Tire Maintenance: Tips and Guides for Proper Care

Changing a flat tire on the roadside takes about 20 minutes when you have practiced beforehand. Before you need to do it at night on a busy road, confirm your spare is in the trunk and inflated, find your jack, and know how to use both. This step-by-step guide covers vehicle positioning, safe jacking, lug nut sequence, and what to check before driving away on the spare.

Correct tire pressure is the single maintenance check that affects the most things simultaneously: safety, tread life, fuel consumption, and handling. Check when tires are cold, before driving or at least three hours after. Use the pressure from your vehicle's door placard or owner's manual, not the maximum on the tire sidewall. Never deflate a hot tire: the higher reading is normal and will correct when the tire cools. Gas station pressure gauges are often unreliable; invest in your own calibrated gauge.

Minor tread damage in the central portion of the tread, away from the shoulders and sidewall, is often repairable by a trained professional. Sidewall punctures or tears, damage near the shoulder, and damage to a tire that has been driven flat cannot be repaired. Do not attempt to repair a tire yourself. A proper repair requires removing the tire from the wheel for full internal inspection before deciding whether a repair is safe. This page explains the conditions under which repair is appropriate and when replacement is the only responsible choice.

Before storing seasonal tires, note their position on the vehicle so you can rotate correctly next season. Clean with water and dry thoroughly to prevent corrosion. Store indoors in a cool, dark location away from sunlight, heat sources, and ozone generators such as electric motors. If tires are mounted on rims, stack them horizontally. If unmounted, store them upright side by side. If a vehicle will be parked for an extended period, jack it up or remove the tires to prevent the weight of the vehicle from damaging the tires permanently.

Check your tire pressure at least once a month when tires are cold, before driving or at least three hours after. Use the recommended pressure from your vehicle's door sticker, not the number on the tire sidewall. Inspect tread depth at multiple points across and around the tire, and look for cuts, embedded objects, and sidewall damage before long trips. Rotate tires every 10,000 to 12,000 kilometres. These four habits prevent the majority of preventable tire failures.

Tires lose air naturally, around one PSI per month, even without a puncture. Running a few PSI below the recommended pressure consistently shortens tire life, increases fuel consumption, and in severe cases can lead to a structural failure at highway speed. This page explains the specific consequences of neglected tire maintenance so the case for regular checks is clear and concrete.

Before installing new or used tires, undertake a thorough visual check. This step ensures proper mounting and improves tire performance. Skipping or hurrying through this phase may result in vibrations, air loss, handling concerns, or premature tire wear after installation.

Wheel alignment and wheel balancing are important yet often misinterpreted services that impact tire performance. While these services are frequently recommended together, each addresses distinct issues that significantly influence tire wear, vehicle handling, and operational efficiency.

Understanding how alignment, balancing, mounting, and wheel fitment work together can help you protect your tires, improve driving comfort, and avoid unnecessary wear.

Interchanging tires on a regular basis is an important step in tire maintenance, as it increases tire life, maintains balanced vehicle control, and promotes even tread wear.

Tires wear differently depending on where they are mounted on the vehicle; therefore, adhering to specified rotation schedules helps distribute wear more evenly across all four tires over time.

Tire rotation, paired with proper tire inflation, wheel alignment, and wheel balancing, helps ensure a predictable vehicle performance.