How to Make Your Tires Last Longer

How you treat your tires will determine how long they last. Treating them well is better for your car, and better for your wallet. So how do you make your tires last longer? Well to get those long-life tires you want, you’ll need to take certain precautions.

To help you get the most out of your tires, the service team at Galaxy Toyota has written this guide for you to consult. We’ll go into depth about how to help you and other drivers in the Freehold area keep your tires in top shape. Learn more about how to make your tires last longer below and call our tire center if you still have questions.

What Wears Your Tires’ Treads?

You can identify what’s wearing your tires by observing their wear patterns. Different wear patterns indicate different issues with your vehicle:

• Inner & Outer Tread Wear: Also known as “toe wear” or “camber wear,” excess wear on the inner or outer part of the tire often points to tire misalignment.
• Center Wear: The tire is probably overinflated. Check your owner’s manual for the correct PSI.
• Edge Wear: This is the opposite of center wear. Your tire is probably underinflated.
• Cupping Wear: Cupping wear is wear that looks like a series of diagonal lines on your tire. It’s indicative of a serious issue with your vehicle’s suspension system. You should schedule service with us as soon as possible.
• Patchy Wear: If the wear on your tires looks like a bunch of patches, they tires are likely out of balance. You will need to schedule service to resolve this issue.

Long Life Tire Tips

Get long life tires by incorporating the following into your regular maintenance:

1. Check Your Tire Pressure Monthly – Your tires can lose up to a pound per square inch of air pressure each month. It’s best to keep them at the correct levels using your Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). Since air pressure is affected by temperature, changing seasons will also affect your tire pressure. In the winter, they could lose more and the summer will cause them to gain more.
2. Rotate Your Tires Every 5,000 Miles – Tires don’t wear evenly, and this is especially true for models with all-wheel drive. Rotating your tires allows the ones that work hardest to take a break.
3. Get Your Tires Balanced – Once you have your tires rotated, get them balanced as well. If more weight is distributed to any one wheel than the others, there could be uneven wear on your tires.
4. Check the Vehicle Alignment Twice Yearly – Wheel misalignment causes tires to wear out a lot faster. This is easy to notice because the steering wheel will probably shake as you drive. Wheel misalignment can happen over time, or from a small accident like hitting the edge of a curb or a pothole.

How Long Can You Use a Spare Tire?

If you have a tire go flat on the road to Toms River, or find yourself in any other situation where a tire becomes unusable, it’s necessary to know how long you can drive with a spare tire. First you need to identify what type of spare tire you have. Then you can determine how long you can drive:

• Full-Size spare tire: You may safely drive with this tire, but get it changed as soon as you can. It’s probably not the same brand as your other tires, which can cause damage over time.
• Space saver or “donut” spare tire: Drive no farther than 70 miles and don’t go faster than 50 mph.
• Run-flat spare tire: If your vehicle has run-flat tires instead of an extra spare, you can drive about 50 miles after the tire is punctured.

What’s most important is that, no matter what type of spare tire you have, you should get your tire replaced as soon as possible after it’s been damaged.

Come to Galaxy Toyota and Have Your Tires Checked

It doesn’t matter if you need new tires, or if you just want to maintain your current ones, here at Galaxy Toyota our service center is happy to help. We’re proud to have one of the best tire centers in the Long Branch area. Don’t forget to check out our service specials to make your trip more affordable and learn what to do after a car accident and  see why your steering wheel may be shaking. Contact us today!