Visual Inspection

Giving your tires a good visual once-over can help you discover punctures or other visible signs of damage that may make replacement necessary. The next time you check the air pressure of your tires, scan the treads for any sharp objects that may have punctured your tires. Even if the puncture is not deep enough to flatten the tire immediately, the cracking and pitting caused by smaller punctures can eventually worsen and lead to problems down the road.

Check the wear patterns on your treads as well. Excessive shoulder wear can indicate underinflation, while wear to the center of the tread can mean overinflation.

Many tires have treadwear indicator bars molded into the tread. When the tread is worn down to where you can see a solid bar of rubber across the width of the tread, it is time to replace your tire. Another method for checking tread depth is to place a penny in the tread groove with Lincoln's head upside down and facing you. If you can see the top of Lincoln's head, you are ready for new tires.

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