Introduction
Spending your hard-earned money on tires can be disheartening, especially when the tires are getting damaged too often. Worry no more! There are multiple ways to prolong tire life and prevent uneven wear and tear of vehicle tires.
Completely stopping the wear and tear of tires is impossible but you can always prolong the tire life by following proper care routine and maintenance procedures. Let’s find out the average life span of vehicle tires and how to prolong the tire life with everyday care.
Best Maintenance Tips to Prolong Tire Life
Tires need to be in healthy condition to bear the weight of the vehicle and friction of the road without getting damaged. It is recommended not to compromise the regular maintenance routine. Let’s find out how to extend tire life with these tips:
1. Rotate Tires Regularly
Rotating your vehicle’s tires regularly is a maintenance tip you can follow to prolong the tire life. This is because the wear and tear rates of front and rear tires differ from each other. In front-wheel drive, the forward set of tires wear and tear more than the rear ones. The rear wheel drive vehicle put extra stress on the rear set of tires, causing more wear and tear.
Rotating the tires will promote even wear and tear in all tires and increase the lifespan to some extent. You can rotate the tires in different ways, such as forward cross, rearward cross, or X pattern. It is recommended to rotate the tires every 5000 miles to reduce uneven wear and tear rates.
2. Alignment is a Must!
You cannot prolong the tire life without having your wheels aligned at least twice a year. If you’re experiencing the vehicle drifting or moving towards one side, chances are that the tires have been worn out from that side severely. Even minor misalignment caused by hitting your tires against a pothole, parking lot barrier, or footpath can cause uneven wear and tear of tires.
Make sure to get your wheel checked for alignment errors, i.e., tires look toed-in or toed-out every six months to not only prolong the life span of tires but to improve fuel efficiency.
3. Check Tire Pressure
Tire pressure should be checked regularly. Vehicle tires can lose air pressure due to various reasons, such as extreme weather conditions, driving into potholes, leakage, and even osmosis. On average, tires can lose air pressure at about 1-3 PSI per month due to stated issues. More pressure drop can be a sign of abnormality and damage to the tires if the vehicle is driven in that state.
Apart from checking the pressure manually after a few hundred miles, you can also invest in the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), which automatically checks the tire pressure and generates a warning alarm when air pressure becomes too low or too high.
4. Have Wheels Balanced
Wheel balancing also plays a major role in increasing the lifespan of tires. Wheel balancing involves applying weights on the rims to ensure even load distribution and avoid uneven wear and tear of tires. It is always recommended to balance your wheels every time you rotate them to prolong the tire life.
5. Good Driving Habits
Good driving habits can also prolong the tire life. If you’re a person who likes to press the accelerator immediately after braking or push the brakes suddenly, tires will wear and tear quickly.
Aggressive driving puts tires under extra stress, which can decrease their lifespan. It is recommended to drive gently and press the accelerator and brakes slowly for a smooth driving experience.
6. Careful Parking and Avoiding Potholes
You might be wondering what careful parking and potholes have to do with the tire life! Hitting the parking barrier can affect the wheel alignment, which can promote uneven tire wear and tear. Moreover, scrapping the tires along the curb while parallel parking can damage the sidewalls. Damaging the sidewalls can decrease tire life as this area is not protected by the tire treads, and it is easier to get damaged.
Every pothole damages automobile tires, but asphalt roads are considered the most destructive. Hitting your vehicle’s tires against the pothole on an asphalt road can flex and stretch a tire, causing it to puncture or tear.
7. Off-Roading & Gravel Roads
If you want your vehicle tires to run longer, avoid off-roading experiences and driving on gravel-covered dirt roads. The gravel on the dirt can damage the tire treads unless you have the off-roading tires installed. It is recommended to opt for the best mud tires or off-roading tires, depending on the terrain type.
Understanding Tire Life | Average LifeSpan of Tires
As per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), vehicle tires must be replaced after every 6-10 years timespan or 50,000 miles drive. However, the average life span of vehicle tires depends on multiple factors, such as the weather or climate of the region, driving habits, road conditions, and more.
If your vehicle’s tires are wearing out too soon, i.e., within 2-3 years, you’ll need to follow the maintenance tips and practice a proper care routine to prolong the tire life span.
Conclusion
You cannot control the road quality and potential damage through debris and potholes, but you can do a few things on your end to prolong tire life. Make sure to check tire pressure regularly, have wheels aligned and balanced to prevent uneven wear and tear, and practice good driving habits to keep your tires healthy and intact for a longer period.
Moreover, choosing the right tires also plays a major role. For example, driving off-road with highway tires can damage the sidewalls and treads quickly. We hope that you can save some money by prolonging tire life with these maintenance tips.
