The Importance of Tire Care

Where The Rubber Meets The Road: Everything You Need to Know About Your Tires

When it comes to caring for your Ford car, it's hard to overstate the importance of tire care. Sure, getting your oil changed and brakes serviced every now and then is great, but ensuring your tires are in good shape is perhaps one of the most critical things you can do for the long-term maintenance and safety of your vehicle. At Motor Mile Ford, we've been helping drivers from all over Virginia with their tire care for years now, and we'd love the chance to help you as well.

So, Just How Important Are My Tires?

To put it quite simply, they're immensely important.  Your tires have an impact on everything from your car's safety to its performance to its fuel economy and more, so it's imperative that you keep them in good shape.

How Will I Know When I Need to Change My Tires?

Obviously, everyone's seen a flat tire, and that's a clear indication that your tire may need to be replaced, but there are some key early warning signs of tire failure that are often overlooked.

One major red flag is tread wear. Most Ford-approved tires have about 8 millimeters of depth to their tread when they're first installed. Now, this tread can wear down with time, so it's important to check it every month or two, and there's a simple and easy way to do so at home.

Leave your car off for at least 30 minutes while parked on a flat surface, then take a penny and insert it upside down into the tread well of your tires, so that Abraham Lincoln's head on the coin is facing down.

On a healthy set of tires, the tread should cover up roughly the top half of Lincoln's head on the coin. Now, a little less can still be fine, but if you can see Lincoln's whole head on the coin, it's a good indicator that your tires need to be replaced, and trust us that it's not an issue you'll want to put off.  Driving on worn down tires increases your risk of a puncture or blowout, which is dangerous to you, your family, and other drivers on the road.

Fortunately, when it comes to Ford tire care, we're experts here at Motor Mile Ford, so don't hesitate to get in touch with our service center and let us aid you with all your tire care needs.

How Often Should I be Changing the Tires on My Ford Vehicle?

That can depend on any number of different factors, but a good rule of thumb to follow is that you should be changing your tires every six years or so. That being said, let's dive into some of the reasons and mitigating factors that can affect your tire change intervals.

First and foremost, you should know the difference between all-season and winter tires, and know when to change them.

Now, all-season tires are just what they sound like; tires designed for year round usage. However, if you spend a lot of time on the road in the wintertime and don't want to be slowed down by snow and ice, you'll want to get yourself a set of winter tires as well.

Sure, we don't see as much snow as northerly states here in Virginia, but when the flakes start to fall, you'll be glad to have a reliable set of winter tires. Unlike all-season tires, winter tires are specifically engineered to perform well in the snow and ice. In addition to a tread pattern that cuts into the snow and prevents slush from building up on its surface, winter tires have a specific rubber chemical composition that keeps them flexible in the cold, while all-season tires often stiffen up.

Typically, you can run on your all-season tires straight through to October around here, but it's a good idea to switch to winter tire sometime around mid-November and keep them on through the end of February, but that can vary depending on the weather conditions so make sure to keep an eye on the forecast.