There are many parts to a vehicle that are necessary to the vehicle's running as it should. When just one component stops working right, your vehicle will be at a dead stop. One of the most important parts of any vehicle is its tires. Here are some tips to keep your vehicle's tires safe and in good repair so you can drive without worrying about them failing.

Check Your Tires Periodically

Because your tires get a lot of wear from the sun's UV rays and also from rolling on the pavement, they can break down, dry out, and lose their flexibility and tread over time. Watch the tread depth on your tires to make sure they are not becoming bare. You can use a penny to check the depth of tire tread. To do this place the head of President Lincoln into the tire tread. If you can see the top of his head your tires are getting low in tread and you need to replace your tires.

Your tires need adequate tread so that they can grip the road. This is especially important when there is water on the road. The tread allows moisture to pass between your vehicle tires and the road without your vehicle hydroplaning, for example.

You also need to keep your tires inflated to the appropriate level, with not too much or too little tire pressure. Verify the appropriate pressure for your tires before checking and inflating them.

Use Your Tires

Another way to keep your tires working well is to make sure you drive your vehicle often. This moves your tires around, promoting their flexibility. If you leave your vehicle parked in one spot for too long, your tires can form a flat spot where they are resting upon the ground, which damages them permanently.

This can often be the case for your camp trailer or RV, for example. If you have them parked for the season, you may want to move them periodically to keep their tires rotated and prevent this sort of damage.

Cover Your Tires

If you do keep your vehicle or RV parked in one spot for any length of time, you should also cover your tires with tire covers to keep them safe from the sun's UV damage. The sun's UV radiation dries out the rubber of your tires, causing them to crack and become brittle. A similar occurrence happens to a rubber band as it ages: it loses its elasticity and forms cracks. Don't let this happen to your tires; they're much more important.

Contact a tire shop near you in order to learn more about what you can do to make sure that your tires are safe and working well.