Tires are the only equipment of the car that has a direct contact with the roads. The vehicle handling, braking, and riding of the car all depend on the tire safety. Thus, checking the tires regularly is an important step towards your safety. Even seasonal tires and top-rated tires experience wear and tear and thus need thorough maintenance.

Taking a few minutes from your busy schedule each week to inspect your tires. It can not only save on fuel, but also save your life. Here are some best tires safety tips around:

1. Check tire pressure

Road safety reports indicate that the root cause of tire failure is under-inflation. Under-inflation may be caused by gradual pressure loss through the membranes of the tire. Aside from affecting vehicle handling and fuel consumption, lack of tire pressure also affects car safety and tire life. Under-inflation also puts stress on the seasonal tire carcass, which often leads to tread separation and tire failure. Thus, it’s imperative to adjust the air pressure at least once a month and before every long trip.

2. Check abnormal damage

Seasonal tires should be checked regularly for any unusual damage, resulting from excessive tread wear, cracks, chunking or separation of the tread, and tire punctures due to foreign bodies, like screw, glass, and nails embedded in the tire itself. In case of any such damage, before any fatal accident takes place, go for a thorough examination of your tires and get them repaired, or replace the old tires with new tires.

3. Tire rotation

Tire rotation is essential at every 6000 miles or as per the owner’s manual. Tire rotation is important to obtain an even wear of the tire and a maximum life of the tread. Moving the front left tire to the rear right axle and the front right tire to the rear left axle is the best balancing position for the maximum tread life. This arrangement is known as Cross pattern rotation.

4. Maintaining suspension and steering

Misalignment in the suspension and steering either in the rear or in front can adversely affect the stability of the vehicle as well as cause uneven wear and tear of the tire. Thus it needs to be corrected as soon as possible. If you feel a pulling sensation in the steering, or if you notice uneven cracks in the tire, then it is time to check the alignment as early as possible. Alignment should also be checked after an accident or if the tires have run through a patch of rough roads, that with large potholes.

5. Avoid overloading and overheating

Overheating and overloading tires are detrimental for the safety rated tire life. High speeds, hard braking; too much rough roads all lead to overheating of the tires that lead to tire failure.