4 Things Your Tires Can Teach You About Your Car

If you take the time to look closely at your tires, you will see that your tires are sending you more than a few messages. The way that your tires wear can tell you a lot about your vehicle.

#1 Overinflated & Underinflated Tires

You have to keep a constant eye on the pressure inside of your tires. This is something that you should check on a monthly basis, or whenever there is a dramatic change in temperature where you live. The pressure in your tires is related to the temperature outside, which is why you need to keep a close eye on your tire pressure as air will need to be added when it is cold outside, and you will potentially have to release air when it is warm outside.

When your tires are overinflated for a long period of time, the tire wear in the middle of your tire tread will wear down more. When your tires are underinflated, the outer edge of the tread will show more wear.

#2 Bushing, Springs, and Load Issues

When your tires bushing, spring, and load are not working right, this shows up on your tire. Wear on the inner edge tire and on the side, not on the tread, of your tire is connected to an issue with either the bushings, springs, or load balance of your vehicle.

#3 Alignment Issues

When your tires are not aligned properly, you may see wear on the outer edge of the tire. To fix this, you need to have the tires on your vehicle aligned. However, it is important to note that this type of tire wear can also be caused by turning corners too aggressively. So if you like to drive like you are a race car driver, you may see the impact on your vehicle.

#4 Toe Angle

The toe angle is the angle at which your tires are positioned when you are driving. They should be pointing straight ahead; however, tires can toe either inward or outward. This shows up on your tire by feathering or scuffing. It can be a little hard to see feathering on your tires; it is much easier to see scuffing on your tires.

If the feathering is on the inside edge of your tire, it is because your tires are toeing inward too much. If the feathering is located on the outside edge of your tire, it is because your tires are toeing out too much. This can all be fixed by getting your tires professionally aligned, which should fix any negative toe angles that are wearing down your tires.

For more answers, contact your local tire shop.