As the days get longer and the temperatures rise, the call of the open road for summer adventures, scenic drives, and unforgettable memories becomes irresistible. However, before you embark on your epic journey, it’s absolutely crucial to give your tires, the only contact your car has with the road, a thorough inspection. Their condition is absolutely vital for both your safety and how well your car performs on varied terrains.
Preparing your vehicle for the summer’s demands isn’t just a recommendation; it’s a necessity. High temperatures, extended driving distances, and unpredictable weather changes—from scorching dry pavement to sudden downpours—can place immense stress on your tires. A proactive approach to tire maintenance can mean the difference between a smooth, enjoyable trip and a frustrating, potentially dangerous roadside emergency, impacting everything from fuel efficiency to overall handling.
At Popular Mechanics, we’re all about equipping you with the practical know-how to handle whatever your vehicle throws at you. This guide is designed to walk you through the essential tire checks you need to do before you hit the highway this summer. We’ll start with the basics, giving you straightforward steps to make sure your tires are ready for any road condition you might encounter.
1.Before you even think about hitting the road, the very first step in your pre-trip tire readiness routine should be a thorough visual inspection of all your tires, including the often-forgotten spare. This isn’t just a casual glance; it’s an active search for any signs of physical damage that could compromise your tire’s integrity. Look meticulously at both the tread and the sidewalls, as these areas can reveal hidden dangers that could impact your journey.
On the tread, keep an eye out for any embedded objects like nails, screws, sharp stones, or shards of glass. While some small stones might work themselves out naturally, larger or sharper objects could cause a slow leak or worsen into a full puncture under the stress of a long drive. Also, inspect for any deep cuts or gouges in the rubber, as these can weaken the tread layer and lead to premature failure.
Even more critical is a detailed examination of the sidewalls. These areas are not designed to be as robust as the tread and are particularly vulnerable to damage. Search for any cuts, scrapes, or abrasions that expose the internal cords of the tire, which is a serious red flag. Most importantly, feel and look for bulges or bubbles, which are clear indicators of internal structural damage where the tire’s inner lining has failed, allowing air pressure to push out the outer rubber layers; these bulges are extremely dangerous and can lead to sudden, catastrophic tire blowouts.
You might think a small bit of damage isn’t a big deal, but ignoring even seemingly minor issues can lead to severe problems, especially with the extra demands of summer driving. The heat from hot asphalt and the speeds of highway driving can make existing damage much worse, turning a small cut or bulge into a sudden deflation situation. Catching these problems early means you can fix them before they become a serious safety risk.
2. **Check Tread Depth Using the Penny Test (or Gauge)**Adequate tread depth is absolutely essential for maintaining proper traction, especially during summer months when unexpected thunderstorms can quickly turn dry roads into slick, hazardous surfaces. Your tire’s tread pattern is designed to evacuate water from beneath the contact patch, preventing hydroplaning and ensuring grip. As tread wears down, this ability diminishes significantly.
The classic “penny test” remains a quick and effective method for a basic assessment of your tire’s tread depth. To perform this, simply insert a penny into a tread groove with Abraham Lincoln’s head pointing down towards the tire. If you can see the very top of Lincoln’s head, your tread depth is at or below 2/32 of an inch. This measurement represents the legal minimum tread depth in many places, but it’s generally considered insufficient for optimal performance, particularly in wet conditions.
For enhanced safety in summer rain, a tread depth of at least 4/32 of an inch is recommended. At this depth, your tires can still effectively channel water away, maintaining better contact with the road. If the penny test reveals that you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, it’s a strong indicator that your tires are due for replacement, and certainly before any long summer journeys.
For a more precise and accurate measurement, a dedicated tread depth gauge is an inexpensive and highly recommended tool. These gauges allow you to measure the depth in multiple locations across the tire’s width and around its circumference, providing a comprehensive understanding of the tire’s remaining life. Consistent low readings across the tire strongly suggest it’s time for new rubber.
3. **Accurately Verify Cold Tire Pressure**Proper tire pressure is, without a doubt, the single most critical aspect of tire safety and efficiency, yet it’s often the most overlooked. Incorrect tire pressure—whether underinflated or overinflated—can lead to a host of problems, including reduced fuel economy, compromised handling, uneven wear, and a significantly increased risk of tire failure, particularly in the harsh conditions of summer.
The key to accurate pressure readings is to check your tires when they are “cold.” This means before driving, or after the vehicle has been parked for at least three hours. Driving generates friction and heat, which causes the air inside your tires to expand, leading to falsely high pressure readings. Checking them cold ensures you get an accurate baseline to work from, allowing for precise adjustments.
Forget the maximum pressure listed on the tire’s sidewall; that’s the tire’s maximum capacity, not the optimal pressure for your specific vehicle. Instead, always refer to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommended PSI. You’ll find this crucial information listed in your owner’s manual and, more conveniently, on a sticker located on the driver’s side door jamb. This figure is engineered for your car’s weight, handling, and load capacity.
Both underinflation and overinflation pose significant risks. Underinflated tires cause increased friction with the road, leading to excessive heat buildup—a primary cause of premature wear and dangerous blowouts. Conversely, overinflated tires reduce the contact patch with the road, compromising traction and braking ability, and causing uneven wear concentrated in the center of the tread. Maintaining the correct PSI is foundational for a safe and smooth summer drive.
4. **Thoroughly Inspect the Spare Tire**In the excitement of preparing for a summer road trip, the spare tire is often the most neglected component of your vehicle, yet it’s the one you’ll be most grateful for in an emergency. Imagine being miles from civilization with a flat, only to discover your spare is also flat or completely unserviceable. It’s a scenario no one wants to experience, making a thorough inspection of your spare absolutely non-negotiable.
Begin by locating your spare tire, which could be in the trunk, underneath the vehicle, or sometimes mounted on the back. Once found, treat it with the same level of scrutiny as your primary tires. Check its pressure, ensuring it’s inflated to the recommended PSI, which may be higher than your regular tires, especially for temporary spares. The recommended pressure for your spare is typically listed in your owner’s manual or on a sticker near the spare itself.
Next, visually inspect the spare for any signs of damage: cuts, cracks, gouges, or bulges that could render it useless. Even if it’s never been used, tires degrade over time due, to age and exposure. If your spare is a temporary “doughnut” style, familiarize yourself with its limitations regarding speed and distance. These spares are designed for short-term use to get you to a repair shop, not for extended highway cruising.
Finally, ensure that all the necessary tools for changing a tire—the jack, lug wrench, and any locking lug nut key—are present and in working order. Knowing you have a ready-to-use spare and the means to install it provides an invaluable layer of peace of mind. A few minutes spent checking your spare can prevent hours of frustration and potential danger on your summer adventure.
5. **Look for Signs of Uneven Tire Wear**Beyond simply checking tread depth, a critical aspect of tire inspection involves looking for patterns of uneven wear. Your tires should wear down relatively uniformly across their width and circumference. Deviations from this indicate underlying mechanical issues with your vehicle’s alignment, suspension, or even consistent incorrect tire pressure, all of which need to be addressed promptly.
One common pattern is “cupping” or “scalloping,” which appears as isolated dips or scoops on the tread, making the tire resemble a series of hills and valleys. This type of wear is often a telltale sign of worn-out or damaged suspension components, such as shocks or struts. These parts are responsible for keeping your tire firmly on the road, and when they fail, the tire can bounce, leading to this distinctive wear pattern.
Wear concentrated heavily on the outer edges of the tire (both sides) typically points to consistent underinflation. When a tire is underinflated, its center bows inwards, causing more of the load to be carried by the outer shoulders. Conversely, excessive wear down the center of the tread is usually a symptom of chronic overinflation, where the tire is too rigid and its center bulges, making it the primary contact point with the road.
If you observe wear that is significantly heavier on one side of the tire (e.g., only the inner edge or only the outer edge), this is a strong indicator of an alignment issue. Your wheels are not pointing perfectly straight or are not angled correctly relative to the road. Ignoring uneven wear not only shortens your tire’s lifespan but also compromises handling, braking, and overall vehicle stability, making your summer drives less safe and less enjoyable.
6. **Assess Tire Age via the DOT Code**Even if your tires have plenty of tread and appear to be in good condition, age can be a silent killer. Rubber compounds naturally break down over time, losing their flexibility and strength, regardless of how many miles they’ve accumulated. This degradation process is accelerated by factors like heat, UV radiation, and ozone, all of which are abundant during the summer months, making age assessment a critical pre-trip check.
To determine your tire’s age, you’ll need to locate the Department of Transportation (DOT) code on its sidewall. This code, usually starting with “DOT,” contains a wealth of information, but the crucial part for age is the last four digits. These four numbers indicate the week and year the tire was manufactured. For example, a code ending in “3219” means the tire was produced in the 32nd week of 2019.
Most tire manufacturers, along with organizations like AAA, recommend replacing tires after six years from their manufacturing date, regardless of their appearance or remaining tread depth. While some might push this to an absolute maximum of ten years, the six-year mark is a prudent guideline, especially if you plan on long-distance summer travel. Older tires are significantly more susceptible to sudden tread separation or sidewall failure.
Summer heat dramatically accelerates the degradation of rubber. Tires exposed to consistent high temperatures in hot climates will deteriorate faster than those in milder environments. Therefore, if your tires are approaching or have exceeded the six-year mark, even with decent tread, seriously consider replacing them before embarking on a challenging summer road trip. The integrity of the rubber is paramount, and age can compromise it fundamentally.
7. **Conduct a Detailed Sidewall Inspection for Cracks or Separation**The sidewalls of your tires are arguably their most vulnerable structural component, and a detailed inspection of these areas is paramount for safety. Unlike the multi-layered, heavily reinforced tread, sidewalls are designed for flexibility to absorb bumps and twists, making them more susceptible to damage that can lead to catastrophic failure. Any compromise here means the entire tire’s structural integrity is at risk.
During your inspection, look closely for fine cracks, often referred to as “ozone checking” or “weather checking.” These hairline cracks are a sign of the rubber compounds aging and hardening. While minor surface cracking might not be immediately dangerous, deeper or widespread cracking indicates significant degradation and a weakened structure, especially when subjected to the expansion and contraction from summer heat cycles.
Beyond cracks, meticulously scan for any deeper cuts, gouges, or abrasions that might have occurred from impacts with curbs or road debris. Crucially, run your hands along the sidewall to feel for any bulges, blisters, or areas where the rubber feels unusually soft or irregular. These are alarming signs of internal damage, often where the tire’s internal cords have broken, allowing air pressure to push the rubber outwards. This indicates impending failure.
Another severe issue to watch for is any sign of separation between the tread and the sidewall, which might manifest as bubbling, irregular surface texture, or delamination. This is a critical failure point. Sidewall damage, particularly bulges or separations, demands immediate attention. Unlike a slow puncture that can be temporarily repaired, sidewall damage usually means the tire is irrevocably compromised and must be replaced without delay. Driving on a tire with significant sidewall damage, especially during hot summer conditions, is an extremely high-risk gamble you should never take.
While the initial checks provide a solid baseline for tire health, truly comprehensive summer preparation involves delving into more advanced assessments and routine maintenance actions. These steps move beyond simple visual and pressure checks, addressing underlying mechanical conditions and ensuring the entire tire system is optimized for the demanding conditions of long-distance summer travel. Ignoring these deeper dives can negate the benefits of basic inspections, leading to unexpected issues when you’re miles from home.
It’s about truly understanding how your tires work with your car and the road surface. These next seven essential checks will not only help you spot potential problems but also guide you in proactively maintaining your tires for maximum safety, fuel efficiency, and lifespan. This comprehensive approach ensures your vehicle is a reliable companion for all your summer adventures, covering everything from wear patterns to knowing when to seek professional help.
8. **Prioritizing Regular Tire Rotation Schedules**Beyond simply inspecting your tires, proactive maintenance includes regular tire rotation, a critical practice for maximizing tire lifespan and maintaining balanced vehicle performance. Tires on different axles and corners of your vehicle wear at varying rates due to differences in weight distribution, braking, and steering forces. Without rotation, some tires will wear out significantly faster than others, leading to premature replacement and reduced overall efficiency.
Regular tire rotation is key to ensuring all four tires wear down evenly. This balanced wear not only makes your tires last longer but also helps keep traction and handling consistent across all wheels. The best time to rotate your tires is usually every 5,000 to 7,500 miles, or as your car’s manual suggests. Keeping up with this schedule is especially important during the summer months due to the higher mileage and diverse driving conditions you might face.
Different vehicles have different rotation patterns – some suggest a front-to-back rotation, others a cross pattern, especially for non-directional tires. While the concept might seem simple, correctly rotating tires involves understanding these patterns and often requires lifting the vehicle. This regular upkeep is an advanced form of maintenance that actively prevents uneven wear patterns that could otherwise compromise handling and stability.
The benefits of consistent tire rotation extend beyond just wear. It contributes to smoother ride quality, improved fuel efficiency by maintaining optimal rolling resistance, and enhanced safety, especially during emergency braking or cornering. By distributing wear evenly, you ensure that all tires maintain their tread depth for optimal water evacuation during sudden summer downpours, a feature vital for preventing hydroplaning.
9. **Verifying Wheel Alignment for Optimal Performance**Even with perfectly inflated and rotated tires, an underlying wheel alignment issue can undermine all your efforts, leading to rapid and uneven tire wear, compromised handling, and reduced safety. Wheel alignment refers to the adjustment of the vehicle’s suspension components to ensure that the wheels are precisely angled to the road and to each other. Over time, impacts from potholes, curbs, or even normal driving can knock your alignment out of spec.
The signs of poor alignment can be subtle at first but become more pronounced over time. Common indicators include your vehicle pulling consistently to one side when driving on a straight, level road, or if your steering wheel isn’t centered even when you’re driving straight. Another major clue, as discussed in Section 1, is uneven tire wear, particularly if one side of the tire (inner or outer edge) is wearing significantly faster than the other.
Misalignment causes premature tire wear by forcing the tires to drag or scrub against the road surface instead of rolling smoothly. This not only shortens your tire’s lifespan but also significantly compromises handling, making the vehicle less predictable and stable, especially dangerous during emergency maneuvers or at highway speeds. During long summer drives, these issues are exacerbated, increasing driver fatigue and accident risk.
Because alignment adjustments require specialized equipment and expertise, this is a job best left to qualified technicians. They will use precise measurements to adjust camber, caster, and toe settings according to your vehicle’s specifications. A professional alignment check should be part of your routine maintenance, especially if you notice any of the warning signs or have recently had a significant impact on your suspension components.
10. **Assessing Tire Balancing for a Smooth Ride**Alongside proper rotation and alignment, ensuring your tires are correctly balanced is crucial for vehicle performance and ride comfort. Tire balancing addresses any uneven distribution of weight within the tire and wheel assembly. Even a tiny imbalance, often just a few ounces, can create significant problems as the wheel spins at high speeds, leading to vibrations that travel through the steering wheel, floorboard, or seats.
The primary symptom of imbalanced tires is a noticeable vibration, typically felt at certain speed ranges—often between 45 and 70 mph. This vibration isn’t just an annoyance; it’s an indicator of uneven forces being exerted on your vehicle’s suspension and steering components. Over time, these consistent vibrations can accelerate the wear on shocks, struts, wheel bearings, and steering linkages, leading to costly repairs down the road.
Imbalanced tires can also contribute to uneven tire wear, creating specific patterns like “cupping” or “scalloping” that compromise tread integrity and reduce the tire’s effective lifespan. This not only wastes money on premature tire replacement but also impacts traction and braking ability, which are critical safety factors during summer driving, particularly on varied road surfaces or in sudden weather changes.
Tire balancing is a precision task performed by a professional using a balancing machine. This machine spins the tire and wheel assembly to identify heavy spots, then instructs the technician where to attach small counterweights to achieve a perfectly balanced rotation. It’s a relatively inexpensive service that dramatically improves ride quality, reduces component wear, and extends tire life, making it an essential check before any long summer trip.
11. **Comprehensive Valve Stem Inspection**The tire valve stem, a small and often overlooked component, plays an outsized role in maintaining proper tire pressure. It’s the sole point of entry for air and the seal that keeps it inside, making its integrity absolutely critical. Despite its importance, the valve stem can degrade over time due to exposure to road salts, chemicals, UV radiation, and ozone—all factors that are heightened during summer driving conditions.
During your comprehensive tire checks, it’s vital to inspect each valve stem for signs of damage or deterioration. Look for any visible cracks in the rubber, especially where it meets the wheel rim, as these are common points for air leaks. Check for bending, corrosion, or any other physical damage that might compromise its seal. While checking tire pressure, listen for any faint hissing sounds around the valve stem, which could indicate a slow leak.
Rubber valve stems, particularly those on older tires, are prone to hardening and cracking as they age. This degradation can lead to slow leaks that are difficult to detect without careful inspection, or worse, sudden failure. Many tire shops recommend replacing valve stems every time new tires are installed, or at least every few years, due to their inexpensive nature and critical function.
A failing valve stem can lead to gradual or rapid air loss, directly causing underinflation. As we’ve extensively covered, underinflated tires generate excessive heat, increase wear, and drastically elevate the risk of a dangerous blowout—a scenario no one wants on a hot summer highway. Ensuring these small but mighty components are in perfect condition is a simple yet effective way to bolster your tire safety.
12. **Understanding and Mitigating Accelerated Heat Degradation**While we’ve touched on tire age, it’s crucial to delve deeper into how summer heat specifically accelerates tire degradation, making monitoring for this a distinct and vital check. Summer conditions are a perfect storm: high ambient temperatures, scorching asphalt, and extended high-speed driving all contribute to increased thermal stress on your tires. This isn’t just about losing pressure; it’s about the fundamental breakdown of the rubber compound itself.
Heat causes the rubber compounds within your tires to age and harden faster, reducing their flexibility and strength. This process is often invisible to the eye until it’s too late. The internal structure of the tire, including its cords and belts, can also be weakened, making it more susceptible to internal damage that manifests as bulges or, catastrophically, tread separation—a leading cause of blowouts.
The consequences of heat-accelerated degradation are severe. Tires operating under excessive heat are far more prone to sudden failures, which can be incredibly dangerous at highway speeds. This risk is compounded if tires are already aged, underinflated, or damaged from previous impacts. The constant expansion and contraction from temperature fluctuations further stress the rubber, speeding up the aging process.
To mitigate accelerated heat degradation, ensure tires are always at their recommended cold inflation pressure, as underinflation is the primary cause of excessive heat buildup. Avoid overloading your vehicle, as extra weight increases tire deflection and internal friction. Parking in shaded areas when possible can also help reduce direct UV exposure and surface temperature, giving your tires a slight reprieve from the relentless summer sun.
13. **Advanced Puncture and Foreign Object Management**While Section 1 emphasized inspecting for embedded objects, effectively managing a puncture or foreign object extends to understanding the nuances of repair versus replacement. Finding a nail, screw, or other debris in your tire tread can be alarming, but knowing the appropriate next steps can prevent further damage and ensure your safety. The initial instinct might be to pull it out, but that’s often the wrong move.
If you discover a foreign object embedded in your tire, especially one that hasn’t caused immediate air loss, it’s often best to leave it in place. The object itself might be acting as a temporary plug, slowing or preventing further air leakage. Removing it prematurely could lead to rapid deflation, leaving you stranded or forcing an immediate, potentially unsafe, tire change on the roadside.
The most important thing is to get the tire to a professional as soon as you can. It’s crucial to remember that not all punctures can be safely repaired according to industry standards. Generally, punctures are considered repairable only if they are in the main tread area and are no larger than a quarter of an inch in diameter. If a puncture is in the sidewall or shoulder area, or if it’s larger than this specified size, it typically means the tire’s structure has been too compromised to be fixed safely.
A professional technician will carefully inspect the damage, determine if a repair is feasible, and perform it using proper patching and plugging techniques from the inside of the tire. They will also assess the overall condition of the tire to ensure it hasn’t suffered further damage, such as internal cord separation, due to driving on it with low pressure. Never attempt a DIY repair with external plugs as a long-term solution, as these are only temporary fixes.
14. **Knowing When to Seek Professional Tire Expertise**Despite your best efforts with DIY checks and routine maintenance, there are times when the best course of action is to consult a professional. Recognizing these moments isn’t a sign of failure but a mark of a responsible and informed driver. Some issues are simply beyond the scope of a home garage and demand specialized tools, diagnostic equipment, and the trained eye of a certified technician.
You should proactively seek professional expertise if you notice persistent vibrations that tire balancing doesn’t resolve, if your vehicle consistently pulls to one side after checking alignment indicators, or if you experience recurring slow leaks despite vigilant pressure checks. Any unusual noises emanating from the wheels, changes in steering feel, or if your tires are approaching or exceeding the six-year age mark, warrant a professional evaluation.
The benefits of professional inspection are multifold. Technicians have access to advanced diagnostic equipment that can detect subtle issues you might miss, such as internal tire damage or complex alignment problems. They can accurately assess remaining tread life, identify early signs of suspension or brake wear impacting your tires, and provide expert recommendations for repair or replacement based on comprehensive analysis.
Having your tires checked by a professional regularly, perhaps once a year or before you set off on a big trip, can be a really smart way to prevent issues. The cost of a professional inspection is tiny compared to what could happen if a tire fails while you’re traveling, which could result in expensive emergency repairs, towing fees, or even serious accidents. Making a regular tire maintenance plan that includes these annual professional checks is essential for keeping your tires in top shape for all your travels.
As the summer sun shines and the open road beckons, remember that your tires are your vehicle’s most critical link to the pavement. By diligently performing these essential checks, from simple visual inspections to more in-depth assessments of alignment, balancing, and understanding how heat affects them, you’re doing more than just maintaining rubber and steel. You’re investing in your peace of mind and ensuring a safe journey. So, empower yourself with this knowledge, take these proactive steps, and set off on your summer adventures with the confidence that your tires are ready for every mile, every turn, and every memory waiting to be made.
