Tire Maintenance

Don’t Be Left Flat

Tires are one of the most critical components of your vehicle. They play a major role in ensuring your Toyota maintains optimal performance and safety. That means routine tire maintenance is extremely important. Without it you’ll end up with uneven wear and shortened tire life, which then leads to reduced fuel efficiency and poor handling. In order to help protect you and your vehicle, Voss Toyota provides routine tire maintenance in our state-of-the-art Toyota Service Center.

Is It Time To Re-Tire?

It’s imperative that you make sure your tires are in safe driving condition. Here’s one of several ways you can be sure. To determine if it’s time to replace your tires, you can use the Quarter Test. It’s a simple and effective method. And all you’ll need is a Quarter and a few minutes of spare time. Let’s walk through the steps below.

How to Perform the Quarter Test

Place a Quarter between the tread ribs on your tire. A “rib” refers to the raised portion of tread that spans the circumference of your tire. Tire tread is composed of several ribs.

Turn the Quarter so that Washington’s head points down into the tread.

See if the top of his head disappears between the ribs. If it does, your tread is still above 4/32 of an inch. If you can see his entire head, it may be time to replace the tire because your tread is no longer deep enough.

Specials

Other Things To Keep In Mind

Air Pressure

Maintaining the recommended level of air pressure in your tires not only puts less strain on your engine and other related components, but it also preserves the life of your tires. Most importantly, it allows them to provide your vehicle with the best level of performance possible. That means you get to enjoy a more exciting and smooth ride. Regardless of each tire’s physical condition, improper air pressure will cause it to miss the mark on performance — or even damage the tire.

There are a few different ways your tires’ air pressure levels can change. Even something as simple as the outside temperature can affect tire pressure. As the weather cools, air contracts and reduces pressure (and vice versa). So you’ll want to check the air pressure routinely.

Tire Pressure and Fuel Economy

According to the Unites States Department of Energy, properly inflated tires can return an additional 3.3 percent to your vehicle’s current fuel economy rating. But when your tires aren’t properly inflated, your vehicle’s engine and related components have to work harder to get you to your destination. This will cause a noticeable dip in your Toyota’s fuel economy. And inclement weather or adverse driving conditions only make the problem worse. To get the best fuel economy from your Toyota, be sure to check the recommended PSI that’s found inside the driver’s door jam instead of the number found on the side of your tire. Or, just bring it to Voss Toyota, and we’ll take care of it for you.

Balance and Alignment

Similar to how certain parts of your shoes wear depending on how you walk, certain parts of your tires can wear more quickly based on how your vehicle drives. The easiest and most effective way to prevent uneven wear is to have your tires balanced and aligned regularly. Although the science and technology of tire manufacturing has advanced over the years, resulting in a reduced need to have these services performed more frequently, it’s not something you want to forget about. If you’d like to make sure your tires don’t have any necessary wear and tear, be sure to stop by Voss Toyota for an inspection.

As we’ve mentioned before, choosing the proper tires for your vehicle will improve overall performance and provide you with the greatest return on your investment. There are several types to choose from: economy, performance, top-of-the-line and more. So selecting a tire without any extra information can be overwhelming. If you’re unsure about which tires to choose for your vehicle, please visit our friendly technicians at Voss Toyota. We offer the most reliable tire brands at competitive prices. Our professional staff will help you select the tire that best suits your vehicle. Whether you’re shopping for new tires or find yourself in need of a tire inspection, alignment, rotation or balance, we’re always here to serve our customers from Dayton, and .