new tires.

3. Different tire rotation patterns

Tires need to be rotated, which can be done in one of several ways:

• Getting the rear tires in the front and the front ones to the back and switching them.
• Switching the tires diagonally.
• Getting the front tires to the back and the rear tires to the front.

Doing this helps prevent irregular wear and tear of the tires, increases fuel efficiency, and boosts the longevity of your wheels. Usually, tires need to be rotated every 5,000 to 6,000 miles, or sooner if the use of the car is more.

4. Tire balancing and wheel alignment

Tire balancing is important as it ensures that the tires roll smoothly, minimizing road vibration and giving you a comfortable ride. Also, a qualified technician should be installing new tires, especially when you only buy two and not four. Wheel alignments are important as they ensure that the tires travel in a straight line.

5. Checking for irregular wear

Over some time, all tires tend to wear down, suffering from loss of tread and more. Check for irregular wear patterns such as over-inflation, underinflation, flat-spot wear (due to sudden braking), cupping, and feathering (caused by worn-out suspensions and aggressive cornering respectively).

6. Matching replacement tires

When tires on the car need to be replaced, you need to buy identical tires for accurate performance between the vehicle and the tires.

Don’t forget to replace your spare, don’t just rely on your tire pressure monitoring system for alerts about tires, and remember to drive patiently.