Tire Maintenance for Truck Tires - What You Should Know

Posted May 22nd 2014

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Maintaining your truck tires is vital – they’re more expensive than passenger car tires, for one thing, and failure to maintain those tires can lead to tire repairs, blowouts and premature replacement. It can also lead to auto accidents. If you’re not quite sure what to do to maintain your tires, here’s a short guide on what you absolutely need to do. Of course, it goes without saying that you need to work with professional tire shops in Edmonton.

Truck Tire Alignment

Trucks are rough and tough and designed to handle a great deal of punishment. However, that doesn’t mean that your steering and suspension doesn’t shift over time. Just like passenger cars, truck tires are damaged by poor alignments. If your truck isn’t tracking right down the road, you’re putting undue stress on the sides, which leads to sidewall wear and a significant chance of premature failure. Have your truck aligned regularly to ensure that your truck tires are maintained properly and that you don’t suffer from premature failure.

Tire Pressure Adjustments

Adjusting your tire pressure to fit your driving conditions is important. For instance, if you’re going off road, then you’ll want to let some air out of your tires. However, it’s just as important that you put the proper amount of air back into your truck tires before you get back on the blacktop. Whether you’re heading out for some rock crawling or just touring the back pasture to check on your livestock, air your tires back up to the OEM specified PSI rating before you get back on pavement. Low tire pressure causes wear to the sides of the tire, where the rubber is far softer. This dramatically shortens the life of your tires.

The Right Size

This tip doesn’t have much to do with maintenance. It’s more about ensuring that you have the right tools for the job. Make sure you’re buying the right truck tires for your needs. That means more than just making sure you have all-season tires, or checking to ensure you have an aggressive tread pattern for off-road driving. It means making sure that the tires are rated for your vehicle, and that they’re the right size. Going beyond your OEM specifications can cause all kinds of problems with tread wear, alignment and other issues. Work with an expert Edmonton tire shop to get the right truck tires.