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Remember the acronym PART |
When was the last time you took a good, long look at your tires? I mean
really checked them over to make sure what you are driving on is safe? There is
an easy way to remember what you need to do to make sure your tires are safe
for the road. The acronym is PART: Pressure, Alignment, Rotation and Tread. If
you do your part and follow PART, you will end up riding safer and spend less
money when you need new tires down the road.
P=Pressure: This is fairly simple and one that almost everyone will remember
since it is a tire. If the tires are under-inflated, that causes uneven wear
(and gas mileage issues, by the way). Wear on the tires means you have less
control of your vehicle during an accident. Get a tire gauge and check your
tires periodically. Get into a routine and put it in your calendar. Once a
month is a good amount.
A=Alignment: Your car wants to pull you to the left or right as you travel
at higher speeds. Your alignment is out of whack and your front tires are
facing in different directions. It happens all the time when you hit a large
pothole or a curb. Make sure to get this taken care of right away when you feel
that pull. Misalignment can cause major damage to your tires and cause
accidents.
R=Rotation: Front tires wear faster than the back because they guide the
car when you steer. Regular rotation eases the wear and it’s good to get this
done every two oil changes or 7,000 miles. Some manuals have suggested times…be
sure to follow those.
T=Tread: This is what grips the tire to the road. Other than the air
inside your tire, this is the most important attribute. Without proper tread,
the rain or snow or even some unseen liquid on the road can mean the difference
between arriving safely or not arriving at all. When you check pressure, be
sure to check tread. It’s really easy if you have a penny! Point Honest Abe’s
head down into the tread. If it touches his head, you’re OK. If you put the
penny into the tread and there is space between his head and the tread, you are
low. Check several parts of the tires, as tread is different along the
entirety.
Remember: PART. It’s the best defense against bad tires and possible
accidents.