Maintaining your tires is crucial for your vehicle and safety. Sometimes they can be damaged for a variety of reasons and many drivers don’t notice it until they start feeling the symptoms of a deflating or unaligned tire. It’s important to regularly inspect your tires so that you can catch any potential problems early on, especially before and after a long trip or after driving on a rough road. In this month’s blog, we will discuss how to identify tire damage and what they mean.

Punctures and Cuts

Punctures and cuts are most commonly caused by running over nails or glass on the road. This pierces the tire and if the puncture is deep enough, your tire may begin to lose tire pressure and slowly deflate. Cuts can also come from driving on a bad or rough road conditions. They can be hard to notice until you start feeling the consequences of your deflating tire while driving. If this happens to you, the puncture or cut must be patched immediately.

Cracking and Bulging

Cracks and bulges are usually caused by hitting curbs or running over potholes and debris. Cracks are most noticeable along your tire’s sidewall and can also be caused by underinflating your tires. If you notice numerous smaller cracks, this is usually due to old age and wear and tear from the elements. Bulges, or impact breaks, are caused by running over curbs at excessive speed levels. This impact causes internal damage and sometimes the bulge does not begin to appear until weeks later. Bulges should not be ignored and you should get your tire replaced as soon as possible. If left alone, it can lead to tire failure and safety issues.

Cupping

Cupping, also known as scalloping, looks like a waving pattern of lumps or hills. If you notice this on your tires, the culprit may be due to damaged suspension components. This causes the tires to bounce while you’re driving and come down harder on some spots than others. Having bad shock absorbers may also be the issue.

Flat Spots

A flat spot is a single spot on your tire that is very noticeably more worn down than other areas. Often vehicles that have been parked in one spot for a very long time will experience flat spots at the bottom of their tires. Another cause would be skidding on the road after slamming your brakes.

Worn Down Sides

  • Center Wear: When your tire is only worn straight down the middle. This is due to your tire being overinflated and only allowing the center to come into contact with the road.
  • Outer-Edge Wear: When only the outside edges of your tire are worn down and not the middle. This is the inverse of center wear and is due to the tire being underinflated. This means there is too little pressure and the tire is forced to flex.
  • One-sided Wear: When only one side of your tire is worn down. This is most likely due to it being unaligned and making your vehicle lean too much on one side. 

Conclusion

If you notice any wear and tear on your tires, especially anything major, it’s best to let a professional handle it. For all of your tire patching and replacement needs, come to Mike’s Brake & Alignment Shop. We specialize in servicing tires, brakes, steering and suspension, and more! Our technicians are ASE certified with many years of experience. To learn more about our services, please visit our website or call us at (817) 834-2725.