Make Sure Your Tires Are Ready for Winter!

Preparing your vehicle for the winter entails taking care of a variety of different things, like changing your oil, inspecting your belts and ensuring you have enough antifreeze. One of the items on your checklist that shouldn’t be overlooked, though, is the condition of your tires. Continue reading to learn about the importance of tire health from a mechanic in New Palestine, IN.

Reasons to get new tires now

Sure, you can get new tires any time of year. That being said, here are a few reasons why many experts recommend putting a new set on now instead of waiting until the middle of winter, or even until next spring:

• Better grip: The tread on your tires grips the road and prevents you from slipping and sliding all over the place. As this tread wears down, your tires lose the ability to grip the road as well. That can lead to some problems when the roads are slick and icy! Consider bringing your car to a mechanic to see if he recommends getting a new set of tires before the winter.
• Reduce the risk of a flat tire: Tires tend to leak air as they age. Walking outside on a cold winter day to find a flat tire obviously isn’t an ideal situation. Prevent that from happening by replacing your tires today.
• Get snow tires: Your all-weather tires might have plenty of tread, but that doesn’t always mean they can handle snowy road conditions. To truly prepare yourself for winter, consider putting on a set of snow tires. New snow tires will ensure you can drive down unplowed roads without any problem.

Checking your tires

One of the nice things about your tires is that you don’t need to be an expert to know when it’s time to replace them. A quick inspection will tell you whether or not you need to bring your car in for a new set of tires:

• Penny test: You don’t need a fancy gadget to tell you whether or not it’s time to replace your tires—all you need is a penny! Stick a penny head-first in the tread of your tire. If you can see President Lincoln’s whole head, it means that your tires are worn down and need to be replaced.
• Sidewalls: The depth of the tread isn’t the only thing that indicates it’s time for a tire change. You should also inspect the sidewalls of your tires. Bulging sidewalls indicate that the tire is worn and could blow out if you’re not careful.
• Tire age: The lifespan of your tires depends on a variety of factors, including how often you drive, what types of roads you drive on and your driving style. Generally speaking, though, you should think about replacing your tires every five years or so.

If it’s been a while since you last put a new set of tires on your car, or if you think it’s time to invest in some snow tires, be sure to come by Auto Air & Heating, Inc. Our mechanics in New Palestine, IN can quickly put a brand new set of tires on your vehicle to ensure that you’re ready to face any weather and road conditions this winter.

Categorised in: Mechanic

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