Be ‘TireWise’ with Tips to Save Money, Increase Safety

Make a difference for your vehicle, your wallet, and even your life

When was the last time you checked your tires? If you can’t remember, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has many reasons why you should make regular tire care a priority, including:

• Saving money—Properly inflating your tires can save you as much as 11 cents per gallon on fuel, but only 19 percent of consumers properly inflate their tires.
• Extending tire life—Properly inflated tires can extend the average life of a tire by 4,700 miles.
• Increasing safety—Tire-related crashes resulted in 738 fatalities in 2017 alone.

FIVE WAYS TO BE ‘TIREWISE’

To increase Americans’ tire-care awareness, NHTSA has rolled out the national “TireWise” public-information campaign featuring money-saving, safety-increasing tips and information on buying and maintaining tires.

NHTSA offers five ways you can start being TireWise today:

1. Tire pressure—Test your tires’ pressure every month with a tire-pressure gauge and adjust as needed; proper pressure information can be found on the Tire and Loading Information Label on the driver’s side door edge, driver’s side doorjamb, or in your owner’s manual.
2. Tire tread—Like tire pressure, check your tires’ tread once a month. Tires are not safe and should be replaced when the tread is worn down to 2/32 of an inch.
3. Balance and alignment—Have your tires balanced a wheel alignment performed by a qualified professional.
4. Tire rotation—Most vehicles’ tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 8,000 miles; check your owner’s manual for more information.
5. Tire size—Buy new tires that are the same size as the vehicle’s original tires or another size recommended by the vehicle manufacturer; check your owner’s manual or ask a qualified professional for assistance.

Find out more about being TireWise at NHTSA’s website. For help and advice on tire purchasing and maintenance, licensees of the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) can help: Visit BAR’s website at www.bar.ca.gov and check professionals’ licenses at https://search.dca.ca.gov.

Watch This: NHTSA’s video “Tirewise: Life of a Tire”