Tires
Preventative Maintenance and Retreading
Do you consider tires a one-and-done product? Are tires part of your regular semi truck maintenance? When the tread is gone, is it time for brand new tires? Nope! It is time to change your way of thinking. Tires are some of the most expensive parts of the truck. Do not throw them away after the tread is worn out. If the casing is still sound, retread your tires. Retreading is a cost effective way to get the most from your tires. Maintaining a proper, preventative tire regimen can extend your tires’ lifespans and save your business money.
Proper Tire Inflation
Nothing damages a tire’s casing faster than improper tire inflation. Over-inflating wears out the center of the casing, leading to blowouts. Under-inflating wears on the tire’s shoulder and damages the casing’s structure. In some situations, the casings may even become separated from the tread creating dangerous driving conditions. Whether over- or under-inflated, both of these scenarios lead to purchasing brand new tires. Check your tire pressure as part of your preventative maintenance routine. If able, implement pressure checks into your pre- and post-trip checks.
Rotate Your Tires Regularly
Drive tires wear differently than steer or rear tires. Rotating your tires helps maintain their integrity by ensuring none of the sides become worn out prematurely. Remember, protecting the casing will save you money when it is time to change tires.
Take Care of Your Current Tread
Tires pick up everything on the road. Chemicals, salt, and debris can have corrosive effects, damaging your tires’ treads over time. Combat this by washing your tires whenever you wash your vehicle to help preserve your tires’ rubber.
The way you drive also affects the life of your tires. Aggressive driving, severe braking, and speeding can wear your tire tread down prematurely. Time management can combat feeling rushed and needing to speed. Maintain larger following distance to give yourself time to stop. Your tires and your wallet will thank you.
Have a Spare
Keep some spare sets of tires for each of your vehicles. This way when one set of tires is being retread, you already have another retread set ready for use. Rotate between the retreads when possible. This will cut down on how often you need to purchase new tires. With Goodyear, if the tires casings are well taken care of, you can retread your tires 3-4 times.
Tires are expensive but they don’t need to break the bank. Take care of your existing casings through preventative maintenance and retread them. Make your tires work for you. You will save a great deal of money in the process.