Do Your "PART" for Your Tires!

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.