Summer Tire Upkeep: All You Need To Know To Keep Sticky Tires In Shape

Summer tire upkeep is essential, both for optimal road performance and long-term cost control. To help you take your summer tire budget further, today’s post shares some essential maintenance tips, then explains how to automate your upkeep and save on service fees with TIRECRAFT.

Read on to learn more, or contact your local TIRECRAFT to speak directly with a summer tire maintenance specialist near you.

Summer Tires: Built To Perform, Not To Last—But Upkeep Can Help!

To maximize road performance, summer tires are designed with a larger footprint, stiff rubber compound, short sidewalls, and shallow treads. But these same features mean that they wear out faster than all-seasons—indeed, as a general rule, the more finely tuned your tires are for a “track” type performance, the sooner they’ll need to be replaced.

Consider this: the average summer tire, like the Continental ExtremeContact Sport, is only warrantied for 50,000km, whereas Goodyear’s Assurance ComforTred Touring is guaranteed for 130,000km—nearly three times as long!

This is one of the main reasons why summer tires are so expensive—not because of their initial cost, but rather their replacement price.

Fortunately, there’s plenty you can do to keep summer tires in shape for longer, and your local TIRECRAFT is here to help. Read on to learn some summer tire maintenance tips, or contact your local TIRECRAFT to schedule a free consultation and get a quote on any upkeep service.

Be Summer Tire Smart: How To Keep Sticky Tires In Shape

To maximize the life and performance of your summer tires, the Tire and Rubber Association of Canada (TRAC) Be Tire Smart guide recommends that you:

1. Keep your air pressure at the right level. Purchase one of our high-quality tire gauges and commit to monthly pressure checks. Make sure your summer tires are filled to the recommended level, which is usually located on the information placard on the inside of the driver’s door. Don’t use the pressure printed on your summer tire sidewall—this is the maximum pressure your tires can take and driving on overinflated tires can dramatically accelerate tread wear.

If you detect any abnormal loss of pressure or your tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) light won’t turn off, get in touch with your local TIRECRAFT for a free consultation and get a quote on any repairs that may be needed.

2. Make sure your summer tires are in proper alignment. Improper tire alignment will cause your summer tires to wear unevenly, negatively affect steering inputs, and cause uncomfortable vibration on the road. You should book a summer tire alignment any time you have your tires changed, and after every 20,000km or 12 months of driving.

3. Commit to regular tire rotations and balancing. Tire rotations and wheel balances greatly reduce the risks of uneven tire wear and make your vehicle more responsive to driver inputs. These services are recommended every 10,000km or so, but always consult your manufacturer’s instructions to be sure.

All these summer tire maintenance services are offered at your local TIRECRAFT, and they can all earn you customer rewards points. These points can be spent to lower the costs of future upkeep, even with services that are already discounted through one of our seasonal maintenance promotions. What’s more, if you signed up for the Advantage Plus Program, you could be eligible for FREE summer tire rotations and other upkeep services!

Get A Free Quote On Summer Tire Maintenance: Contact TIRECRAFT

Use the Find a TIRECRAFT tool to get in touch with our team and get a free quote on any upkeep service.

Back