Maintain Your New Tires

You've chosen carefully and finally replaced your tires. All done, right? Not so fast. You'll need to maintain your tires properly to ensure that they perform correctly.

Rotating your vehicle's tires is essential to prevent uneven wear. If left unchecked, un-rotated tires will cause increased road noise, lower fuel economy, and decreased wet-weather traction. Badly neglected tires will also have to be replaced sooner.

It is generally accepted that on front-drive vehicles, where all tires are the same size, you rotate the front tires to the rear in a straight line and cross the back tires to the front. In a rear-drive vehicle, you rotate the backs in a straight line to the front and cross the front tires to the back. On all- or four-wheel-drive vehicles, the rotation pattern most often suggested is a simple "X." The left front and right rear swap places, and the right front and left rear swap places.

Many sports cars and some luxury and sport-utility vehicles have unidirectional tires. Unidirectional tires have tread patterns that are designed to perform in the direction denoted on the tire sidewall only. They should always be rotated front to rear (assuming they are the same size). This ensures that the direction of revolution does not change.

If you are rotating a full-size spare into the mix, it is common practice to put that tire in the right rear. Consumers should consult their owner's manual for the correct tire-rotation procedure for their vehicle.

Proper tire inflation is also important for many reasons:

A properly inflated tire will generate less heat or friction with the road, increasing fuel economy and decreasing tire wear.

A tire that's either over- or under-inflated will wear unevenly.

A tire that is low in pressure loses cornering ability because the sidewall isn't as stiff.

Perhaps more important for SUV and light-truck owners, a tire's load capacity decreases as it loses air pressure. So, if you were to pack your SUV to the rafters for a family vacation without adjusting tire pressures to handle the increased load, you may be asking for trouble. Those under-inflated tires would quickly heat up under the extra load and possibly have a failure, leading to travel time lost fixing a flat -- or worse.

Regardless of temperature, tires lose between 1 to 2 pounds per square inch (psi) per month. In addition, for every 10-degree Fahrenheit (12.2-degree Celsius) drop in temperature, a tire will lose another pound of pressure. So a tire left unchecked from the time it was filled to 35 psi on an 80-degree (26.7-degree Celsius) day in May is down by 12 psi on a 30-degree (-1.1-degree Celsius) day in November. That under-inflation will affect fuel economy and wet traction, and also increase tire wear.

Read The Reviews

It's easier than ever to find reviews of products before you buy them and tires are no different. Although it may not be as exciting as reading other reviews, doing a little research on your tire purchase can help you get exactly what you want.

Look for information about how the tire may help fuel economy, how long the tire has lasted for other people, how much road noise it makes, how well it handles, and if there are any known problems or potential recalls.

Subscription services like Consumer Reports will break the tire down into categories such as dry braking, wet braking, hydroplaning, tread life, ride comfort and others [source: Consumer Reports]. Information like this will give you a good perspective on the quality of the tire you're purchasing. Compare several types of tires and find the one that matches your needs as well as your budget.

Not all tires will perform the same way when it comes to hydroplaning, braking, cornering, etc. Reading what others have experienced or what experts say about a specific tire will help you make an informed decision when you purchase your tires. Keep in mind that the most expensive tire may not be the best one available.

If you want better tread wear and don't mind extra road noise then you can narrow down your search. Or if you prefer comfort to longevity you can pick out the right tire for you before you buy them online or at the auto shop. No matter what you choose just be sure to do at least a little research beforehand.

Maintain Your Vehicle

We all know that maintaining a vehicle can be costly, but what's even worse is paying extra money when you could have dealt with a problem earlier. When you get new tires put on, there are several areas that your mechanic can easily get to while your car is on the lift with the tires off.

If you're having problems with your CV joints, tie rods, brakes or any suspension issues, now might be a good time to have some of those problems taken care of. Your auto shop will do an alignment on your vehicle when you get new tires put on, but if you have bad shocks or other suspension problems, it could cause your new tires to wear out a lot faster than they should [source: Fogelson]. Before you know it you could be laying down more money for new tires that could be avoided if you had your suspension problems taken care of originally.

If your shocks, struts and the alignment are all good to go, having your brakes changed before the tires are put on could save you some money. Many shops will charge a flat fee just for looking at your vehicle, but if you get multiple things fixed on the car at the same time, you're only charged once. So if you know your brakes are bad, or that CV joint is clicking loudly when you turn, consider having the work done while you're getting the tires put on. You'll eliminate future problems and you'll save a few dollars in the long run.

Have a trusted mechanic or friend inspect the car to determine what you may need to have fixed. If you can eliminate a suspension problem, you'll help your tires last longer and keep yourself safer on the road at the same time.

Take The Vehicle Manufacturer's Recommendation

We mentioned earlier that vehicle manufacturers often have a recommended tire size and type for each vehicle. This recommendation is based on the size, weight, load capacity, off-road capability and steering for your specific vehicle. Changing the tire size and type could impact the handling of your vehicle. We talked about how plus sizing a tire can change certain aspects of your driving experience.

Changing the tire size can also affect your speedometer reading. For many cars, the speedometer reading is based on one full revolution of the tire on your vehicle. If the tire size is changed, then the time it takes a tire to make one full revolution will increase [source: Yahoo Autos]. Since the speedometer rating is calibrated for only one length of rotation, a newer tire that is larger will inhibit the speedometer from reading the correct speed of the vehicle.

If you have an electronic automatic transmission, changing your tire size can also impact the timing of your shifts [source: Yahoo Autos]. This may impact your fuel mileage, uphill and downhill transmission changes as well as the general shift timing.

Downsizing your vehicle's tires can also have negative effects as well. It's obvious that the tires on your vehicle are keeping it up off of the ground. Well, the size of those tires is part of the reason why the car doesn't come crashing down. If you tried to put a smaller size tire on your vehicle, you would be adding additional stress to the tire that it may not be able to handle. A smaller sized tire may need a different wheel rim to handle the changes.

You can change the size of the tires on your vehicle but these problems must be factored in and adjustments made so that the vehicle will function correctly with the new tires. Changing the tire diameter or the aspect ratio is possible if you can maintain the correct load capacity and adjust other potential problems, like the speedometer [source: Yahoo Autos].

Selecting Tires Based On Tread Wear

Tire longevity is dependent on several factors, which include your driving habits, the elevation of where you live, climate, road conditions and the manufacturer's tire longevity estimate. The harder the road conditions, the faster your tire will wear down.

Curvy roads, pot holes and other road conditions will cause the tread to wear down faster. If you're the type to make long burn-outs on the road, we probably don't have to tell you that your tires won't last as long as they're supposed to either.

The average mileage length for all-season tires is about 40,000 to 100,000 miles (64,374 to 160,934 kilometers) [source: ConsumerSearch]. Other types of tires typically won't last as long. High-performance all-season tires will have a longevity of 40,000 to 70,000 miles (64,374 to 112,654 kilometers) and top-performance tires don't even have a guaranteed tread life and usually don't last more than 25,000 miles (40,234 kilometers) [source: Motor Trend].

A manufacturer's estimate on how long a tire should last is based on their testing and not always on real-world conditions [source: Cook]. To determine how the tires you're purchasing will wear, look for the tire's Uniform Tire Quality Grading, or UTQG. The UTQG is the U.S. Department of Transportation's labeling system for the tread wear, temperature resistance and traction of each type of tire [source: Cook]. A tire with a UTQG tread wear of 300 is predicted to last three times longer than a tire with a UTQG of 100. A scale of A to C is used for temperature ratings, and a scale of AA to C is used for traction ratings.

Although the UTQG can help you compare tire longevity within a single brand, the grading system can be interpreted in different ways between different brands. So using the UTQG between two different brands may not be beneficial [source: Tire Rack].

If you buy an average all-season tire, you can probably expect it to last several years under normal driving conditions and even longer depending on what road conditions you encounter, how you drive and what type of tire you purchase.

New vs. Used Tires

You've probably seen used car tire piles along the side of the road at some point. But should you purchase a used tire to save money and will it hold up as long? Most people opt for new tires, but some look to used tires as a way to save money.

Consider the fact that some retailers have deals where you buy three tires and you get the fourth free. You may not necessarily need to replace that fourth tire, but you do because it's free. Used tires that are only slightly worn, like in this situation, may be a good option to save a little money.

The flip side is purchasing an old or worn out tire that isn't safe. Used tires may have defects, punctures or tread-wear you may or may not be able to see. When considering purchasing a used tire you can test the depth of the tread by using a penny. Simply flip the penny upside down and place it inside each of the tire's tread grooves. If the top of Lincoln's head can be seen from any of the grooves then the tread is too low [source: Consumer Reports].

If the tread is still good, you still need to inspect the tire for any defects. This may be difficult and some problems may not be noticeable until the tire is on the vehicle. Purchasing a used tire that has already been plugged or patched may save money, but is not a good idea. Worn tires will not stop as fast and will be more likely to skid on wet surfaces [source: Consumer Reports].

New tires will come with some type of guarantee or warranty that a used tire will not have. If you want a little piece of mind that your tires are in the best condition possible, buy new ones.

Carefully Consider Fuel Economy

Fuel economy can be a major factor for some tire consumers. If you're considering buying a tire that can assist in your vehicle's fuel economy, know that not all tires are made alike. Purchasing a tire that is different than the one you had when the vehicle was new may impact the fuel economy, for good or bad.

According to Bill VandeWater at Bridgestone Firestone North America, "consumers can see a 15 to 20 percent difference in their fuel economy depending on the tire they select." Some studies have shown that many consumers like high fuel economy, but not at the cost of mileage or performance, especially in wet conditions.

Though many consumers consider fuel economy a high priority, it is typically not the number one priority for the consumer. Therefore not all replacement tires are designed with fuel economy as high a priority. According to VandeWater, "If a consumer wants a good fuel economy tire, the best choice is usually the original equipment tire."

California and the federal government have passed laws to label tires by their fuel efficiency but, according to an L.A. Times article, implementing the standards has been difficult and most consumers don't know that tires can positively or negatively impact a vehicle's fuel economy [source: Bensinger].

Consumers should also not forget that fuel economy is also dependant on proper air pressure. Monitoring air pressure regularly, and with proper inflation pressures as dictated by the vehicle owner's manual, is the best route to ensure maximum fuel economy.