Frequently Asked Questions About Tires

The following is some information everybody should know but doesn't, about tires and the average driver.

One. Your vehicles engine will have to work overtime if your tires are not properly inflated. This is because the surface area of your tire that touches the ground is increased, leading to added amounts of friction and therefore your engine has to work harder. This will not only make your engine work harder, it will cause the tires to wear faster and even run the risk of them overheating.

Two. Swapping the tires, back to front or side to side? If the tires are Radial they should be swapped side to side. However if they are Bias ply tires they should be swapped back to front.

Three. The majority of manufacturers will use P rated tires on their four wheel drive trucks. There are a few who will use LT tires although the majority will use P tires.

Four. If you hear a squealing sound when taking a corner, this could indicate your tires are low on pressure.

Five. Even after losing 50% of its pressure a tire can still look fine.

Six. The US government does not test tires, instead it is tire manufacturers who test them and give their ratings for temperature resistance, treadwear and traction. There is no standard way to give these tires a universal rating, which means from tire to tire the ratings can mean different things.

Seven. If your tires are not inflated enough by just 6 psi, your gas mileage can be damaged by as a crazy 3%.

Eight. Make sure you know the speed rating and load index of the tires you are replacing, and ensure your new tires do not have lower ratings.

Nine. Unless you are buying a completely new set of tires, place the new ones you did buy on the rear axle. Although it is a common misconception that you should place them on the drive-wheel location, however doing this can cause you to over steer by quite a lot and be rather dangerous.

Ten. The penny test is a good way to determine if the treads are too worn. Place a penny inside the tread of your tire. If Lincoln's head is partly covered then the tire still has some life. However if Lincoln can be fully seen staring back at you, you need a new tire. As soon as you only have 1/16th of an inch remaining of your tread, the tire is useless.

Eleven. Do not confuse the T on your tire as meaning Truck, instead it means Temporary and is used to label a spare tire.

Twelve. Although the tire will have it's maximum pressure allowance printed on the inside, the perfect amount will never be this high. You can find the perfect amount written usually on the information placard that is found somewhere inside your car, read your owners manual if you are unable to find it.