Spring Car Care Tips

By Rob Shewman

It’s been a long, cold winter across most of the country, but spring is fially here. This is a good time to get your car back into shape after a tough season facing frigid temperatures, snow, ice, and now potholes. Below are some spring car tire tips to get your vehicle ready for the upcoming road travel season.

• Some people delay or don’t bother removing their winter tires. While winter tires offr impressive traction on snow and ice, they often compromise stopping performance on dry and wet roads, don’t handle as well as all-season tires, and wear out quickly. If you have your winter tires on dedicated wheels, be sure to wash the tires and wheels thoroughly to remove winter salt spray that can cause wheel corrosion and store them in a cool, dry place.
• Roads filed with pot holes can make winter driving tough on your car’s suspension. Whether you had winter or all-season tires on your car, check the evenness of the wear across the width of the tread. If you observe uneven tire wear, you might need a wheel alignment.
• With spring time here and summer around the corner, you’ll want a tire that can resist hydroplaning in heavy rain and slide on slick, wet roads. If you have just about a 1/8-inch tread depth in any one tire groove, then start shopping for new tires.
• Do I have to buy a complete set of new tires? I suggest buying four new ones at a time for the best balance of handling as well as dry and wet grip. Then rotate your tires routinely to promote even wear. But if you are like many drivers who don’t rotate tires regularly and need only two new ones, then be sure to have the new tires placed on the rear of the car for secure handling.
• Check your tire’s infltion pressure routinely. Under-inflted tires can cause heat build-up; you’ll want to keep your tires properly inflted to combat the impending summer heat. Consult the vehicle’s tire information placard (typically found in the driver’s door jamb) and/or owner’s manual for your tires’ proper infltion pressure.