When Your Tires Are Fine, The Stars Align
Driving provides a great deal of freedom. But you aren’t going to get very far if your tires aren’t functioning properly. Your vehicle is a complex machine with a variety of systems that need to work cohesively for optimal performance. When your tires fail to work, driving can become difficult and dangerous. Getting Ann Arbor auto service for your car’s tires is key to maintaining your safety and comfort on the road. Without it, you’ll have more difficulty maneuvering around obstacles and avoiding collisions.
Ways Your Tires Could Lose Performance
Keeping your tires well-maintained means providing better grip and movement on the road. Tires can suffer from a variety of damages and other instances that can weaken their performance. Understanding why your tires aren’t working as they should can help you and your Ann Arbor auto service mechanic get your vehicle back in working condition.
Low PSI
Tires are filled with highly compressed air that keeps them rigid and strong. When the air pressure is low, tires not only fail to react to movement in time, but they also lose their durability. This opens them up to more potential damage that can render them unrepairable.
The PSI (pounds per square inch) of a tire is a measurement of how much air pressure there is supporting your vehicle. Each tire will have its own recommended PSI value, which is the minimum PSI needed to keep your car operating efficiently when carrying its maximum load. Most tires tend to lose an average of one PSI a month, meaning you’ll have to refill your tires with air every now and then to keep them running. PSI also tends to fluctuate regularly in cold temperatures, so checking your tire’s air pressure during the winter is crucial.
However, drastic drops in PSI and continuous loss of air pressure often indicate a bigger problem with your vehicle. Most cases of tire damage can easily create a leak that continuously drops your PSI. If you do notice your air pressure changing irregularly, it’s a good idea to get Ann Arbor auto service for repairs or replacements.
Low Tread
The grooves in your tire treads are designed specifically to help with grip and speed while driving. Over time, continuous friction on the ground wears away at the rubber on your tires. Consistent wear is normal and to be expected, but irregular or excessive tread wear is cause for concern.
Photo by Robert Laursoo on Unsplash
You can check how worn your tires are by using the penny test. To do this, you take a penny and place it between the raised portions of your tire’s tread with Lincoln’s head pointing down. The goal is to see how much of his head is covered up. If none of his head is covered, or just a small portion of the top is, then your tire treads are too worn out.
You will also want to keep an eye out for abnormalities in tread wear. Checking each tire at multiple points can help you determine if the wear and tear are normal or if there are spots with additional damage. Uneven tread wear is often an indication that there’s something else wrong with your vehicle, such as your wheels being out of alignment.
Misalignment
The actual tires themselves aren’t the only thing you have to worry about when it comes to maneuvering. The tires are just one part of your greater wheel and suspension system. And if there’s a problem with another part of the system, your tires can be greatly affected.
Wheel alignment is a crucial aspect of the tire system that keeps everything straight and in order. If your wheels are out of alignment, this can put additional stress on one side of your car, which will cause those tires to wear away even faster. Getting a wheel alignment check at your next Ann Arbor auto service appointment can help keep your tires even and durable.
How Ann Arbor Auto Service Can Help Your Tires
When your tires are damaged or malfunctioning, you can’t maneuver your car effectively. This leaves you at risk of accidents and collisions that can have dire consequences. Getting Ann Arbor auto service for your tires can help avoid these dangerous situations and keep you and your car safe.
Tire Repair
Many minor damages to tires can be patched up and fixed easily enough. Small cuts in the center of the tire tread don’t pose much danger to your wheels or rims. As a result, your mechanic can patch the damaged rubber and send you on your way. However, it’s important to note that not all damages can be fixed so easily. If the cut is extensive or too close to the edge of the tire, repairs could damage other parts of your vehicle.
Tire Replacement
Getting new tires is an eventuality you should account for. Even if they don’t suffer damage directly, most tires will lose too much tread over the years to be effective. Having your tires replaced can be expensive. However, it’s necessary to maintain your safety and the safety of others on the road.
Wheel Alignment and Suspension Repair
Every hard bump in the road can slightly jostle your suspension system. And given enough jostles, it’s likely to sustain substantial damage. But with out-of-alignment wheels or a broken suspension system, your tires take the brunt of the force. While they’ll still run properly for a while, they will eventually degrade over time. Having aligned wheels and repaired suspension can prevent further costly damages.
Complete Ann Arbor Auto Service
At Complete Auto Service, we’re dedicated to keeping drivers and their vehicles safe on the road. Tire damage often results in the loss of maneuverability and reaction time, which leaves your car vulnerable to accidents. With our Ann Arbor auto service appointments, we thoroughly inspect your tires and wheel alignment to ensure your ride is safe. Need tire inspection or repair in Ann Arbor? You can book an appointment online or give us a call at 734-665-2533.