The hot and sticky summer days of St Louis Missouri are over. We are now enjoying the sweet spot of being temperate before it gets too cold again in the winter. Have you taken necessary precautions and provided proper care for your tires for the cold season?
Most people might not bother too much with this because the winter season in St Louis can be short and brief. They are also not known for having extremely cold temperatures. However, that doesn’t mean you should skip caring for your tires during the winter season. Temperatures still go down and that still has a negative effect on your tires.
Learning to care for your tires is essential in making them last longer. Depending on the season you are in, there are different things you can do. For today, we are going to tell you about the things you should do to care for your tires during the winter season.
Monitor Tire Pressure
Tire pressure should be monitored during any season. During the winter season, close monitoring of the tire pressure should be done because they tend to drop as the temperatures also drop.
This isn’t good for your tires because it could lead to uneven wear of the tires. Eventually, it damaged the tires and would be in need of a replacement.
We often think of tire blowouts during the summertime. However, it can also happen during the wintertime as well. Tire blowouts are due to the improper pressure level of the tires. Apart from tire blowouts, the car will also not react as expected when you use your brakes when the tire pressure is low.
Tire Swapping
You could swap your tires for those that are specifically made for winter climates. However, some may get away using their regular tires during the winters at St Louis. Snowfall is not that high so high-quality tires that are properly maintained will do.
However, there are still many benefits of using winter tires. First of all, they are specifically designed to reduce slipping due to the tight tread patterns that they have. These are useful on icy roads everywhere.
Apart from that, the rubber materials used are more rigid and more compatible with low temperatures. If you switch to winter tires, make sure to swap back again when the season is over. Using two sets of tires alternately throughout the year increases the life of the two sets.
Inspect Your Tire Treads
As we’ve mentioned, some may choose to skip swapping their tires for winter tires. If you do, then you should at least inspect the tire treads regularly. Do this even before the first snow day starts to happen. The reason for this is that tires with worn-out treads are likely to skid and slide on the road. This will make you lose control of your vehicle and can cause a fatal accident. You can get hurt, other people can get hurt and you can even crash into some wildlife.
There are various ways on how to check if the tire treads are still good or not. The first is to look at the tire tread wear indicators. These are located in the grooves on the tire surface. Once the tire treads are worn down, they’d be at the same level as tire tread wear indicators. This means that you better replace your tires because they are already worn out.
The penny test is another way to check whether the treads are worn out or not. With this test, you place the penny with Lincoln’s head upside down. Check if you see the top of Lincoln’s head. If you do, then it is time to replace the worn-out tires. Tires that could still be used should have treads that are at least at the level of his forehead.
Apart from those, there are also other tools that are specifically made to accurately measure the tire tread depth. These are probes and will tell you the exact measurements. If your tire tread depth is less than 0.16 cm, then it needs to be replaced already.
Final Words
Cold temperatures have an effect on your tires. It can very well cause your tires to perform poorly if you do not take care of them properly. The three mentioned above are the three essential things you should do to make sure your tires perform well even during the winter.
Tire blowouts are popular during summer but they can happen during winter too. For any tire trouble in St Louis, call on Reliable Guys Towing to come to your rescue…
