4 Warning Signs That Your Automobile Is In Need Of New Tires - Auto Therapy (Full Service Automotive Repair) Geneva, IL 60134

4 Warning Signs That Your Automobile Is In Need Of New Tires

Have you ever gone for a long walk or run and come back home to find that your feet are tired or have developed blisters? Tires are to an automobile what feet are to a human. Each and every time you take your automobile out on the road your tires experience stress, wear and tear. Tires that are not well maintained can leave you stranded on the side of the road or even worse in a catastrophic situation.

If you do not have the time to stop by your local ASE Certified automotive repair facility, you can follow the below steps to do a quick spot check while you find the time to make an appointment with your local automotive mechanic.

1. "Check the inner and outer sidewall of each tire for bubbles, bulges or cracks"

The inside and outer part of the sidewalls should be perfectly smooth. If you spot an excessive bubbles, bulges or cracks with the naked eye on any of your tires you need to get your automobile into the automotive repair facility as soon as possible. Bubbles, bulges or cracks are weak spots within the tire and can be a sign that a leak is developing or even worse a “blow out” is waiting to happen at any moment leaving you in a tough and dangerous situation while driving at high speeds down the road.

2. "Tread Wear Indication Bar"

Newer tires have a convenience that older tires lacked. They have tread wear indicator bars built into the tires themselves. These bars, invisible or barely visible when the tires are new, gradually begin to appear as the tread wears down. They appear as flat rubber bars running perpendicular to the direction of the tread itself. If more than one or two of these are visible on a tire, the tread is getting low and the tire should be replaced.

3. The "Penny" Test

The tread on your automobile's tires should never fall below 1/16 of an inch (1.6 millimeters) in depth. If you regularly drive on slick, wet surfaces, you'd be even better off with twice that much. You can buy a gauge to measure the tread depth the way the professionals do, but there's an old trick that will give you a rough idea of how much tread depth you have left on your automobiles tires and it won't cost you more than a penny.

In fact, it requires a penny. Take a Lincoln-head penny, the kind you find in your change every day, and insert Abe's head (head-down) into the tread. If Lincoln's entire head remains visible, you don't have enough tread and you risk dangerous driving conditions or catastrophic results.

4. "Automobile Vibrations"

Every automobile owner has experienced slight vibrations with their automobile at different periods while driving down the road. If your automobile starts to vibrate and does not stop that is usually a sign of a bigger problem. The solution could be something as small as needing your tires balanced or aligned or something much bigger that has been brewing with your automobile that is starting to affect your automobiles tires and should be checked out immediately.

If you are ever in doubt or unsure of whether or not you are in need of new tires, take your vehicle to your local ASE Automotive Mechanic for a professional inspection.

Tony Rudny ASE

Auto Therapy

560 Lark St

Geneva, IL 60134

1-630-208-1111

Website:     www.automotivetherapy.com

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Twitter:      @TonyRudnyASE