The Importance of Tire Maintenance

Taking care of your tires is an important part of vehicle maintenance and ensuring that you have the safest ride possible. Every year, people are injured and killed in tire-related accidents. While vehicle and tire manufacturer’s can be responsible for defective tires, underinflated and overloaded vehicles are also often to blame for tire failures.

Making sure your tires are in tip-top condition can not only increase the fuel economy of your vehicle, but help you avoid breakdowns and serious accidents. Every owner of a motor vehicle should spend a little time each month inspecting the tires on their car, truck or motorcycle. A monthly inspection should include things like:

• Checking tire pressure. You can find the correct air pressure for your tires by looking at the sticker that is commonly located on the door post of the driver’s side door on many vehicles or looking in your owner’s manual. The air pressure located directly on your tires is the maximum air pressure that the tire can hold and is not necessarily the best air pressure to use for maximum performance with your vehicle. To get an accurate tire pressure reading, it is important to check your tires when they are cold or your vehicle has been parked for at least three hours. Keep in mind that you can’t always tell if a tire is underinflated with a visual inspection; be sure to use a tire pressure gauge.

• Checking tires for wear and cracks. The depth of tread on each of your tires is important for vehicle stability, especially on wet or icy roads. Modern tires have treadwear indicators built into them to alert vehicle owners when their tread is too low (1/16 of an inch) and tires need to be replaced. These indicators are located in the grooves of a tire’s treads; when the indicators appear even with the outside of the tread, it’s time to get new tires. You can also check your tire’s tread with a Lincoln penny. To do so, place the penny (with Lincoln’s head being inserted first) within your tire’s groove; if you can see the top of Lincoln’s head (or the words “In God We Trust”) the treads on your tire are dangerously low and you need to replace your tires. Cracks can be indicative of a tire’s age and wear. If you notice cracks on your tires, be sure to have them inspected by a mechanic.

• Making sure all of your tire valves have caps. Valve caps help a tire maintain proper inflation. They also keep out moisture and dirt particles that can interfere with the proper functioning of the air valve and cause air loss.

If you have been injured in an accident because your tires failed, you may be able to hold the tire manufacturer responsible for a defective product (see Products Liability). Only an experienced attorney can tell you if you have a right to seek compensation for an accident cause by tire failure.