New Year Resolution on Tires

Happy New Year!

Well it's that time when we make Resolutions. Many make ones that they know, deep down they will probably not keep. You know the ones like "Go a diet and loose 25# or to start walking 5 miles every day.

Well I would like to offer some suggestions for resolutions that won't be too difficult to keep and could pay BIG dividends in improved fuel mileage or decreased chance of a tire failure or improved tire wear.


#1. Get a your own "Master" tire gauge. This should be a digital gauge that you keep packed away and not in the bottom of your tool box. You can use this gauge to check your regular hand gauge against once every few weeks.
My personal favorite is this Accutire gauge
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You don't need a $100 special truck gauge as you simply use this gauge to measure a front tire and compare the reading with the reading on your normal gauge. I have found this gauge to be accurate to +/- 1/2 psi or better, when checked against ISO Laboratory test instruments,.which is more than accurate enough. If your regular gauge is within a couple psi of this one that should be good enough PLUS you know if your regular gauge is reading high or low.

#2. On your first trip pull off the Interstate at a truck stop that has scales and confirm the current load on each axle. Now hopefully you have had each tire (for trailers) or each "corner" for motorhomes weighed in the past. Doing a quick axle weight check will confirm you haven't made a significant change in your loading as the axle total should match the total of the individual tires you previously had measured.

#3 At least once each year have your tires completely inspected by a tire dealer that sells your brand of tire. If you have a trailer you should have a "Free Spin" inspection to check for Radial or Lateral runout as seen in this video.  I covered the examination of this "Failed" tire in my post on how to inspect your tires.

#4 And now the tough one here. Go to my blog Archive (lower right side) and go back to oldest post and "Resolve" to review four posts each week. Now you don't have to remember everything but I do hope that when you are done you will have an idea of where to go when a question comes up and you will hopefully remember reading something on the topic of interest and you can then go back and re-read the specific post.

May you all have a Safe and Tire Problem Free 2015.
Roger Marble   aka Tireman9


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