How to Make Your Tires Last Longer

The tires on your Honda car, truck, or SUV won’t last forever, but there are things you can do to help make your tires last longer. The auto care experts at Honda of Watertown have some tips on how you can lengthen the tread life of your tires to ensure that you enjoy a safe and smooth ride on Southbury-area roads. Learn more about how to make your tires last longer, and if you’re due for your next tire rotation or wheel alignment, schedule an appointment with us today!

What Causes Tire Tread Wear?

Different tread wear patterns indicate different issues with your vehicle:

• Toe Wear or Camber Wear: Excess wear on the inner or outer part of the tire often means that the car requires a wheel alignment.
• Center Wear: Overinflated tires can cause the center area of the tread to wear down faster. Your owner’s manual will have the correct PSI for the tires on your specific Honda model and we can show you how to check your tire treads.
• Edge Wear: Underinflation will cause the edges of the tire to wear out sooner than expected.
• Cupping Wear: Cupping wear is a diagonal scalloping of the tire, which indicates a serious problem with the suspension system. You should bring your car into our Service Center as soon as possible.
• Patchy Wear: Patchy or uneven tread wear means that the tires are out of balance or they should be rotated.

Tips for Getting Long-Lasting Tires

The best way to get the most out of your long life tires is by keeping up with your Honda service schedule. Some basic maintenance tasks that you should routinely see to include:

• Check Your Tire Pressure Monthly — While your Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) will alert you when the pressure is low, it is important to know that tires can lose up to a pound per square inch of air pressure each month. Tires typically lose more pressure during the cold winter months, and gain pressure during the summer.
• Rotate Your Tires Every 5,000 Miles — Rotating the tires maintains even tread wear, helping to make your tires last longer.
• Get Your Tires Balanced — When your tires are rotated, it’s a good idea to have them balanced as well. Uneven weight distribution can cause uneven wear.
• Check the Vehicle Alignment Twice Yearly — Misaligned wheels will cause the tires to wear out a lot faster. Tires can get out of alignment if you hit the edge of a curb or a pothole. Be sure to watch for signs such as the car pulling to one side or the other while driving or unusual vibrations in the steering wheel as these can indicate that the wheels are out of alignment.

How Long Can You Drive on a Spare Tire?

If you get a flat and need to replace a tire when you’re driving in the Torrington area, it’s crucial to know how long you can drive with a spare tire. The type of spare tire you have will determine how long you can drive.

• Full-Size spare tire: This kind of spare tire is generally a long life tire and is safe to drive on, but you should swap it out as soon as you can if it is not the same brand and doesn’t have the same tread pattern as your other tires.
• Space saver or “donut” spare tire: These tires shouldn’t be driven on for more than 70 miles and don’t exceed 50 mph.
• Run-flat spare tire: If your vehicle is equipped with run-flat tires, you can drive for about 50 miles after the tire is punctured.

Get Expert Tire Care at Honda of Watertown

If you are in need of new long life tires or want to keep up with the maintenance of your current ones, you can trust the professionals in the Honda of Watertown Service Center near Waterbury. We offer rotating service coupons as well as parts specials to help make taking good care of your Honda more affordable. If you have any questions about how to make your tires last longer, please contact our Service Center.