4 Tire Service Tips!
The tires on your car take a beating every time you drive, just like a pair of shoes. This isn't a sign of bad driving but rather an inevitable fact of life. They get old and worn down, so don't forget to have regular tire service to keep them rolling along smoothly. Tire failure while you're driving can be catastrophic--causing your car to go out of control or leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Before something goes wrong is the time to take care of any needed tire repair.
Here are four tire service tips you can do yourself to make sure you keep rolling safely down the road:
- Check Tread Depth – Don't let the tread on your tires fall below 1/16 of an inch (1.6 millimeters). Twice that much is even better if you regularly drive on slick, wet surfaces. There's an old trick that will give you a rough idea of how much tread depth you have left. Take a Lincoln-head penny and insert Abe's head (head-down) into the tread. If his entire head remains visible, you don't have enough tread. Today's newer tires have tread-wear indicator bars built in. As the tread wears down, these bars gradually begin to appear as flat rubber bars running perpendicular to the direction of the tread. It's time to see about purchasing new tires if the bars are starting to appear on any or all of your tires.
- Look for Cracks in the Sidewall - Do a visual check of the sidewall for tracks or cuts. They may indicate a leak (or worse, you're headed to a blow out). If the cracks are looking serious, get to a tire repair shop as soon as possible.
- Check for Bulges and Blisters – When the outer surface of the tire begins to weaken, bulges and blisters can show up, extending outward from the rest of the surface. This is a weak spot susceptible to a sudden blow out. To make sure you don't endanger yourself, your passengers, and other motorists with a blow-out on the freeway, make sure you have a tire repair service performed as soon as you notice it.
- Feeling Too Much Vibration - A certain amount of vibration while driving is normal. If you're an experienced driver, you will know how much vibration feels right and how much means that something's going wrong. There can be a number of causes for the vibration--misaligned or unbalanced tires, shock absorbers starting to wear out, or an internal problem in the tire itself. Too much vibration is almost always a sign that something is wrong.
Needing a quality tire repair? Contact our ASE Certified Technicians at Clausen Automotive by calling (608) 221-8321 or go on-line at https://www.clausenautomotive.com for more information about tire service. Since 1975, our family-owned auto shop has proudly served vehicle owners in Madison, WI, and surrounding communities.
The tires on your car take a beating every time you drive, just like a pair of shoes. This isn't a sign of bad driving but rather an inevitable fact of life. They get old and worn down, so don't forget to have regular tire service to keep them rolling along smoothly. Tire failure while you're driving can be catastrophic--causing your car to go out of control or leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere. Before something goes wrong is the time to take care of any needed tire repair.
Here are four tire service tips you can do yourself to make sure you keep rolling safely down the road:
- Check Tread Depth – Don't let the tread on your tires fall below 1/16 of an inch (1.6 millimeters). Twice that much is even better if you regularly drive on slick, wet surfaces. There's an old trick that will give you a rough idea of how much tread depth you have left. Take a Lincoln-head penny and insert Abe's head (head-down) into the tread. If his entire head remains visible, you don't have enough tread. Today's newer tires have tread-wear indicator bars built in. As the tread wears down, these bars gradually begin to appear as flat rubber bars running perpendicular to the direction of the tread. It's time to see about purchasing new tires if the bars are starting to appear on any or all of your tires.
- Look for Cracks in the Sidewall - Do a visual check of the sidewall for tracks or cuts. They may indicate a leak (or worse, you're headed to a blow out). If the cracks are looking serious, get to a tire repair shop as soon as possible.
- Check for Bulges and Blisters – When the outer surface of the tire begins to weaken, bulges and blisters can show up, extending outward from the rest of the surface. This is a weak spot susceptible to a sudden blow out. To make sure you don't endanger yourself, your passengers, and other motorists with a blow-out on the freeway, make sure you have a tire repair service performed as soon as you notice it.
- Feeling Too Much Vibration - A certain amount of vibration while driving is normal. If you're an experienced driver, you will know how much vibration feels right and how much means that something's going wrong. There can be a number of causes for the vibration--misaligned or unbalanced tires, shock absorbers starting to wear out, or an internal problem in the tire itself. Too much vibration is almost always a sign that something is wrong.
Needing a quality tire repair? Contact our ASE Certified Technicians at Clausen Automotive by calling (608) 221-8321 or go on-line at https://www.clausenautomotive.com for more information about tire service. Since 1975, our family-owned auto shop has proudly served vehicle owners in Madison, WI, and surrounding communities.
