Just because something may not cost a lot or is free doesn’t mean it isn’t any less worth doing. This is exactly the case when it comes to checking your tire inflation or rotating your tires, which will cost you little to nothing at your trusted auto repair shop. Failure to rotate tires regularly or check tire inflation pressure can lead to serious repairs on suspension, alignment, and other vital aspects of your vehicle costing you anywhere between $300-$2500. That’s a costly lesson learned.

Tire rotation is an important maintenance duty that extends the life of your tires and ensures safe driving. It’s necessary to rotate the tires front-to-rear several times during their life span to equalize tread wear and maximize the life of the tires. Tires develop wear patterns as they age. Some of these patterns are tied to the suspension system and the alignment. That’s why we keep the tires on the same side of the car.

Every tire’s load capacity, durability, traction and handling are dependent on using the right inflation pressure for the application. Since both too little and too much inflation pressure sacrifices some of the tires’ performance, maintaining the “exact” inflation pressure is very important.

The properly-working suspension of the car is important because so many other driving aspects can be affected. The job of a car suspension is to maximize the friction between the tires and the road surface, to provide steering stability with good handling and to ensure the comfort of the passengers. This can be affected when tires are not rotated. It is important to find a car repair shop which will include tire rotations and inflation checks as regular maintenance services every 5,000-10,000 miles. The minor price to pay now will be worth it later. New tires or tire repairs are not cheap, but the preventative maintenance for tires is.