Tire Guide for Mom’s

I told you about the fun I had at the Cooper Tire test track. Now it’s time to tell you about some of the things I’ve learned. As a mother, it’s important to know about what I’m putting my families lives onto. Tires are an investment sometimes, but your lives are worth it. Here are some tips you need to know about tires and that I hope help you in the future. 

Tire Pressure

• Most people don’t realize that your tires lose pressure every month. Especially in the warmer months. Newer cars have a sensor in them that shows when the pressure is low but that sensor is only triggered when it becomes extremely low. You should be testing your tires pressure every month and refilling it to make sure you’re getting the maximum value out of them and your bass milage.
• Make sure you keep caps on your air tubes so that dirty and debris don’t get caught in them causing air to leak.
• When you use your pressure gauge make sure you hold it on there for a few seconds. I always thought that you press it in really fast and then release it but you don’t. You hold it on the tube for a few moments to get a proper reading.
• To find out how much pressure is supposed to be in your tires you need to refer to the inside of your drivers side door. Never go by the side of the tires. You may have the wrong tires or it’s been worn and can’t be read properly. There is a sticker in your door that has all the important information for your car. (See picture)

Size

• Also written on this sticker is the tire size. another important component to tire buying. Your car has a specific size that fits in the well of the car. If it’s too big it scraps and won’t allow you to turn properly. The tires also help with your fuel economy so make sure you get the right size for your car. It should read something like ( 205/70R15 Width/Aspect Ratio/Rim Diameter) 

Thread

• Most people use the penny test (place a penny in the tire’s most worn groove with the Lincoln’s head facing down. If you can see the top of the Lincoln’s head, the tire should be replaced) to check their tires but sometimes it can be inaccurate because tires wear different on different cars. Bad alignments can cause the inside to wear faster then the outside. You should pick up a tread wear gauge like the one pictured below. If you monitor your tires tread wear you can budget for new tires in the future. If you know that you have 2 months left on your current tires, you can put money aside to purchase all new ones when the time comes. 
• My favorite part of the new Cooper Tire CS5 tires are the patented Wear Square™ VWI (Visual Wear Indicator). As the tire wears, the shaped of the visual wear indicator will change as shown which allows you to approximate the tread life remaining on your tires. Talk about easy!

Position

• If you find that you can only afford to buy two tires at a time then it’s important that you place the tires on the back of the vehicle no matter your drive system (front wheel drive or rear wheel drive). Putting them on the back give you better traction on the road, especially if it’s wet.
• Here is a great guide on where you should move your tires when you replace them.
  

Alignment

• If you start to notice that your tires aren’t wearing evenly, it’s time to check your alignment. Even something simple are hitting a curb can throw it off and cause your tires to wear unevenly. In more extreme cases your car could start “pulling” to the side. This is dangerous.

Thanks to Cooper Tire for bringing me out to their test track and drive like a crazy woman. I learned a lot and I’m glad I can share it with you. I might even have a Cooper Tire giveaway coming up so stay tuned!

Find the new Cooper Tire CS5 near you