October is Fall Car Care Month. And, for those of us living in areas where the seasons change, it’s a good reminder to get your vehicle prepped for colder temperatures and inclement weather.
Before the thermometer plumets, it’s smart to perform any regularly scheduled maintenance including topping off the antifreeze or coolant, making sure you have a fresh set of windshield wiper blades and washer fluid, and replacing any weak or aging car batteries.
An often-overlooked part of fall maintenance is evaluating your tires. Inadequate tread depth is especially dangerous when driving in snowy, slushy and icy conditions. Most experts agree that your tires should have a minimum of 5/32” (4mm) for safe winter driving. Use a tread depth gauge to ensure your tires have at least 5/32” depth.
Another important tire maintenance check is to ensure your tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The pressure inside your tire can decrease by as much as 1 PSI for every 10 degrees the temperature drops. Even if your vehicle is equipped with TPMS, it is important to manually check your tire pressure using a high-quality tire pressure gauge or tire inflator. Sensors can fail, and some tire monitoring systems only detect rapid drops in pressure. Therefore, a subtle drop in PSI due to a change in temperature may not set off you TPMS warning light.
Love it or hate it, winter weather and colder temperatures are on the way. Make sure your vehicle is ready! For more tire safety and tire repair tips and techniques, follow TECH Tire Repair on our social media channels using the buttons below.
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