Unfortunately, checking the tires isn’t part of people’s maintenance anymore so they’re usually just left until they start to damage. Most drivers only check things like their oil, and other components under the bonnet but the tire is usually missed. Performing maintenance on the tires is something that needs to be done and if not done it can lead to a lot of problems with the tire.
Another frustrating situation that can happen to drivers is a punctured tire. This can stop you in your tracks – luckily, tire punctures can easily be fixed with a rubber seal placed inside the tire. The location of the function will give you some clues as to whether you’ll repair it or replace it. It’s important that you’re checking if your tires need replacing because they’re the only thing connecting you to the ground.
Repairing Tire Tread Damage
There are different components that come with a tire and the parts that contact the tire are called the tread. The belts are made up of a few layers and this consists of rubber, fiberglass, steels, and rayon. The grooves within the tire tread allow the water in the tire to escape. On the side of the tire is the sidewall. Make sure that you know how to inspect tall parts of the tire for a puncture.
Sidewall Tire Damage – If the sidewall of the tire is damaged, you should stop driving and get the car to the dealership. It’s not recommended to continue driving with a damaged sidewall because this can damage the tire further – if you do have a damaged side, the best thing you can do is replace the tire. If you’re going to repair the sidewall damage, you need to be aware that the sidewall of software that the tread of the tire.
The sidewall is meant to absorb the shock that comes from the bumpy road. If the sidewall is damaged, the amount of shock that’s absorbed by the tire is limited – if you do notice any sidewall damage, it’s an unwritten rule to replace the whole tire. In most cases, the puncture is the sidewall will get worse if you leave them and this can cause an accident down the line.
Riding on a flat tire – If your tire has been punctured and you’re now driving on a flat tire, you need to stop the vehicle and head to your garage or the local dealership to get it replaced. Once a tire is deflating due to puncture, the tires have been worn out and the vehicle is no longer safe to drive. After you’ve noticed the flat tire, you should get yourself to a safer place that will allow you to inspect the tire.
If you continue to drive on a flat tire even if the tire isn’t completely flat, the rate of erosion will rapidly increase, and the tire will no longer be good enough to use. If you’re trying to salvage the tire by pumping it up each time you drive, the rate of ware will increase which means you’ll have to get it replaced sooner or later.
Puncture on Shoulder Tire – The shoulder is the part of the sidewall that needs the next. Once the shoulder starts to puncture, the wheel will need to be replaced because if you continue to drive with this puncture, more damage will be caused. If you notice that the tread separated from the rubber along the shoulder, the tire has been completely damaged, and you need to get it replaced.
Pinch shock – a pinch shock occurs when you’ve been driving on rough roads. If you find yourself driving on rocky terrain a lot, you should notice pinch shocks on the rubber. This is when the inner and outer rubber separates and starts to form bubbles. If you continue to drive with pinch shocks, the tire will start to burst. As soon as you notice bubbles in the rubber, it’s time to replace the tire. There’s no way this tire can be repaired.
Worn out – if the tire has been worn out, this just means that you’ve been using this same tire for too long and you need to get it replaced. A worn-out tire will occur for every driver if they haven’t changed their tire in years. You’ll start to notice that the tire’s surface has become very smooth meaning that it’s lost some of its grip to the road. You may also notice the steel rings poking out of the tire’s surface.
Dry rot – if you notice that there’s dryer rot, then your tires are pretty much used, and you’ll need to get them replaced. If you do not drive your vehicle often, you’re going to see that the tire has cracks, and the sidewall has started to rot. This means that the tires are not usable due to being unused for too long. Since there are cracks and the sidewall has started to rot, this means that air can start to escape out of the side. The rot and the cracking is caused by direct sunlight with the tire. To prevent this, you shouldn’t leave your vehicle out in the sun for too long without not driving it.
The tires are made up of polymers and this gets broken down when exposed to the sun for too long. This process takes a very long time to happen and it occurs over several years. If your tires haven’t been replaced for 5-10 years, you should expect some dry rot and other tire damaged. While in this situation, it’s important that you check the recommended tread length for your state. If the tread is below 0.16cm, this is an indication that the car is no longer allowed to be used on the rood due to the increased chance of it bursting too soon.
Nail and Glass and Other Stuff – as you drive along the road, many things can enter the vehicles tread. Since roads aren’t checked too often because of the number of moving cars, it’s not unusual that you’ll find sharp objects from the road inserted into your tire. If the tire isn’t punctured, these sharp objects have increased the amount of wear in this area meaning that the tires will be damaged overtime. If you notice that sharp objects have made their way in, it’s important that you check the tires often to make sure that they’re not punctured.
Impact Damage – impact damage happens when the tire has been damaged due to a lot of impacts. This could have been a pothole, hitting the curb, speed bump, or getting into an accident. This can be characterized by a bulge in the tire. This bulge increases the likelihood of the tire of failure due to an increased rate of wear over time. To prevent this type of damage, it’s important that you drive slowly over potholes, curbs, speed bumps, and other protruding objects.
You Need to Look After Your Tires!
The main reason why you’re going to notice a lot of issues with your tire is due to poor maintenance. There are a lot of maintenance techniques that need to be done on your tire in order to keep them in good condition. Failure to do this means that the rate of wear on the tire will be a lot more. You’ll notice that your tires get punctured often and the sidewall can fail easily.
If you want to tire problems or other issues and save $100s of dollars that you’ll spend at the auto repair shop, you’ll need to service your vehicle often – you can use our mechanic-rated Auto Maintenance and Repair Manual to do this. It’s basically what mechanics use to go through your vehicle to check if there are any problems that need fixing. As soon as they notice the most minor problem, they’ll ask you to fork out some money even though it’s a problem you can fix yourself in minutes – the manual will teach you how to maintain your vehicle every few thousand miles and it’ll teach you how to fix minor problems that mechanics will ask you to pay for; saving you money in the long run.
A lot of our readers have the Auto Maintenance and Repair Manual printed on their garage wall and 92% of them haven’t visited the auto repair shop in the last year because they know what to do to avoid problems. All it takes is giving your vehicle a little attention every few thousand miles and you’ll never spend money at the workshop again.
How to Check the Tires
There are a few things that you can do to make sure that your tires have a decreased rate of wear. These things will allow you to inspect the tire damage and make sure that you limit the amount of damage that’s done regularly.
Inspect tire
Sidewall damage – the first thing that you’ll need to do is inspect the tire. You’ll need to look at the inner sidewall and check for any missing pieces of rubber or deep abrasions. If there’s a bulge in the sidewall, this can be an indication that there’s a broken cord in the tire. If left unnoticed, this can lead to tire failure. Sidewall damage is likely to occur after impact with the road. If you’re not sure what you’re going with tires, this can easily be used at a dealership.
Worn tire tread – if you want to check if the tire tread is worn, you should check for grooves within the tire. These grooves should be 2/32nds of an inch. If the bridge is the same level of the tread, then the tire has too much wear and it’ll need to be replaced. If you want to measure the depth. You can use a penny and make sure that more than a quarter of the coin is not visible. If so, then you’ll need to get the tires replaced. Make sure that you check for uneven wear of the treat. This could be an indication that the suspension parts are worn, or the wheels are misaligned. To check for this, make sure that you’re rotating the wheel and checking for uneven pattern wear all over.
Check Tire Pressure and Adjust
When looking at your tires, you need to check that the tires are properly inflation. On modern vehicles, if your tires aren’t at the correct inflation, then the tire pressure monitoring system will let you know. This system is specifically there to let you know that there’s a problem with the tire pressure. When this happens, then you need to check the tire pressure immediately. You can use a tire pressure gauge (View on Amazon) to make sure that the tires are at the right pressure. If the TPMS light is one, you’ll know that the tires aren’t at the right pressure and they’re deflated. The TPMS will never come on for tires that are over inflated.
If they’re deflated, you need to look at the recommended tire pressure on the side of the door jamb or the owner’s manual. This will let you know the correct pressure you should be inflating the tires too. The pressure for all 4-wheel positions should be on the sticker located in the door frame on the driver’s side. If the tire pressure is too high, then you’ll need to let some air out and this can be done using the backside of the pressure gauge. If the pressure is too low, then you can visit the dealership to get it inflated at no cost in most dealerships. This is why it’s useful to have a tire pump (View on Amazon) because you can inflate the tire when you need to.