With the recent focus in Grandville on improving fuel economy, we've been told how important it is to maintain our tire pressure.

Grand Rapids motorists know that tires wear out, but we want to make them last as long as possible because they're not cheap to replace. In addition to saving gas, properly inflated tires last longer. Under-inflated tires will wear out more quickly.

Some Grandville drivers wonder if they should add a few extra pounds of pressure when they fill up their tires. Bad idea. In fact, there are very good reasons not to over-inflate your tires. For one, the middle of the tread will wear unevenly because the full tread is not contacting the road properly. That also adversely affects your handling.

Stop by Tuffy Grand Rapids to see about tire maintenance for your Grand Rapids, Michigan vehicle.

Tuffy Grand Rapids
610 28th St. SE
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49548
616.452.4425

Every vehicle in the Grandville area has a sticker on the driver's side door jamb that tells you the auto maker's recommended tire pressure. This recommendation is an integral part of the vehicle's suspension tuning. A lot of engineering actually goes into the recommended tire pressure, so it's vital for Grandville motorists to follow it.

What else do Grand Rapids drivers need to know about tire maintenance? Tire rotation and balancing are very important. Let's start with rotation. Because the front tires handle the brunt of turning forces, the shoulders of the front tires wear more quickly than the rear tires. At Tuffy Grand Rapids in Grand Rapids, we rotate the tires so that they all get to do some duty on the front and they'll all wear evenly over their life.

For most vehicles, front tires are rotated to the rear and vice versa. Others recommend a cross rotational pattern. Some vehicles use an asymmetrical tire so those tires need to stay on either the right or left side – it'll say which on the tire. Some high performance cars have asymmetrical tires and different sizes on the front and rear. These can't be rotated at all. Your owner's manual will have details for your car or talk to your friendly Tuffy Grand Rapids technician.

How often should Grand Rapidsauto owners rotate their tires? Your owner's manual will have a recommendation. Your friendly Tuffy Grand Rapids service professional at Tuffy Grand Rapids in Grand Rapids can do a visual inspection to let you know if it looks like it should be done. The interval is typically around 5,000 miles.

You know, some Grand Rapids people don't think new tires need to be balanced. What they aren't taking into account is the wheel. Between the wheel and the tire – even a new tire – there's enough variation to require balancing.

When you add the valve stem and tire pressure monitoring sensors required on new cars, balancing is definitely important. When a tire's out of balance, it's actually hopping down the road. Grand Rapids car owners with tires out of balance will feel the vibration through the steering wheel if a front tire's out of balance and through the seat if it's a rear tire.

Proper wheel balance promotes tire life and increases safety for Grand Rapids auto owners and their passengers. Historically, lead weights have been attached to the wheel to bring it into balance. Lead gives some environmental concern, so steel weights are starting to be substituted. 

The team at Tuffy Grand Rapids also wants to remind you that it is critical to always use the same size tire on an axle. Different size tires on the front or on the back can lead to some real handling problems. And Michigan  tire manufacturers recommend that when you get two new tires, they be installed on the rear because that's where you need the most traction to avoid spinning-out.