Good tires with a healthy tread level make driving safer. They provide traction on the road surface, making it easier to drive, corner, and stop. Worn or damaged tires, on the other hand, increase braking distance and could skid in wet conditions or blowout. As your Ford dealer, we want to tell you a few signs you will need to visit us for new tires.
Underinflated Tires
Your Ford’s designers specify the correct tire pressure for your tires. Vehicle weight, drivetrain, and performance requirements all help determine this pressure. Over time, tire pressure can change as the pressure inside a tire tries to equalize with the external pressure. This can cause a tire to lose 1 to 2 PSI of pressure each month.
Underinflated tires will droop, exposing parts of the softer, more vulnerable sidewalls to friction damage from the surface. Low tire pressure can always be easily seen, as the outer edges of the tire tread will show increased wear. The lack of pressure will reduce your braking speed, and the tire is more likely to develop leaks. We’ll correct your tire pressure and check your tread to ensure it’s safe to drive on.
Lincoln Penny Test
A tire that is safe to drive on must have a minimum tread depth of 2/32″. You can test the depth with a tread depth gauge. These gauges are readily available and inexpensive and will accurately tell you if your tread is worn and you need to replace that tire. You can also test the tread depth using a Lincoln penny. Turn the penny upside down and insert it into the deepest part of the tread, then look at Lincoln’s head.
If most of Lincoln’s face is obscured, your tire tread is healthy. If you can see most of Lincoln’s face below the hairline, the tire is worn but still usable if it’s not otherwise damaged. Finally, if you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, your tread is dangerously low and needs immediate replacement. We can test your tires for you and replace worn tires for you.
Vibrations When Driving
If you feel a strange vibration sensation when driving, you likely have a tire problem. The vibrations are due to poor weight distribution in the tire. This issue could be caused by wheel balance or alignment issues or the tire’s internal structure breaking down.
Our technicians can attach your tires to our wheel balancing machine to identify and repair balance issues by adding weights. Wheel alignment issues can also be fixed by our computerized wheel alignment machine. We can’t repair interior tire damage but will replace the affected tire.
If you have a tire problem, contact us today at Pohanka Ford of Salisbury in Salisbury, MD.
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