Tires are expensive. Here are 4 tips for making yours last as long as possible

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 (commonly referred to as “tire 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 tire pressure gauge and about 5 minutes of your time. (Be sure to get a digital gauge because they are much easier to use and read)

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!

Just check the air pressure when the tires are cold and 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.

Important: Don’t inflate the tire to the pressure that’s listed on the side of the tire because that’s number is the maximum safe air pressure that the tire can withstand without incurring a failure. Always inflate your tires to the pressure listed on the label inside the driver’s side door jam.

Also important: Don’t depend on your vehicle’s “Check Air Pressure” warning to alert you when the air pressure needs to be adjusted because the upper and lower range of that check can vary widely among vehicles.

In case you’re wondering how often you need to check your car’s tire pressure, a least once per month is a good rule of thumb.

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 (and safely) do it yourself if you know how. Here’s a short video that demonstrates the procedure:

3 – Take your vehicle in for an alignment every two years (or more often if circumstances suggest that you should).

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, if the vehicle starts “pulling” either to the left or right or if you happen to run over a curb or a large object that’s laying in the road.

Unlike checking the air pressure in your tires and rotating them at the proper intervals, an alignment one task that you’ll almost certainly 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 an 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.

Like this post? If so, check out the archives for lots more.

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