Tires 101
Make it a habit to regularly check your tires
We want your tires to perform their very best. Proper maintenance will improve fuel economy, keep you safer, and ensure that your tires last longer. Irregular wear is caused by improper inflation, unbalanced and misaligned tires. Check your tires regularly, with these helpful tire care tips.
Make sure you are driving your vehicle with properly inflated tires. This will make driving safer and will save you money by improving the fuel economy of your vehicle and increasing the life of your tires. Improper tire inflation is dangerous. Under-inflation can result in unusual stress on a tire’s structure and irregular wear. Over-inflation also leads to uneven tire wear.
A tire may be underinflated and still not look flat. That’s why it’s important to check tire pressure at least once a month. Get a quality tire gauge and check air pressure when the tires are cold, because tires heat up when your vehicle has been operated.
Tire Rotation
Another money saving tip is to regularly rotate your tires. Our limited warranty recommends rotating your tires every #### miles. Tire rotation will lengthen the life of your tires by helping them to wear more uniformly. Check your vehicle’s manual or consult your Warrior tire dealer about how the tires should be rotated.
Wheel Alignment
A bad jolt to your wheels, such as driving over a pothole or hitting a curb can cause the front wheels to go out of alignment. This will cause your tires to wear unevenly and will ultimately damage them. Have your Warrior tire dealer check the alignment periodically to ensure that your car is properly aligned.
Wheel Balance
When a wheel is unbalanced, it can lead to irregular wear, shorten the life of your tire. If you are feeling vibration in the steering wheel when you drive, have your Warrior dealer check to see if your wheels need balanced.
It’s important to be mindful
There are many things to be mindful of while driving, but there are two situations to pay particular attention to. Poor driving conditions increase the chance of accidents, especially driving in wet conditions and on ice and snow.
Wet conditions and hydroplaning
Hydroplaning is the word used to describe what happens when car tires skid on a wet surface. It occurs when a tire encounters more water than it can push away. The tire becomes separated from the road surface by a thin film of water, losing traction, and the ability to stop and steer.
Your tire tread has grooves to channel the water in order to maintain constant contact with the road surface and minimize hydroplaning. When tires become worn, their ability to push water away and resist hydroplaning is diminished. Additionally, the deeper the water on the road, the less ability a tire has to push it away.
A few habits to avoid hydroplaning.
1. Keep tires properly inflated
2. Replace worn tires
3. Slow down when the road is wet
4. Avoid braking hard
5. Avoid making sharp or quick turns
Ice and snow and the M+S rating
All-season tires are designed to provide better traction in snow than tires that are not all-season. On the sidewalls of the R29 and R30 tires you will see the letters M+S, and they mean Mud and Snow. Still it is important to change your driving habits in snow and icy conditions.
A few habits for winter driving
1. Keep tires properly inflated
2. Replace worn tires
3. Slow down when the road is icy, wet or when it is snowing
4. Avoid braking hard and increase stopping distance
5. Avoid making sharp or quick turns