A responsible car owner will keep track of the condition of every part of their car or pickup truck. This includes not only checking the oil filter or touching up the paint, but also keeping track of the tires and the rims for damage or defects. The wheels of a car are often taken for granted, but damaged or worn out tires can be inconvenient, annoying, or even dangerous to drive on. So, a car owner may visit tire shops or tire stores to buy tires of the desired type, and this may include off-road tires or tires designed for snowy or icy roads. What is more, tire repair is an option if the damage is not too severe, and tire repair can spare the owner the trouble of buying new tires. Is tire repair an option? This is something for the car owner to check with a tire shop’s staff, who will certainly know the answer after performing an inspection. And what about car rims?
Care for Tires
What might go wrong with a car’s tires to make tire repair or replacement necessary? A fairly mundane reason is wear and tear. Tires are tough, to be sure, and they endure millions of rotations during their lifetime. But after a point, and after many miles of use, tires will wear out and start to deflate slowly, and they become softer. Old tires may lose some of their traction, and they may be more likely to suffer total punctures. These old tires also lower a vehicle’s fuel efficiency, and it is a hassle to keep inflating them, only for them to slowly leak air again. And statistics show that many auto incidents happen because one of the involved cars had deflated and old tires that perform erratically on the road. Old tires don’t perform as smoothly or consistently as fresher ones.
So, a car owner may keep a log of when they buy tires, and this informs them when the time has come to replace them with fresh models. Often, a tire’s age is tracked not just by months, but total miles driven. And what about tire repair? Small punctures might be possible to repair, and a car owner can take their car to the shop for just that. The tire in question is removed from the rim, and the workers will inspect the damaged area. If the puncture is small enough and it’s not on the tire’s sides or other vulnerable areas, the workers may be able to patch it up and seal it. But if the puncture is large or located on a trickier part of the tire, then that tire may need total replacement.
New, fresh tires can work wonders for a car. They are tough and fully inflated, which makes them very fuel-efficient and smooth to drive on, not to mention safer. Fresh tires also have an excellent grip, which makes them safer to drive on. Not to mention how a car owner may find tires of a particular model, such as rugged off-road tires that can handle driving on open ground rather than pavement or gravel roads. Other tires are designed for use in winter, and have excellent grip on roads covered with ice or snow. Even fairly cheap tires can be an improvement over deflated and worn out tires, and a car owner may have many models and brand names to choose from.
On Rims
Don’t forget where the tires are mounted: the car’s rims. These rims are often made of aluminum or similar metals, and they are a brace for the tires to fit on. Such rims can be removed from the car to be repainted, cleaned, replaced, or repaired, and a car owner may choose new rims for fashion choices or to find sturdier models. The rims can be cleaned routinely for mud and other grime with soapy water. But note that steel wool should not be used, since scouring rims with steel wool may scratch the soft aluminum surface. Dented rims can be removed and pounded back into shape to make them safer to drive on, and some car enthusiasts may decorate car rims. Spray paints can alter how the rims look, and some car owners install lights to make the rims fancy.