A long road trip can be a wonderful way to experience the country, visit relatives and friends, or make that connection with a potential new client. Whatever the reason you’re setting out cross-country, you need to make sure your vehicle and all-season tires are up for the journey. 

There’s already enough to think about during a long road trip, especially when travelling with others. Don’t let faulty tires impact the trip. When it comes to passenger vehicles and light trucks, use these tips on tire maintenance for safe, extended travel.

Choosing the right tires

The first consideration to ensure a safe and enjoyable road trip is equipping your vehicle with the right performance tires. One tire doesn’t fit all. Does your vehicle require passenger tires or light truck tires? 

Passenger tires are usually smaller, more fuel efficient, and will fit smaller, everyday vehicles. For trips that require more space and where you might encounter rugged terrain, the vehicle might instead need truck tires.

Avoid used performance tires

Financially, used tires might be desirable. But when it comes to long trips where reliability and durability are paramount, avoid used tires that have already experienced wear and tear, and, instead, opt for new tires that promise traction and performance. 

Used tires might not show that they’ve been driven while overinflated or underinflated. It can be hard to tell what condition they’re in, or how close they are to failing.

Tire maintenance tips for road trips

A few situations require following the next steps for tire maintenance. Preparing for a road trip is one of them. 

Road trips often have long stretches of empty roads or overnight driving. These are scenarios where it’s best to have properly checked your high-performance tires so they don’t fail when help is hard to come by. At the very least, don’t add hours of fixes to an already long drive.

Step 1: Check tire pressure

As always, we have the tire pressure step which is consistently important to regulate. While it’s a good rule of thumb to check your tire pressure every month, it’s also smart to check it before setting out on a road trip. This way, the tires will be in tip-top shape before getting started and likely won’t need a stop along the way.

Driving with underinflated or overinflated tires will cause unnatural wear on the performance tires and increase fuel consumption on the drive. Find your vehicle’s correct tire pressure on a sticker in the doorjamb.

Step 2: Check tread depth and wear

Use the trusted penny method to check tire tread depth. Place the penny inside the tread, head facing down. If the entire head is visible, the tread has been worn down dangerously shallow. The tire should be replaced. It shouldn’t be used for a road trip. It will have significantly lower capability in handling and stopping. 

The same penny can also be used to check for irregular wear throughout the tread. Run it along the inside of the treads and look for any misalignment. Is one section of the tire more worn than another? This will affect driving safety.

Step 3: Check sidewalls

After having checked tread depth and wear, the next tire maintenance step is to check the sidewalls. Any encounters with rugged terrain while driving, such as potholes, curbs, gravel, and cracks, can impact the tire.

Look for cuts, bulges, or objects that have been embedded in the tire. Often, people will find they’ve driven over a nail, and while the tire still works, it slowly releases air and loses its integrity.

Step 4: Check the tire’s age

Lastly, to further help determine if your tires are ready for a long road trip, check how old the tire is. An older tire will have less elasticity and grip on the road as the rubber relaxes. The manufacturing date can be found on the tire’s sidewall. 

After the “DOT” is a series of numbers. The last four indicate the week and year the tire was manufactured. If the tire is over ten years old, it’s time for an update. However, a tire only six years old might also be due for a replacement depending on the type of driving performed.

Sailun tires for your next long-distance trip

Since Sailun manufactures all-season tires meant to last, they’re a great option for customers about to embark on a road trip. We have plenty of models to choose from for each type of vehicle so you can choose based on your priorities. 
Will the road trip include off-roading? Do you want to travel seamlessly from highway to mountain? Will you be driving in the snow? Sailun has all-season tires to meet different criteria. Shop them now here.