Car tires are the part of your vehicle that receive the most wear, as they are in direct contact with the road and bear the brunt of all weather exposure. Improper care of your vehicle's tires can greatly increase the risk of a puncture or leak, which can have several negative effects on your vehicle and greatly increase the chances of an accident occurring. Thankfully, there are a number of things that you can do to ensure that your tires have the longest lifespan possible.
Clean the Hubcaps
The easiest, yet one of the most important, things that you can do to maintain the condition of your tires is to clean the hubcaps regularly. They can quickly become covered in dirt and grime through every day driving, which is much more than an aesthetic concern. If left unchecked, the metal of your hubcaps can begin to rust, which can reduce the amount of protection that they provide your lug nuts and the tire itself. Make use of a general cleaning agent (or a specially formulated cleaner, if you have luxury or chrome hubcaps) to remove any dirt that may have accumulated.
Alignment
You should have your vehicle's tire alignment checked every time you take your vehicle in to have an oil change or any other type of minor maintenance. Proper wheel alignment means that your tires wear evenly, whereas improper alignment can increase the rate of wear on a specific tire or specific region of your tires at a significant rate. Increased wear means that you will have to have your tires replaced at a tire shop more often, which can be expensive, and can make a puncture or rip in your tire much more likely.
Lubrication
You should use lubricant on your tire's lug nuts periodically (every time you clean your vehicle is a good idea) to ensure that they don't rust into place. If your lug nuts have rusted into place, you can't remove the tire yourself in the result of a flat, and the rust can spread to other areas of your vehicle, including your axles.
Air Pressure
You should check your tires' air pressure periodically as well. It's important to ensure that all your tires are inflated to the proper pressure (located on the sidewall of each respective tire) to ensure that your tires are performing to their maximum ability and not wearing out the inside or outside of the treads (based on over and under inflation, respectively) to extend their lifespan as long as possible.
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