Tire Safety, Can You See Abe's Head?

When you think of new tires for your car, what do you think of?  Some of you may think of regular maintenance, some may sigh and wish those tires would have lasted a little bit longer, and some of you may feel like it's Christmas when those new tires are put on, balanced, and smelling of rubber.

A couple of months ago, I bought new tires for my vehicle, and for probably the first 3 months, my neighbor's son, would come over and sniff my tires whenever he saw me, because he loved the rubber smell.  I have to admit, I don't get that excited about new tires.

Have you thought about how important it is to have good tires on your car or truck?  Your entire vehicle is literally riding on those tires, and not only do you want to be sure your car's engine and other systems are running properly, you also want to be sure that your tires are in good repair.

Take a few minutes and run through the following checklist to ascertain what conditions your tires are in:

• Check the tire pressure. If you aren't sure what the tire pressure should be, look in your owner's manual or in the door jam of your driver door.  Always be sure to check your tire pressure before going on long trips.
• Look for wear and tear on the tires.  Also check to see how low the tread is.  This can be done, by inserting a penny in the tread's groove with Lincoln's head upside down and facing you.  If you can see all of Lincoln's head, it's time to change those tires!
• Be sure that the valve caps are on each tire's valve.
• Do not overload your vehicle.  
• When towing, remember that some of the weight of the load will also be put on the towing vehicles' tires as well.
• Slow down when you see potholes or speed bumps.

At one time or another, you will need new tires on your vehicle.  If you have any questions about whether you car is in need of new tires, or where you can take your car, please give us a call, or stop by.  We would love to help keep your tires and vehicle road and trust-worthy.