By Josh Peterson
Los Angeles, CA, USA | Tue Apr 14 08:00:00 EDT 2009

Cars cost tens of thousands of dollars, weigh around a ton and are filled with hundreds of mechanical and electronic parts. As fancy and as fangled as these cars are, the only interaction they have with the road is through their tires which are made of little more than rubber and air.

It is important to take care of your tires. Properly maintained tires are safer, they last longer and they make the car more fuel efficient.

1. Inflate Your Tires
   Improve your gas mileage by over three percent by keeping them properly inflated. You can use a tire gauge, but if you don't have one, you can visually inspect the tires. The tread of an underinflated tire will wear out faster near the edges. Looking flat is also a sign. ;)


2. Wheel Alignment
   Improper wheel alignment can wear out your tires. As your car drives one way, unaligned wheels may pull the other way. This scours rubber off of your treads. The friction created by improper alignment hurts gas mileage.


3. Wheel Balancing
   Unbalanced wheels can cause your car to vibrate. This vibration is not good for inner workings of the car. It's also not good for the tire or MPG.
   
   From Lousiana.gov:
   A tire 1 ounce out of balance and traveling at 60 mph exerts 7.73 pounds of excessive force each revolution. Energy is lost!


4. Proper Driving Habits
   Jackrabbit starts, screeching stops, high-speed potholes, curb checks all wear out the tires. It diminishes the lifespan of your car and decreases gas mileage