Do Bad Road Wear Tires Faster?

There are several reasons your vehicle tires may need to be replaced sooner rather than later. It’s important to know that when it comes to tire wear and auto repair in New Palestine, IN, a bad road surface is not the only possible culprit. Here are some of the most common things that cause your tires to wear down faster.

Gravel roads

Unless you’re purposely sliding around on regular road pavement all the time, it’s the gravel roads that will take a toll on your vehicle’s tires. The loose pieces of stones on gravel roads are extremely abrasive on tires. It’s like taking a giant sheet of sand paper and sanding down your tires. Furthermore, there’s a lot of slippage and friction between your tire tread and gravel roads. This particular problem is not as serious on normal paved roads.

The way to tell whether you have gravel road tire damage is to look at the type of damage on your tire grooves and tread. Chipping of the tires happens when small, jagged gravel stones get wedged between tire grooves.

Wheel alignment is off

If your vehicle’s wheel alignment is out of whack, then your wheels are not pointing in the direction they are supposed to. This causes tire scrub, which is when the tire moves slightly sideways when in motion. The result is excessive wear on one tire or more, as well as possible steering wheel pulling. Visit your auto mechanic if you suspect your wheel alignment is off.

Improper tire inflation

Your car tires must be inflated to the pressure set by the manufacturer. Otherwise, your tire tread is likely to wear out more quickly or unevenly. Additionally, proper tire inflation allows your tires to handle important things, like the weight of the vehicle, hard braking and weight distribution when making turns. If the tires are not inflated properly, then simply braking or turning in certain directions can wear your vehicle’s tire tread more quickly. Consult your owner’s manual for specific tire inflation guidelines, or ask your mechanic to check and inflate them.

Certain driving patterns

The way you drive your vehicle will certainly have an effect on how quickly your tires wear down. These driving patterns include hard braking, fast acceleration, fast driving speeds and spinning your tires (“peeling out”). City driving, as opposed to highway driving, can take a toll on your tire tread in no time. You can increase the lifespan of your tires by avoiding slamming on the brakes or accelerator.

Steering system issues

The steering system, if worn out or loose, can put a lot of wear on your front tires. Although it’s called a steering system, the steering components not only allow you to turn your vehicle, but also hold the front wheels in a stable alignment regardless of which direction the steering wheel is pointed. Unsteady wheels can shake, causing scrubbing over the surface of the road and leading to excessive wear.

If you need new tires or are in the market for auto repair in New Palestine, IN, call Auto Air & Heating, Inc. today!

Categorised in: Auto Repair in New Palestine

This post was written by Writer