Bolton Ford's professional service team is dedicated to helping you properly maintain your tires. Selecting the correct tires for your personal driving conditions and properly maintaining your tires can help drivers hit the open road with confidence. Our technicians are committed to helping with the transportation needs of our Sulphur, Orange, Beaumont, and Port Arthur neighbors. 

Knowing How to Check My Tire Pressure

Regularly checking your tire pressure is helpful in ensuring that your vehicle’s tires are not over or under inflated. This is vital to ensuring your tires last longer. It also provides a great opportunity to inspect your tires’ condition. You can evaluate your tire walls for cracks or check for foreign objects that may have become embedded in your tire. 

How to Check My Tire Tread

Another important area of your tires to keep an eye on is your tire tread. The appropriate amount of tread helps your tires to grip the road correctly. A quick way to make sure your tires have a healthy tread depth is to use the penny test. 

• Find a penny and place between the tread blocks of your tire with President Lincoln’s hair down

• If the top of his head is visible your tires need to be replaced

• If his head is partially obscured by your tire tread, the tires are still in good condition

Some tires also have a tread depth indicator as part of the tire design. If your tire tread is even with the tread depth indicator, it is time to plan to replace your tires. While checking your tire tread depth, this is another opportunity to evaluate whether your tire wear looks even. If your tire wear looks uneven, this could be indicative of a number of different issues with your tires, including improper inflation, misalignment, unbalanced tires, or a need for a tire rotation. 

Choosing the Right Tires For You

When selecting your next set of tires for your Ford F-150, Ford Expedition, Ford Explorer, or any other vehicle, your usual driving conditions and seasonal weather conditions are important factors to take into consideration.

• Highway and All Season Tires: Usually offer circumferentially arranged tread blocks, allowing them to disperse road water by cutting through it and provide a smooth ride with low rolling resistance

• Snow, Mud, and All Terrain Tires:  Feature radially arranged tread blocks. While they are still good in rain, they are best suited for navigating dirt and snow situations. The primary difference between mud and all terrain tires is the distance between the tread blocks or the “tread void” of the tires. 

• High performance Tires: Designed with a focus on specific goals. These tires are produced to allow for shorter stopping range, superior cornering performance, and handle speed better than other tires. 

When Should I Rotate & Balance My Tires?

There are important tire care elements to help you maintain your vehicle’s tires to last longer and ensure optimal performance. Tire rotations should be performed regularly at 6,000-8,000-mile intervals to help ensure even tread wear for your tires. Consistent tire balancing also plays an important role in evening out your tire tread wear over time. It is recommended that your tires be balanced approximately every 5,000-6,000 miles. 

Is it time to schedule your tire maintenance or start shopping for new tires for your vehicle? The service technicians at Bolton Ford are here to help with your tire needs. Come by and see us at 1500 East College Street, Lake Charles, LA 70607 or give our team a call at (337) 334-1021?. You can also check out our service offers page to find out what specials are available now.