Underinflation:
Reduces tread life through increased treadwear on the outside edges (or shoulders) of the tire
Generates excessive heat, which reduces tire durability and can lead to tire failure
Reduces fuel economy through increased rolling resistance (soft tires make your vehicle work harder)
Solution:
Add air to your tire until it reaches the proper air pressure (psi, as measured by an air pressure gauge). To find the proper air pressure, consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual or find your recommended psi on the sticker on your door jamb
You need an alignment when you notice:
Solution:
Many vehicles today are equipped with rear suspensions that can be adjusted for alignment. If this is the case, your vehicle may need a "front end" alignment or a "four wheel" alignment, depending on the symptoms you are experiencing.
Poor Alignment
You need an alignment when you notice:
Solution
Many vehicles today are equipped with rear suspensions that can be adjusted for alignment. If this is the case, your vehicle may need a "front end" alignment or a "four wheel" alignment, depending on the symptoms you are experiencing. See your local Michelin authorized tire dealer for service and inspection.
Overinflation issues:
Solution:
Take air out of your tire, using a tire pressure gauge, until your air pressure reading matches your vehicle manufacturer’s recommended psi. To find the proper air pressure, consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual or find your recommended psi on the sticker on your door jam.
Misalignment issues:
Solution:
Your car most likely needs a toe-in or toe-out alignment correction. (For more information on toe-in and toe-out alignment, see your local authorized Michelin tire dealer for helpful service.)
Overinflation issues:
Solution:
Take air out of your tire, using a tire pressure gauge, until your air pressure reading matches your vehicle manufacturer’s recommended psi. To find the proper air pressure, consult your vehicle’s owner’s manual or find your recommended psi on the sticker on your door jam.
Worn parts issues:
Solution:
Worn parts may be a sign that wheels are out of balance or that suspension or steering system parts need service or replacement. Please see your local authorized Michelin retailer for helpful service and inspection.
Damage That Requires Repair
Tire Damage Issues:
Solution:
If your vehicle is equipped with one of the several types of temporary spares, replace your damaged tire with the spare, but be sure to first check the spare tire's sidewall for the correct inflation pressure, speed, and mileage limitations. Take your vehicle into an authorized Michelin retailer for an inspection as soon as possible.
The proper repair of a radial tire includes the placing of a rubber patch on the inner liner of the tire and a rubber filling of the hole by a professional. Do not attempt to have repaired tires with tread punctures larger than ¼" or any sidewall puncture. Also, do not have tires repaired that are worn below 2/32" tread depth.
Worn Parts
Tire Damage Issues:
Solution:
Worn parts may be a sign that wheels are out of balance or that suspension or steering system parts need service or replacement. Please see your local authorized Michelin retailer for helpful service and inspection.
Worn-Out Tire
Worn-Out Tire Issues:
Solution:
Take your vehicle into an authorized Michelin retailer for an inspection and have a professional measure the remaining tread with a tread depth gauge.
Tires have been known to lose up to 1psi (pounds per square inch) every month, so check all tires, including your spare, once a month (or before a long trip). It’s easy. Here’s how:
Low pressure can lead to tire damage. See the inflation difference:
Most tires are filled with compressed air. But some tire retailers have started to put nitrogen into their customers’ tires. (Nitrogen is simply dry air with the oxygen removed. Air contains nearly 79% nitrogen already.) Because nitrogen replaces oxygen, less air can escape your tires, and your inflation pressure stays higher longer. Unfortunately, there are other possible sources of leaks (tire/rim interface, valve, valve/rim interface and the wheel), which prevent the guarantee of pressure maintenance for individuals using air or nitrogen inflation.
Nitrogen and compressed air CAN be mixed, if needed. Tires manufactured by Michelin are designed to deliver their expected performance when inflated with air or nitrogen, as long as the user respects the pressures recommended by the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle’s placard or by the tire manufacturer.
When replacing two new tires instead of four, be sure that your new tires are the same size and tire type as your current tires, and that your dealer always installs the new tires on the rear axle of your vehicle.
For continued optimized vehicle performance, it is recommended that all tires be replaced at the same time with identical MSPN.
Deeper tread tires on the rear axle provide better handling, wet grip, and evacuate water, thereby helping to avoid oversteer and loss of vehicle stability on wet surfaces. Deeper tread tires on the front axle can improve wet straight line braking and stopping distance. If only two tires are being replaced, Michelin generally recommends they be installed on the rear axle in the absence of a tire service professional's recommendation or consumer's preference to the contrary.
Replacing a single tire on a vehicle can have an adverse effect on suspension systems, gear ratios, transmissions, and tire treadwear. If a single tire replacement is unavoidable, it is recommended that the single new tire be paired with the deepest tread tire from the vehicle (including the full size spare) and both be placed as a pair according to the recommendations in the paragraph immediately above.
Once every month, or before you embark upon long road trips, check your tires for wear and damage problems. One easy way to check for wear is by using the penny test. All you have to do is grab an Abraham Lincoln penny and follow 3 easy steps.
For more serious problems, we’ve created an easy-to-use online tire inspection tool below to help you identify issues and learn how to fix them.
Slow down. If more drivers followed this tip in the rain, accidents would dramatically decrease. Wet weather doesn’t receive the same attention as winter weather driving, but it should. Wet roads present similar dangers-less grip and longer stopping distance, for example.
Here are some tips for driving safely on wet roads:
What is it:
Your front or rear tires won't follow in the direction you are steering.
How to regain control:
Gently ease up on the gas pedal and slow down until the car regains traction.
How to avoid it:
Check the air pressure and tread depths of your tires monthly.
Driving tip:
Drive slower in rain or on wet roads.
These terms may be a bit technical, but bear with us. It’s easy and important. When you take turns in both wet and dry conditions (but especially wet), you can easily lose control by oversteering or understeering. Learn what these problems are and how to beat them by watching the video above.
What is it:
Your front tires lose traction and could slide right off the road before your rear tires. This is called understeering. Your car doesn’t follow the turn and slides straight off the road.
How to regain control:
Gently ease up on gas pedal and slow down until your tires regain traction.
How to avoid it:
What is it::
Your rear tires lose traction before your front tires and you start to spin.
How to regain control:
How to avoid it
Driving tip:
Do not turn too sharply.
What is it:
The tires slip and do not respond to steering, braking or accelerating. The vehicle can even skid or spin. It occurs when the water between your tires and the road cannot be removed quickly enough. This layer of water builds up in front of the tire until the tire cannot evacuate the water sufficiently. This is when the tire loses contact with the road.
How to regain control:
*** Don’t hit the brakes suddenly.
**
How to avoid it:
*** Check your tire pressure monthly. Tire pressure below 30% of what is recommended greatly increases the risk of hydroplaning.
**
Hit the road with confidence this winter as you learn how to apply these expert driving tips.
Being prepared gives you the confidence to enjoy winter driving. Check out these six tips before hitting the road.
It’s easy to underestimate the importance of being properly positioned while driving. Do you have the right position?
Staying calm and focused can make all the difference on the road. Here’s what to do if you find yourself in a stressful situation.
Many cars have an electronic control system that helps improve traction and control. The quality of your tires is the foundation of this system since it works by analyzing the state of each tire’s traction with the road.
FOR AN EXTRA BOOST OF POWER
Turn off your electronic stability system if your wheels are spinning while climbing a hill or if you’re trying to rock your car out of the snow.
If the tread is still good, then yes. Ask a technician to measure the remaining tread depth before installing them. Ask your technician to adjust the air pressure and to rotate your winter tires from last year’s position.