For more than 20 days now, Valley roads have been baking in temperatures surpassing 110º during the day.
If you're planning a long drive to cooler weather, and heading to a higher elevation, you might be wondering what happens to your tires during a road trip when it’s historically hot.
Frank Leutz of Desert Car Care in Cave Creek jokingly said, “Everything fries.”
His professional recommendation about tire care in extreme heat is to start checking your tire pressure every month, especially with extreme temperatures and monsoon storms looming.
Each tire has different PSI standards. Leutz reminds drivers that their tires' PSI requirements are right under their noses.
“Look for that specification [inside your driver-side door], and check it at least once a month, or if you’re headed to high country and coming back to the Valley where temps are extreme, you’re going to have a fluctuation in pressure. Driver side door is where those specs are at,” he said.
Keep in mind, for every 10-degree rise or fall in temperature, your tires lose about one pound per square inch of pressure.
Leutz says old tires can bulge, or swell, and regardless of distance, he suggests changing them every five years but modern tires don’t melt — even in this heat.
“Unless you’re on another planet next to the sun,” he said.
What drivers can look for in this heat are tire vulnerabilities. If the tread is even with the wear bars of your tire, it’s time to replace it. And like groceries, some tires might have a four-digit expiration date.
“This tire was manufactured the 47th week of the 2021 year. If we were looking five years older, it’s time to replace,” he said.
Leutz said even with thousands of car repairs under his belt, he still relies on a tow truck driver if he has a tire or mechanical issue while on the road.
