Keeping your car tires in good shape keeps you safe on the road, so it’s important to know how to take care of your wheels. This includes annual services, as well as monthly checks you can do at home, to ensure your vehicle wheels stay effective for a long time. Wilson Tire & Auto in Nashville has put together an easy to follow guide so you know exactly what your tires need.
Annual Tire Services
Similar to how other parts of a car need annual maintenance — oil changes and inspections for example — tires also require yearly care. This includes tire rotations and wheel alignments, as well as checking in on their age. You can find the age written on the sidewall of each wheel; look for the letters DOT, followed by a series of digits. The last four digits indicate the week and year the tire was made. So if your tire says 4522, it means the wheel was made in the 45th week of 2022. Most manufacturers recommend replacing your tires every 6 years.
A tire rotation involves removing them from the vehicle and rotating them around the car one spot clockwise or counterclockwise before putting them on the car again. This prevents any one tire from taking more wear and tear than the others from driving your usual routine. (Side note: we are currently offering a free tire rotation and vehicle inspection with our full synthetic oil change. For a limited time only. See our Specials page.) Wheel alignments also adjust for uneven wear on tire treads. It is a process to straighten out any odd angles in how the tire sits on the suspension.
Monthly
On top of the annual services, every Nashville driver should be doing monthly, at-home checks of their tires to keep an eye out for problems. These include visual inspections — look for cracks, bulges, and punctures — for damage, air pressure checks, and measuring tread depth. Tread depth can be measured with a ruler, the built-in tread indicators, or even a penny. And, when doing these inspections, don’t forget to do the same for your spare tire as well. It would be unfortunate to need your spare tire, only for it to have no air pressure.
Additional Tire Care
On top of the usual checks and services, a good way to keep your tires in good condition is to drive safely and carefully. Avoid driving over potholes whenever possible, and try to minimize hard stops and starts. Jostling your tires against potholes or curbs can knock them out of alignment, while the rough braking can wear the tires down faster.
Wilson Tire & Auto knows all about tires, and is happy to help maintain or replace all the wheels in Nashville to keep us all driving safe. If you have questions about tire care, need a maintenance service, or want to know what tires are best for your car, we’re here for you.
