THE IMPORTANCE OF TIRE ROTATIONS & TREAD WEAR CHECKS
THE IMPORTANCE OF TIRE ROTATIONS & TREAD WEAR CHECKS
Posted on June 11, 2023
Tires are the unsung hero of your vehicle, comfortably taking you over the toughest elements in as smooth a manner as possible. Being in the thick of things means your tires take a beating each time you’re out on the road, whether you notice it or not. Your tire treads will wear down over time, and won’t do so evenly, which necessitates the importance of regular tire tread checks, and rotations to help spread out that tire wear and lengthen the life of your tires. Read on with us at Southside Dodge as we outline why tire rotations and tread wear checks are so important, what causes them, how often to get this work down and how to check wear all by yourself!
Take a look through a selection of our blogs here:
Nitrogen vs. Air: Which is Best for Your Tires?
What’s the Difference Between All-Season & Winter Tires?
Why Regular Vehicle Maintenance is so Important
Why are Tire Rotations Necessary?
Tire rotation is all about ensuring your vehicle is running on tires whose wear is spread out as evenly as possible, to extend the life of your tires and maintain the best traction possible. This is doubly important living in a city like ours here in Red Deer, where a heavy presence of snow and ice throughout the year demands the best in tire tread condition. Driving on poor and uneven tire treads can affect the smoothness of your ride, stability, performance and safety. Numerous factors like weight distribution, drive systems, low/high pressure, incorrect toe/camber problems and others can greatly affect individual tires, and thus demands constant upkeep and maintenance through tire tread checks and rotations to offset wear.
How Often Should Tires Be Rotated?
We recommend you get your tires rotated around every 10,000 km or so, but for a more accurate guide for your specific vehicle, please refer to your owner’s manual for their dedicated recommendation. Tires don’t wear equally, thanks to weight distribution, engine/transmission/turning, in the front, AWD systems and more, which necessitates this frequent need to make sure that the tire treads are wearing as evenly as possible through rotations.
How to Check for Tire Tread Wear?
It’s simple to check the treads on your tires, and can be done so with a coin you most likely already have in your wallet. Grab a toonie as your trusty tool of choice, then follow these easy steps to find out the current condition of wear on your tires.
- Hold the coin right side up, with the bear side out.
- Scan for any noticeably low points in your tire, and place the coin down in a groove between the treads.
- If the tire tread comfortably touches the paws of the bear then your tires are in great standing.
- If the tire tread just makes it up over the silver trim part of the coin then they’re about halfway worn but still in good standing.
- If the tire tread is struggling to make it halfway up across the lettering around the silver trim section of the coin then it’s definitely time to get a new set of tires.
Get a Tire Rotation or Replacement at Southside Dodge
Whether it’s time for your regular tire rotation, or you’ve done the simple coin check on your tires and discovered that you need a new set, our service & tire centre here at Southside Dodge can assist you with all of your tire needs. Our service department is here for your Ram, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler or off-make model, providing convenient and high quality work that’s made us a mainstay in Red Deer for decades, so book an appointment, today. Browse the top tire brands available in our tire centre, and find the perfect pair for your vehicle, for summer or winter driving. If you have any questions, our team is more than happy to answer them and keep you driving on the best treads possible.