Let's face it, tires are what we're riding on and often times they can be overlooked as a critical aspect of how your vehicle performs. Tires not only play a major role in the handling and grip of your car or truck on varying road surfaces and conditions (dry, wet, snow, ice) but they also play a critical role in what type of fuel mileage you're getting.

The 2 keys to tire safety are tire pressure and tread depth.

Be sure to check your tire pressures monthly. Every vehicle has a recommended inflation pressure for all tires. Sometimes they are all the same, sometimes they differ from the front to rear axles or sometimes they vary depending on the cargo weight. It is important that your vehicle is operating with tires at the proper inflation pressures. If your tires consistently loose air and you find yourself constantly having to fill them it is safe to assume your fuel mileage, tire wear and handling could be suffering.

Make sure that your vehicle is operating with tread depth in excess of 2/32nds of tread. In some wet or wintry conditions even this can be too little to offer you any sort of traction. Also, be sure to check that your tires are worn evenly. Often times people only glance at the outter most tread grooves of their tires and think that if the outside looks that good then the inside tread grooves must be the same. Many times this is not the case due to "toe" or "camber" wear on the front or rear of your vehicle. In some cases the outside of your tire might look brand new, while the inner most tread grooves are all but worn away. The solution here would more than likely be to replace worn suspension parts and have your vehicle aligned.

Why are you putting my new tires on the back?

Q: Why should I install two new tires (or snow tires) on the rear axle of my front-wheel-drive vehicle?

A: Because a vehicle with new tires on the front axle and worn tires on the rear has a greater tendency to lose control when turning in wet or slippery conditions. This condition is known as oversteer, and it has been known to cause serious and fatal accidents on front-wheel-drive vehicles with two new tires on the front axle and two worn tires on the rear.

Winter Driving: All season tires vs. snow tires

The common thought process is that an all-season tire performs exactly as it's advertised...in all seasons. However, the fact in that matter is that snow tires are specifically designed for snow and ice and will drastically outperform the best all-seasons in most winter driving conditions. Every fall we overstock snow tires to meet this demand for Western New York winter driving. We can also stud snow tires for added traction in the worst of conditions.

Tire Safety Information from the National Highway Trafic Safety Administration