Car Care & Tire Tips
You Paid for Your Tires - Now Get the Best Mileage Out of Them
At Elite Car Care Centers, we want you to get the best value for your money. When it comes to tire life and performance, that means keeping up on regular maintenance. Services like rotation and balancing ensure your tread lasts long and performs as advertised by the manufacturer.
How Important Are Tires?
Your tires play an important role in car performance. Good tires provide a comfortable ride, last for the advertised mileage, and deliver the traction and performance you expect. But quality tires won't provide the performance they should without upkeep. Paying a little for regular maintenance every few months can extend tire life so you get the maximum value out of your set.
Checking tire pressure, rotating your tires, balancing your tires, and choosing the right set of replacement tires based on safety and handling all contribute to consistent performance.
6 Tire Tips to Maximize Tire Life & Performance
- Tire Inflation: Check tire psi levels to ensure you’re driving with properly inflated tires. Underinflation leads to excess heat, uneven tire wear, and decreased braking and handling capabilities. This can cause structural failures like blowouts and tread separation. Properly inflated tires maximize tread life, improve handling, and increase fuel efficiency and overall driver safety.
- Tire Rotation: Follow proper tire rotation schedules. Recommended rotation patterns for your vehicle can be found in your owner’s manual. Routine tire rotations equalize and enhance front-to-rear and side-to-side tire wear. Remember: tire rotation will not prevent or circumvent wear issues caused by worn mechanical components.
- Wheel/Tire Balance: Balance tires as necessary. Out-of-balance tires may be detected in bumps that become more noticeable at higher speeds. Balancing tires is necessary during initial installation and during a remount.
- Tire Installation: Install new tires in sets or pairs. The addition of one new tire to the rotation cycle can cause instability and create vehicle handling issues. When new tires are needed, two new tires should be installed on the rear of a vehicle, and the partially worn tires should be moved to the front of the vehicle.
- Tire Storage: When the time comes to store your tires for next season, consider a dark place away from direct sunlight with low humidity. Tires should be stored away from solvents, grease, oil, or any ozone-producing electrical equipment, which have deteriorating effects on tires.
- Tire Inspection: Be mindful of abnormal tire wear or damage to your tires. Watch for signs of punctures, embedded objects, cracks, and bulges. The Rubber Manufacturer’s Association (RMA) recommends taking five minutes each month to check your tires.
We recommend keeping a spare tire in your car in the event of a road hazard. You never know when you’re going to need it.
By taking proper care of your tires, you can remain safe during all types of travel, experience the benefits of better fuel economy, and extend tire life, which will positively impact the environment.
Visit us today or contact us online for tire services and any other service inquiry. We serve Herndon, VA, Ashburn, VA, Centreville, VA, and surrounding areas.
Car Care Tips
Here, at Elite Car Care Centers, we want our customers to be in the know about how to properly care for their car or truck. We want you to understand why and how your tires wear; how to get the best gas mileage; and overall how to get the most out of your tires. Hopefully, with these helpful tips you will be able to improve gas mileage and reduce tire wear when driving in and around Herndon, VA and Ashburn, VA. We understand how important your vehicle is and why your car needs to be serviced by a Herndon, Virginia auto repair shop. So give us a call at (703) 437-1254 at our Herndon, VA location, or (703) 803-8200 at our Centreville, VA location, or (703) 723-9499 at our Ashburn, VA location today to schedule your next maintenance appointment.
Car Maintenance and Care
- Change your fluids on time, every time.
- Change your oil every 3,000 miles for regular oil, 5,000 miles for synthetic oil.
- Change antifreeze fluid every 30,000 miles.
- Change brake fluid every 30,000 miles.
- Change transmission fluid every 30,000 miles.
- Schedule a maintenance check every 15, 30, 60, and 90,000 miles.
- Replace your air filter every 12 months or 12,000 miles (whichever comes first).
- Replace your fuel filter every 2 years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first).
Tire Maintenance and Care
- Rotate your tires every 5,000 miles or every 6 months.
- Check your tire pressures approximately once a week. Low tire pressures can affect fuel economy, handling and comfort. To accurately measure your tire pressure, check tires when they are cold. Wait at least three hours after driving.
- Always make sure that your wheels are properly aligned. Badly aligned wheels will lead to dragging of the car on the road.
- Check your spare tire each month and keep it properly inflated so it¹s ready to go when you need it most.
- Use the penny trick to determine if the tread on your tires is worn too low. Take a penny and put Abraham Lincoln’s head into one of the grooves of the tread. If part of his head is covered by the tread, you’re ok. If you can see all of his head, it’s time to replace the tire. When the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch, tires must be replaced.
Gas Mileage Tips
- Check and/or change your air filter every 6 months to improve fuel economy and keep your engine running smoothly.
- Don’t top off. Don’t bother topping off when filling your car’s gas tank. Any additional gas is just going to slop around or seep out.
- Tighten up that gas cap. Gas will evaporate from your car’s gas tank if it has an escape. Loose, missing or damaged gas caps cause 147 million gallons of gas to evaporate each year.
- Go for the shade. The hot summer sun that makes the inside of your car feel like a sauna also evaporates fuel from your gas tank.
- Use the right oil. You can improve your car’s gas mileage by 1 percent to 2 percent by using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil.
And most important of all……
- Always check for potential problems before they happen.