When to Get Some New Tires
The owner of a car or a pickup truck should keep careful track of that vehicle’s repair and maintenance needs, and this may range from an oil filter change to pounding out dents in the hood to having new brake pads put in. Meanwhile, it may be easy to take the car’s wheels and tires for granted, but maintenance is needed for them, too. Damaged or worn out tires or rims can be a real problem, and even hazardous in some conditions. Fortunately, tire shops and their crews are ready to help, and tire stores offer a variety of brands for the customer to choose from. Even fairly cheap new tires may be better than a worn-out set of tires, and off-road tires may appeal to some drivers. Overall, when should a customer know it is time to visit tire shops, and what can they expect at those tire shops?
What Might Go Wrong
A car’s tires may suffer trauma while on the road, or the tires may get worn out from sheer age and use. Over time, a car’s tires may get their grips worn out, and this makes the car’s tires a little more slick than they should be. That can be hazardous, especially in rain or snow. A number of traffic accidents are attributed to worn-out and faulty tires on one or both cars, in fact. What is more, old tires start to slowly but constantly deflate, and these too-soft tires are awkward to drive on since they have lower fuel efficiency and may feel strange to drive with. Even if inflated, those tires may start deflating again.
More serious trauma may happen if a car’s tires run over sharp or hard objects such as scrap metal, sharp rocks, broken glass, or even tree branches or damaged pavement. Punctured tires will deflate completely, and in some cases they might even burst. If the driver does not have a spare tire and the know-how to install it, they may have to call for a tow truck to deliver them to local tire shops and other service sites. There is also the threat of vandalism, when a vandal will use a sharp object to slash or puncture a car’s tires while it is parked. The vandal might target any or all of the targeted car’s tires this way.
Repair and Replacement
Should a car’s tires be badly damaged, or deemed too old to keep using, then the owner can take their vehicle to local tire shops (and look them up if necessary) to get some work done. The crews there can rotate the tires to keep them working longer, and some tires can be repaired. If the damage is not too severe, a worker may patch up the tire and it can be used again. The placement or extent of the damage might exclude the chance for successful repairs, though.
A car owner may choose any brand of tire they would like for their car, and new tires are sturdy and have good grips. Being so solid, new tires are fuel efficient and smooth to drive on. Some tires are rated for driving on snow or ice, and these tires can be very helpful during winter to help reduce the odds of an accident. Off-road tires are the most rugged of all, and have the right grips to handle terrain such as grassy fields, sand, and even shallow water or underbrush without getting stuck or damage. Most tires are meant for paved roads, though, and may be considered “regular” or “standard” tires of a sort.
Rims
A car’s wheel consists of the inner mechanism, the tires, and the metal rims that those tires are fitted onto. Such rims are often made of aluminum, a light metal that is often used in today’s manufacturing sector. A car’s rims might suffer dents or damage as a result of a minor traffic incident, flying rocks or debris, or vandalism, so they can be removed and have their dents pounded out (aluminum is fairly soft). Hubcaps can be replaced, too. Car rims can also be washed off and repainted for aesthetics, but take note that steel wool should not be used to scour dirt off of aluminum rims, since steel wool will scratch the surface badly.