What Maintenance Do My Tires Need?
If you ignore tire maintenance, you could find yourself replacing your vehicle’s tires sooner rather than later. Tires can be expensive to replace, and replacing them can be a big inconvenience.
Unless you have an air compressor and a lift, it isn’t easy to check the tire condition yourself and do maintenance. It’s a good idea to check and rotate tires each time you get an oil change or every 7,000 miles (whichever comes first).
Here’s a list of tire maintenance to make your tires last longer.
1. Tire Balancing
If you’ve ever experienced a steering wheel shake at around 55 mph or higher, your vehicle’s tires were out of balance.
When putting new tires on your car, the mechanic balances them with weights crimped onto the edge of the rim. The weights can fall off if you hit a bump or pothole or if you rub a curb, and it will cause the tire to roll unevenly.
This is a safety issue—the tire doesn’t have as good contact with the road as it should.
So, if you notice a shaking or shimmy in the steering wheel at higher speeds, bring your vehicle to Little Wolf Automotive in Plover, WI for tire balancing.
2. Tire Rotation
Even when everything is perfectly fine with your car’s steering and suspension, note that the vehicle’s tires wear. Depending on the placement of the tire, it wears differently than the other tires.
When you bring your vehicle in for an oil change at Little Wolf Automotive in Plover, WI, we can rotate the tires (for example, move the front tire to a back position) while your vehicle is on the lift.
Tire rotation may sound simple. Nonetheless, it’s an essential tire maintenance task. If your tires are never rotated, you will eventually see different wear patterns. Rotating the tires allows the tires to have even wear.
3. Tire Pressure
Having the proper tire pressure—not more or less— is important.
Too low, and more tire tread will be in contact with the road while driving, leading to fast wearing.
Too high tire pressure is also not better. Your tires will be firmer (giving a bumpier ride) or have less traction (making driving in inclement weather challenging).
Unfortunately, many drivers never bother to check the pressure until the tire becomes flat or the tire pressure monitoring system sets off.
It’s best to stick to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. You should also inspect the tires at least every month, use a tire pressure gauge (a simple one will do), or have Little Wolf Automotive in Plover, WI do the checks.
Contact Little Wolf Automotive for Tire Maintenance and Other Services in Plover, WI
Stop by Little Wolf Automotive if you need tire maintenance (have your tires checked, balanced, rotated, or aligned). We are conveniently located at 2550 Plover Road, Plover, WI 54467. You can also call us at (715) 883-5111 or fill out this appointment form.
