7 Tire Maintenance Tips for Every Mom

Before last week, you could have asked me anything about tires and I would have probably stared at you blankly. I would have given you a nice response and tried to sound somewhat intelligent in the matter, but in my head I would have been saying, “I have no clue. My husband handles all of that.” And, that’s the truth! I never think about tires because I know he’ll handle it for us.

That’s all changed now.

After I got to take a press trip to San Antonio to the Cooper Tire Vehicle and Test Center, which included a 14 acre wet pad, I feel like I have been so enlightened. It’s amazing how sliding sideways with retired Indy 500 driver, Johnny Unser behind the wheel and doing spinouts on the wet pad will get you excited to know more about tires!

It’s actually silly that I’ve never paid much attention to tires, when they are what take care of my precious cargo while we are on the road. I’m even embarrassed to admit that I rarely, if ever, check the tire pressure in my tires, unless I feel like the tire needs more air. And again, I usually just send my husband to take care of it. That’s all changed now after my trip to San Antonio and all the behind the wheel learning I did.

With all of this tire knowledge filling up my head, I wanted to share with you 7 tire maintenance tips for every mom!

• Rotate your tires about every 5,000-8,000 miles, which is about every other oil change. This will ensure more uniform wear and can extend the life of your tires.
• When it comes to your tire tread, you should test it monthly to check the wear. You can always do a simple test with a U.S. penny. Put the edge of your coin in the tread with Lincoln going in head first. If the top of Lincoln’s head is covered by tread, then there is at least a minimum acceptable amount of tread. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, at all, the tire needs to be replaced.

• Test your air pressure monthly, as well! This was new to me, but the correct tire inflation pressure can be found in the owner’s manual or on a sticker located on the edge of your car door. The tire pressure listed on your tires’ sidewall is actually the maximum pressure it can handle and not the optimal, which is a common misconception. By properly inflating your tires, you are also promoting better fuel economy. Don’t forget to check the spare tire, too! You never know when you’ll need it!

• Obviously, when you need to replace your tires, the goal would be to replace all four tires, but tires can be expensive and sometimes it’s not in the budget for all four. If you can only replace two tires at a time, make sure the newest tires are placed on the back. We test drove cars with worn tires on the front and then immediately jumped in to a car with worn tires on the back. HUGE difference! I’ve never had so many spin outs as I did while driving tires with worn tread on the back.
• When the time comes to replace your tires, do your research. Narrow it down to two tires you’re looking at and go in to the tire store like you know what you’re talking about. It’s the best way to keep a tire guy from taking advantage of you and selling whatever tire is the store incentive of the month. And, after driving a Tahoe with competitor’s tires on and then jumping right in to a Tahoe with Cooper Tires on, I’d definitely recommend you look at Cooper Tires when making your purchasing decisions! I could feel the difference immediately and I’m a huge Cooper Tires fan after that little test.
• This was news to me, also, but tires with a puncture on the sidewalls and shoulders should not be repaired, but should be replaced, instead. And if you do have to repair the tire, make sure they are repaired with both a plug and a patch, never just one. The puncture should also be less than 1/4 inch in size.
• Tire maintenance is all about taking good care of your tires, which means they can take good care of you and your precious cargo. Tires housed in the garage will last longer than tires that always sit in direct sunlight. Think about what a piece of rubber looks like after it’s been sitting in the sun for years. Not pretty! You should also not use a tire that is older than 10 years old.

As a mom who drives her kids around everyday, getting in and out of the car, I’m so thankful for this new tire knowledge. {Never thought I’d say that! 🙂} I’m confident I could walk in to the tire dealer and make an educated decision when it comes to our next set of tires. I love the feeling of empowerment that gives me!

Regular tire care keeps you from having to replace your tires as often, which helps you save money in the long run. No one will complain about saving money. Am I right?

These are just 7 tips for tire maintenance for every mom but there’s really much more information you can find on the Cooper Tires website.

Cooper Tires provided writer with an all-expense paid trip to San Antonio to learn about tire maintenance and safety. All opinions are my own.