Car Tire Care 101: Pressure, Rotation and Alignment

Tire care is one of the most vital aspects of your car's safety and overall performance. Well-maintained tires provide better traction and handling, which are essential for your and your passengers' safety and controlled driving experience. They also improve fuel efficiency, extend the lifespan of your tires, and keep your vehicle running smoothly for years to come.

However, many drivers usually overlook proper tire care until a problem arises. Unfortunately, replacing the entire set of tires can be expensive, and failing to maintain your tires could lead to increased wear and tear, reduced grip, or even a dangerous blowout on the road. The good news is that proper tire care is quite easy. This guide will cover the three basics of vehicle tire care: pressure, rotation, and alignment.

Car tire pressure

Checking your tire pressure is an essential part of your car maintenance routine. It's recommended that you check it at least once a month and every time before embarking on a long drive. Every car has a recommended tire pressure rating, specified in pounds per square inch (PSI).

This rating determines the optimal pressure based on vehicle weight, handling characteristics, and fuel efficiency. Because car pressure varies between vehicles, you must know how much your car tire needs. This information is listed in the vehicle owner's manual and the driver's door jab sticker. Do not inflate tires based on the number shown on the tire's sidewall. This number indicates the maximum amount of air the tire can hold.

The recommended tire pressure for most passenger cars is 32 to 35 psi. You can use a gauge to measure, but the tires should be cold for accurate readings. This means the vehicle shouldn't have been driven for at least three hours or traveled more than a mile. The heat from driving can cause a temporary increase in pressure, leading to inaccurate readings.

How tire pressure impacts your driving experience

Nothing beats the fun and joy of driving down an open highway, feeling the wind softly blow through your hair. However, under the outwardly smooth ride lies a critical aspect that can greatly affect your driving experience: tire pressure. While driving with incorrectly inflated tires may seem minor, the reality is far more dangerous. Here are a few impacts of tire pressure on your driving experience.

Safety

Underinflated tires have a larger footprint on the road, increasing rolling resistance. This translates to lower handling, especially during sharp turns or emergency maneuvers. Furthermore, underinflated tires are more prone to blowouts, which can be dangerous at high speeds. This happens because the sidewalls bend and flex, exposing more surface area to the road and generating extra friction. The friction produces heat that causes the air within the tire to expand.

Conversely, overinflated tires have a smaller contact patch, reducing grip and increasing the risk of skidding on wet roads. In addition, the ride will feel "harder" and bouncier, meaning your comfort will assuredly be affected. In extreme cases, it can also lead to blowouts.

Fuel efficiency

Improper tire pressure directly affects fuel economy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, properly inflating car tires can improve fuel efficiency by up to 3.3%. However, underinflated tires create more drag, forcing the engine to work harder and burn more fuel. On the other hand, overinflated tires can slightly decrease fuel efficiency, offering less rolling resistance and creating a stiffer ride.

Tire wear

Unbalanced tire pressure compromises handling and leads to uneven wear on the tread. Underinflated tires wear down on the outer edges, while overinflated tires wear down in the center. This premature wear reduces the lifespan of your tires and necessitates earlier replacements.

How to check your tire pressure

Maintaining proper tire pressure can help prevent poor mileage, uneven tire wear, and tire blowouts. Here are a few easy steps on how to check your tire pressure.

• Remove the valve cover from the tire stem.
• Press a reliable tire pressure gauge rigidly onto the valve stem to obtain the reading.
• Compare the reading with the recommended pressure.
• If the pressure is low, inflate the tire using an air pump at a gas station or a home compressor.
• If the pressure is high, slowly release air by pressing the valve stem tool (usually on the end of the pressure gauge) for short bursts.
• Recheck the pressure and repeat steps 4 and 5 until you reach the recommended level.
• Remember to replace the valve cap after checking or adjusting the pressure.

Tire rotation

Your car's tires work tirelessly but don't all function the same way. Each tire tackles different tasks and experiences varying levels of wear. This is where tire rotation comes in. Tire rotation refers to periodically switching the positions of your tires to promote even wear and maximize their lifespan.

While all the tires move simultaneously, the front tires usually wear out faster due to the engine's weight. They are also responsible for steering and cornering, which puts additional strain on them compared to the rear tires. In some vehicles, the front tires can wear up to 2.5 times faster than the rear tires, with the left front tire taking more beating. However, rear-wheel drive vehicles experience the opposite.

Regular tire rotation ensures all tires wear at an even rate. This significantly extends their lifespan and helps maintain optimal fuel efficiency. Moreover, they provide better traction and grip, improving handling and overall driving experience and safety. On the contrary, unevenly worn tires can cause vibrations and affect vehicle stability, especially during maneuvers.

How often should you rotate your tires?

Vehicle manufacturers usually indicate the recommended tire rotation frequency on the user's manual. However, the general rule is to rotate your tires every 5,000 to 8,000 miles or coincide with other regular services such as oil change. Different car manufacturers might suggest their own time or mile-related guidelines. For instance, Subaru recommends tire rotation every 7,500 miles or 7.5 months, depending on what comes first.

Remember that driving habits, the road conditions you encounter, and tire type can also affect the frequency of the rotation. For this reason, you should check your car for signs indicating your tires need rotation sooner. These signs include:

• Noticeable differences in tread depth across different tire sections.
• Feeling a vibration in the steering wheel at certain speeds.
• If your car seems to pull to the left or right while driving straight. However, this could also be due to misalignment.
• Losing pressure at different rates could also mean your tires need rotation.

Tire alignment

Tire alignment adjusts the angles of your wheels relative to the road surface. Proper alignment ensures all four wheels roll in the same direction and properly contact the road. A new car's tires come properly aligned. However, hitting potholes, curbs, or speed bumps at high speed can bend or misalign suspension components, altering the angle of your wheels.

Why is tire alignment important?

Misaligned wheels can significantly impact your car's handling and stability. The vehicle might pull to one side while driving, making it difficult to maintain control, especially during emergencies or on slippery roads. Uneven tire wear caused by misalignment can also compromise traction and grip.

Misaligned wheels rub against the road at improper angles, leading to uneven wear of tires. This uneven wear can lead to vibration, significant noise, handling, and traction issues in your car.

Misaligned wheels can create drag, forcing the engine to work harder and burn more fuel to maintain speed. Proper alignment ensures optimal fuel efficiency.

A car with properly aligned wheels feels more planted on the road. Steering becomes more responsive and precise, leading to a more enjoyable driving experience.

How often should you align your tires?

There isn't a universally recommended timeframe for a car tire alignment. Some car manufacturers recommend getting an alignment coinciding with every tire rotation, while some experts recommend once a year or every 10000 miles, whichever comes first.

While these timelines are ideal, you may need to align your wheels more often depending on the kind of terrain you drive on. For instance, if you usually drive on a road with many potholes, you may need to align them sooner. The important thing is knowing the signs of misalignment, which include pulling or drifting when driving on a straight road, a vibrating steering wheel, tires squealing when cornering, or the steering failing to centralize after a turn.

Summing it up

Proper tire care is necessary to acquire maximum wear from the wheels and to ensure your safety on the road. Luckily, caring for your vehicle tires isn’t that complicated; you just need to know what to look for. Use the appropriate pressure gauge to check your tire pressure at least once a month and before any long road trip. In addition, ensure you rotate your car tires at recommended intervals and do wheel alignments as needed.

While traditional auto insurance can help cover the costs associated with most car repairs, it doesn't include tasks like oil, belt, or tire changes. That means you have to pay for any repair or replacement of your tires damaged by road hazards, including but not limited to tire rotation.