As a mom, I’m so busy with my kids and all of their after school activities that I end up spending a LOT of time in the car, driving from point A to point B, and back again.
My vehicle is not brand new but it’s definitely not old, which means, I don’t usually have to worry about things malfunctioning. Fortunately, I only have to worry about having enough gas in the car, which I’m actually terrible at and it drives my husband crazy. I keep promising I’ll do better, but somehow it seems I’m always on E when he gets in to drive my car. Oops!
All jokes aside, it’s silly that I don’t pay more attention to the biggest tool carrying our most prized family possessions, our kids, around every day. My dad taught me to check the oil in my car when I was a teenager but I’ve never bothered with it as an adult. And tires? I never knew anything and always left that stuff for my husband to handle. Until now.
After a press trip to the Cooper Tires Vehicle Tire and Test Center in San Antonio, I’ve realized I need to be more involved in what is REALLY keeping my family safe in our car — the tires. No matter how safe your car is, a bad set of tires can be incredibly dangerous. And if you thought learning about tires sounds really boring, imagine doing spin-outs on a 14 acre wet pad and riding shotgun, sliding sideways, with retired Indy car driver, Johnny Unser, behind the wheel. It’s enough to really perk your ears up about the importance of tire safety!
With all of the awesome tire information I learned while in San Antonio, I wanted to share these tire safety tips for moms.
5 Tire Safety Tips for Moms
- Air pressure should be checked once a month. Under-inflation or overloading creates excessive stress and heat, which leads to tire failure. It can decrease the life of the tire, as well as cause less than optimal fuel economy. Have you ever seen those stickers on the inside frame of your driver side door? Those stickers are actually really informative!
The right amount of inflation for each tire on your car can be found there. (It can also be found in the vehicle owner’s manual.) Don’t forget to check the spare tire, as well! You never know when you’ll need to use it. - Rotate tires every 5,000-8,000 miles, which is about every other oil change. This will keep the wear of the tires equal and can extend the life of the tire resulting in money left in your wallet.
- Have a professional periodically check your alignment, as misalignment of wheels in the front or rear can cause uneven and rapid tread-wear, which only decreases the life of the tire.
- Test the tread of your tire monthly, as well. The tire tread gauge seen here is the best tool to use for this test. If the tread is worn down to 2/32nds it is time to get a new tire.
Unfortunately, not everyone has a tire tread gauge. Not to worry! A simple test with a penny can also be used! All you have to do is place a penny upside down into a tread groove. If part of Lincoln’s head is covered by the tread, you’re driving with the proper amount of tread. If you can see all of his head, you should buy a new tire. Thankfully, Cooper Tire has made this tread check even easier with the Wear Square™, which is a visual indicator that is part of the tread design and allows drivers to quickly assess the approximate tread life remaining on their tires.
As the tire wears, the Wear Square transitions among five stages, beginning with a full square design on new tires and ending with an exclamation mark when the tread reaches 2/32s of an inch, which indicates that it is time to replace the tire. - Obviously, when the time comes to replace tires, it’s best to replace all four at the same time. We all know that is not always financially feasible for everyone. If you can only replace two tires at a time, make sure to place the newest tires on the back! I had never heard of this concept but after driving these BMW’s with worn tires on the front and worn tires on the back, it became so clear to me!
With the worn tires on the back, I had a spin out at almost every corner we took on the wet pad. It was fun at the test track, but I can only imagine how scary that would be on an actual road with my babies in the backseat.
I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel and do a comparison test while driving two different Tahoes with a set of competitor’s tires and Cooper Tire’s newest tire, the Discoverer SRX. I was amazed at how well the Discoverer SRXs gripped the road during every turn. It left me more confident in the driver seat and of course that only made me feel safer.
The SRX is designed to provide a long tread life, maximize ride comfort and improve tire efficiency. Traction grooves maximize the expulsion of water away from the tread surface effectively reducing the potential of hydroplane and increasing grip. That’s enough to make any mother feel safer behind the wheel!
When it comes to buying new tires, make sure to do your research ahead of time and have two sets of tires in mind before you go in to the tire store. Being armed with this information will make it less likely that a tire dealer will try and sell you a tire that may be the incentive for the month. Of course, I’m now a huge Cooper Tire fan, so I’d be the first to recommend their tires, but make sure to do your own research.
I never thought I’d be so thankful for new tire knowledge but I feel confident that I could go in to the tire store and make an educated purchase for our next set of tires without any problems. I also feel more confident in keeping my family safe with proper tire maintenance. Knowledge is power and these tire safety tips for moms only help you save money in the long run. Who doesn’t love the idea of saving money?!
To find more information about these 5 tire safety tips for moms, be sure to check out the Cooper Tire website.
Who is in charge of tire safety in your home?
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
My husband is in charge of all car related things in our house, but I know he rotates the tires. I will forward this to him to make sure he is doing the rest.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
My husband does most of the car things, but because I’m on the road so much, he did give me a crash course in tires. It’s really important.
Shop with Me Mama (Kim) says
Great reminders, thank you! My hubby usually is the one to keep the tires in good condition and replace them when necessary.
ARod says
Great tips and very useful information. Thanks so much for sharing.
Lindsey @ Redhead Baby Mama says
I don’t check the tread as often as I should, but I’m very good about tire pressure. I even asked for tire pressure checkers for Xmas!
Shop with Me Mama (Kim) says
I need to get a tire pressure checker! I leave it up to my hubby and I should not do that.
Alicia says
My husband is in charge of all things related to vehicles and outdoor work. I don’t even know how to change the oil, lol. I can definitely benefit from this post, thanks!
Michelle F. says
What a great list of tips. I will be sharing with my husband to make sure he does it all for our family car.
Christie says
Ok, I definitely need to check the stickers. I’ve never seen the tire pressure in there before. Great tips
jasmine says
I never take car of anything to do with the car but these are all good things to know.
Liz Mays says
This is so important. I hadn’t checked my tread in a long time a while ago and when I went in for routine maintenance they found it had been worn down to the fabric in one spot.
Amber C. says
These are some awesome tips! I have always made it a point to check for safety now that I have kids!
Marcie W. says
These are fantastic tips! Even though my husband is a certified mechanic, I still feel like we could do more frequent safety checks and monthly maintenance on our vehicles.
Jenny Temcio says
Thankfully, I get my husband to most of this for me regularly. Checking your air pressure if very important.
Amy @ItsAMindfulLife says
Very good tips. I had know idea I could find the tire pressure recommendations on a label inside the driver’s door cage. Thanks!
Ellen ThatChicMom says
I am terrible about keeping up with my cars tire maintenance too. It is so important though for car safety!
Sara P. (@SensiblySara) says
I don’t want to type this – but I never check any of those things! And I’m not sure my husband does either. I guess I need to touch base with him and make a plan.
Toni | BoulderLocavore says
This is such a good reminder. I love your specific tips too. Everyone could easily do those things or remember to have their service provider to check when getting an oil change.
Kiwi says
Great info! I am glad there is info out here to educate us on our cars more than ever before!
Pauline C. says
I like driving cars but I’m not into the maintenance that much. But this article makes me want to participate.
Jeannette says
These are great tips! I’ll admit that I’m so guilty of just letting my hubby take care of my car but I really need to know more and be able to do it myself and this is a great place to start!
Danielle K says
These are all really good tips. I really need to get better about regularly rotating and checking my air pressure in the tires.
Chrystal | Nevermore Lane says
Super awesome tips. When I was younger I used to be really diligent about checking this stuff. Now I have OnStar and they do car checks every time I leave the house. Plus, I get my car serviced at scheduled times to make sure I am safe. I do keep an eye on tire tread though. Especially now that I live in a state with a lot of rain and snow.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
Those are great tips. I never knew until recently that the inside of the store has all the tire information, definitely a great place for it!
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says
These are all great tips! Tires seem to be something that’s forgotten until they become a problem!
Tammi @ My Organized Chaos says
I used to never check my tires except for a quick glance – though I don’t even know that I’d have recognized a problem. I’m checking mine once a week now, gauges and all!
Jeanine says
Great tips! These are good to know. We don’t own a vehicle but in the case we do in the future glad to know!
Deb@SimplePlate says
I never knew about the ‘wear square’ until I bought tires for the Volvo. And though I know how to change a tire, praise God, I’ve never had to do it myself. Knowing the ins and outs of tire safety is important for everyone, but particularly moms with littles need to know! Thanks for all the tips!
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says
I just ordered new tires. I swear before kids I would never have even thought about tire wear unless my mechanic mentioned in to me. Now, I check my tires all the time! I love you safety tips! Isn’t it amazing how all of a sudden safety is so much more important when it is more than just yourself you need to worry about? Ah, the joys of being a mom.
Debra says
Such great tips! I am really terrible at just letting it be my husband’s problem. I should focus more on my car!
Ann Bacciaglia says
This is great safety information. I just had my tires changed. I will have to remember the penny trick.
Shell Feis says
Thanks for this! I seriously didn’t know the first thing about tires before reading this. Okay well I knew they were round but I didn’t know the second thing.
Krissy says
Thank you for all the tire safety tips! I am clueless when it comes to these types of things, but it’s SOO important for my safety and the safety of my kids who ride with me every day!
Debbie Denny says
Good info. Something everyone needs to know.
kristin says
Great tips here! I know being safe is always priority. It’s nice to know the simple must dos.
Chrysa says
These are such good tips. I have to say I rely on my husband too much for taking care of things like this. I really should learn it all myself.
Holly @ Woman Tribune says
These are great tips! Not keeping up on all the needs of your vehicle could leave you stranded on the worst possible day ever. My fiance is responsible for the tire safety of our vehicle, and other things it may need as well, because he knows way more about it than I do.
Megan @ C'mon Get Crafty says
I actually just got an alert about my tire pressure being low. I need to check that out!
Camesha | Mama Motivator says
I’m good on most of them. I really need to check my pressure and tread more often!
Michele says
I am terrible when it comes to checking up on my car–like you I barely manage to fill up the tank! The guy at the gas station that I frequent the most generally tells me when my tires need changing and forces me yo pop the hood to make sure there is at least oil in there—