It is important not to put minor car repairs on the back burner.

First, be sure to rotate your tires on a regular basis. It is a good rule of thumb to rotate tires every time you get an oil change. Some driving patterns and road conditions that you drive regularly will put more pressure on some tires than others. Tires will rarely wear evenly.

Next, keep your tires filled to the proper air pressure levels. One way to know if your tire pressure is low is if your tires squeal when cornering. However, check often because tires can have low air pressure and not appear to be flat.

Also make sure you’re tires are always properly aligned. Get an alignment if you notice that your car drifts when you lighten your grip on the steering wheel. Every time you bump into a curb or experience a slight accident, you throw your tires out of alignment.

Even if you follow these rules the time may come for you to get new tires. How do you know when this time is? Use the penny trick! There’s an old rule of thumb to use in this situation. Take a penny and put Abraham Lincoln’s head into one of the grooves of the tread. If part of his head is covered by the tread, you’re ok. If you can see all of his head, it’s time to replace the tire. When the tread is worn down to 1/16 of an inch, tires must be replaced.

Be sure to follow these simple suggestions and you will notice an increase in the life span of your tires!