Our Tire Maintenance Guide
Your tires are your vehicle’s primary point of contact with the road, through sweltering heat, snowstorms, sleet, and everything in between. Tires face a lot of debris and stress, so it’s integral that you take the best possible care of them to ensure the longevity of their health. Replacing tires can be costly, and feels even worse when the replacement is due to negligence. Luckily for you, the tire experts here at Gus Brown Port Perry know a thing or two about tire health. Follow along with our team, as we take you through our recommended tips for taking care of your tires.
Tread Wear
Having even wear throughout your tire tread is an indicator of a healthy tire balance. Your tread should be checked as frequently as monthly, checking for no noticeable differences or variations throughout your tire’s tread pattern. Tread is especially important for driving through challenging elements, as your tire’s tread is what gives you proper traction and grip on the road. Having either uneven or significant tread wear is a cause for concern. If you have uneven wear, it is likely time for a wheel alignment or tire rebalancing. If your tread is significantly worn down, it’s time to replace your tires.
Tread Measurements
The listed following are general measurements that are standard indicators of tread health and safety. These measurements can easily be found with a simple tire depth gauge that can be purchased from local retailers. These measurements are used by our service team, who can also help you to identify tread wear.
- 6/32” - tires are in excellent condition
- 5/32” - tires may not perform as intended in wet or slippery conditions
- 3/32” - 4/32” - replace your tires very soon
- 2/32” - your tires are legally bald immediate replacement required
What Can Cause Tread Wear?
It’s a good sign if your tire tread is wearing out evenly across all four tires. Irregular wear can be a good indicator of something potentially wrong with your vehicle. Here’s what to look for in regards to irregular tread wear and what it could indicate:
- Wear on Both Edges: Underinflated tires, ensure proper inflation and check for leaks
- Wear on One Edge: Poor wheel-alignment, book a realignment with our service department
- Wear Only in Centre: Overinflated tires, decrease tire pressure to manufacturer-suggested PSI, if you’re not sure what that is, check your driver’s manual
- Uneven Wear: Unbalanced or misaligned tires, book an appointment with our service department
- Saw-Tooth Pattern Wear: Poor alignment, book an appointment with our service department
- High-Pitch Squealing when Turning: Poor alignment and/or underinflated tire
Tire Pressure
Having your tires inflated to their correct pressure to their manufacturer-suggested PSI will help your tires last for their expected lifespan. Monitoring your tires is important and can be easy thanks to Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems that are built into modern GMC and Buick vehicles. Chances are, if you’re driving a new GMC or Buick, you’ll be able to check on your tire pressure, right from the comfort of your driver’s seat! Of course, if you have an older model, any tire pressure gauge or monitor that you can pick up from a local retailer should be able to do the trick. Make sure you check your tire pressure regularly, and get in touch with our Staff right here in Port Perry if you notice any irregularity with your tires. Remember, the quicker you catch, and take care of any problem with your vehicle, the more money you’ll save in the long run!
Our tire experts recommend that you check your tires weekly, however we know that life gets busy. At a bare minimum you should be checking your tires monthly, and it wouldn’t hurt becoming familiar with a tire pressure gauge, tread gauge, and the recommended PSI of your tires. Keep on top of your tires, and overall vehicle health with the team at Gus Brown Port Perry and ensure that you’re getting the best driving experience that your vehicle can give you. If you have any other questions about tires, vehicle health, or anything else GMC or Buick related, make sure to reach out to our team.