June Car Month Day 2
If you haven't done so already, change your winter tires over to summer ones. But if you use all-season tires, you can leave them. I would check them for wear with a $2 tire depth gauge you can get at any auto tool place.
Let's say your tire begins with 10/32″ of tread. The tires I purchased last month have exactly 10/32 tread depth. Fairly typical for passenger tires.
Since tires are completely worn at 2/32″, that tire has 8/32″ of usable tread.
That gives us these wear percentages:
10/32″ = 0% worn
9/32″ = 13% worn
8/32″ = 25% worn
7/32″ = 38% worn
6/32″ = 50% worn
5/32″ = 63% worn
4/32″ = 75% worn
3/32″ = 88% worn
2/32″ = 100% worn
And since proper alignment and even tire wear improves fuel efficiency and makes tires last longer, this would help drivers save money.
- Center of tread more worn than rest? Tires are overinflated.
- Tread edges worn more than center? Tire is under-inflated.
- One edge of tread more worn than other? Check alignment (camber).
- Other irregular wear pattern? Check alignment & suspension, or rotate tires.
Check the condition of your belts and air filter. Note the age of your spark plugs and change them over if it's within the range of time according to your manufacturer. With my Mazda3, I ended up changing the plugs at around 64,000 km. (well under the 120,000 range). They only cost me $40 and I figured it would be cheap insurance. When I pulled the plugs out I was sure glad I did. They were pretty worn and dirty.
It's also a good time to take a look at your engine and check for fluid leaks. Anytime you have fluid leaks they should be fixed immediately to prevent contamination of the environment and degradation of your vehicles engine or driveline.
Comments